About Us

Our History

The first formation meetings were held in the summer of 2015. The Verde Valley Coalition Against Human Trafficking was incorporated on October 18, 2016. In June of 2017 we changed our name to Coalition Against Human Trafficking - Northern Arizona. In the fall of 20222 we decided to discontinue  our separate organization and continue our work under the auspices of Share Hope International. All of our Directors and volunteers are Ambassadors of Hope and will continue the work of combating human trafficking in that capacity.

Sharleen Henderson

Sharleen Henderson was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada. She went to school at the University of the Fraser Valley.

Sharleen is passionate about crime prevention and road safety and subsequently worked in a number of related fields. Sharleen held positions and contracts with agencies such as: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Force, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, and the Abbotsford City Police Department.

Sharleen enjoyed writing legislative proposals and lobbying for their enactment. She even spoke before a standing committee in the Canadian House of Commons.

In 2003 Sharleen moved to Tucson and shortly thereafter moved to Washington, DC. In 2011, Sharleen became a U.S. citizen. Currently, Sharleen volunteers in a number of capacities for the Sedona City Police Department.

She has been involved with Coalition Against Human Trafficking - Northern AZ since 2017 and served as Vice President and Chair of our Presentation Team.

Sybil Malinowski Melody

Sybil Malinowski Melody retired in 2015 after 38 years as a financial services attorney, the last 17 years as lead attorney for and then consultant to the Mortgage Partnership Finance® Program of the Federal Home Loan Bank System.

Since retiring Sybil got involved in combating human trafficking, becoming an Ambassador of Hope with Shared International Hope International in 2015 and helping incorporate the Coalition Against Human Trafficking-Northern Arizona (CAHT-NAZ) in 2016.

In 2017 Sybil helped form the Friends of Clark Memorial Library and is Secretary of that organization as well. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community of Sedona & the Verde Valley.

She served as the Secretary of CAHT-NAZ.

 

Dr. Carol. L. Gandolfo

Dr. Carol L. Gandolfo is a Psychologist and Marriage Family Therapist licensed in both California and Arizona. She has over twenty years’ experience working with developmental disabilities, major mental illnesses, domestic violence victims, family therapy, etc.

She is the current owner of CLG Behavior Consultants, LLC. She has forensic experience in the areas of assessment, competency training and expert witness for individuals with developmental disabilities and attendee at the Academy Group Violent Criminal Behavior and Criminal Profiling. She is a Board Certified Founding Fellow of the College of Advanced Prescribing Psychologist, certified in mediation training with the Arizona Attorney General, Certified Trauma Therapist.

She is the Co-creator of the Sex Trafficking and Interdiction for the Protection of Children Manual currently being distributed throughout Arizona for use by law enforcement personnel. She is a member of the Critical Incident Team for the Sedona Fire Department and volunteer with the Sedona Police Department. She has been a member of the Coalition Against Human Trafficking – Northern Arizona for almost six years.

Rick Gandolfo

Upon moving to Sedona in 2006, Rick Gandolfo looked forward to days of relaxation and art. He retired after a lifetime in the Aerospace Industry. However, life often throws you unexpected events. He started volunteering at the Sedona Arts Center and later joined the Board of Directors. In 2009, he bought the house next door. After much thought, they decided it would be a great place to open a studio and give back to the arts. Gandolfo’s Art Studio was started and has been welcoming artists to use their studio and teach other artists. He has become a die hard plein air painter and can often be found on a trailhead with his easel and paints. Now with more and more artists coming to Sedona to teach at Gandolfo’s Art Studio, Rick finds himself even more involved with the community. He has stepped back from volunteering to focus on his painting, but still finds time to support his local charities. He joined the Coalition Against Human Trafficking – Northern Arizona in 2020 after becoming involved in JustMenAZ, an organization dedicated to educating buyers on the victims they are about to purchase.

Dona Johnson

Rev. Dona Johnson is pastor of GracePointe of Sedona, a new mission start. She chairs the North American Lutheran Church’s (NALC) Living and Giving Stewardship Team.  She also is Co-chair for the denomination’s fundraising initiative “Today, Tomorrow and Forever.” Through her work with the Lilly School of Philanthropy: Institute on Faith and Giving, she authored RESET and Stewards of God’s Influence, and also holds an Executive Certificate of Religious Fundraising (ECRF). She has chaired synodical stewardship ministries, participated in the Macedonia Project—visioning for congregational stewardship and has a certificate in church leadership from the Leadership Institute.

In the non-profit sector, she chaired for six years the Board of Directors for a day-program for those who live with mental illness and has led several non-profit and congregational fundraising campaigns, in addition to coordinating community-wide events for mental illness.

Rev. Dona Johnson holds both a Masters of Divinity from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH and Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH., a Master of Science in Architecture, University of Cincinnati and a national Fellowship from the American Institute of Architects, Washington, D.C. She founded her own practice DRS Design Group and was an adjunct professor at University of Cincinnati School of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning and Miami University, Oxford, OH. She lives in Sedona, AZ with her husband Mike, in addition to team-ministry, they love to hike and travel. 

Sherrie Peterson

Sherrie Peterson is a graduate of Bellevue University—located in Omaha, Nebraska—where she graduated with honors. She retired in 2007 after twenty years of service as a Child Protective Service Specialist and Adoption Specialist for the Nebraska Department of Human Services. Sherrie has extensive experience working with children that have severe physical and mental disabilities. She has worked with families and children that are victims of violence, sexual abuse, and satanic abuse.

After retirement Sherrie volunteered for Hospice Home Health Care, working with eldercare patients, and their loved ones, as well as mentoring children with their studies.

Sherrie has a strong passion in helping children and their families as well as an interest in crime prevention and law enforcement.

Csilla Sebestyen

Csilla Sebestyen is passionate about empowering and supporting community involvement, mostly focused in the nonprofit sector and bringing about social change through spiritual and faith-based initiatives. Over the past 10 years, Csilla has kept current on the problem of human slavery and sex trafficking. She is presently employed as a Personal Assistant for a local family and for their business and is also a licensed Notary for the state of Arizona.

Csilla previously worked as a Flight Attendant for both major and private airlines, while obtaining her FAA license, a school bus driver, corporate administrator, and in retail. She has volunteered for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, several homeless shelters in Connecticut and for local churches, and has mentored children for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. 

Prior to immigrating from Europe to the U.S., she attended high school in Arezzo, Italy. She also attended the Fashion Institute of Technology college in New York and then transferred to Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.