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Support. Connect. Empower.

GSAF Committees

California's Girls State Alumnae Foundation Board created four committees to support the work of the organization:
  • Development Committee - Implements our annual fundraiser.
  • Internship Committee - Implements our summer internship program.
  • Public Relations Committee - Manages our social media throughout the year.
  • Professional Development Committee - Provides opportunities for networking and professional development to our alumnae.

Development Commitee

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Angie Balius
Director of Development


​Angie Balius has been actively involved with ALA Girls State since 2007 in a variety of capacities, including her service as Assistant to the Chief, City Counselor, and Assistant City Counselor. She has loved each position and appreciates the opportunity to interact with Girls State delegates each year. She especially enjoys watching the delegates gain confidence in themselves and in their leadership abilities during Girls State as the week progresses. She believes that the biggest gift of serving on the Girls State staff is the lifelong friendships that are forged during the week.

Angie graduated from California State University Long Beach with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development and her teaching credential. She was an elementary teacher for 18 years in the Garden Grove Unified School District, and now works at its District Office as the Specialist in the Office of K-12 Educational Services. Angie is also currently the Associate Director for the UCI Writing Project, and has also worked as a consultant for the California Writing Project.

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Nina Ho
Assistant Director of Development


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Caitlin Voss
Assistant Director of Development


Caitlin attended ALA Ca Girls State in 2008 and was selected to be a junior counselor is 2009. She has continued on as a member of the counseling team in various roles for more than 12 years. ALA Ca Girls State has been, and continues to be a huge part of my life and I cannot be more grateful for all it has given me.

In the “real world” Caitlin is an elementary physical education teacher, teaching students in grades K-6. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from UC Davis where she also played collegiate softball. Caitlin earned her Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Cal Poly SLO. Prior to earning her teaching credential from Brandman University, Caitlin worked as a Junior College softball coach in California and Arizona.
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Professional Development Commitee


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Bre Martinez
​Director of Professional Development

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Samaya Rubio
Assistant Director of Professional Development


Samaya Rubio was a girls state delegate in 2017 from Redondo Union High School and came back as a counselor in 2022. 

She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a bachelors of political science with minors in sustainable environments and ethnic studies and a masters of public policy with a focus on environmental policy in 2022.
She currently works at an environmental nonprofit and focuses on increasing equity in environmental grant programs and at an environmental science camp for fifth graders. In her spare time, she serves on the alumni board for the Hispanic Access Foundation, leads a queer hiking group in Orange County, and still has time to bake and cook all kinds of fun things for her friends and partner who is also a CAGS alum. 

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Amanda Stevenson
​Assistant Director of Professional Development


.​Amanda Stevenson attended CA Girls State 2017 as the delegate for Nipomo High School. She has been eager for the opportunity to give back to the program as it was one of the most impactful and defining experiences of her teenage years. 

Amanda graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, in 2022 with a B.S. in Environmental Management and two minors in Agribusiness and Sustainable Agriculture. She now works for DAOU Vineyards and Winery as the Grower Relations Assistant, and serves as the liaison between growers and winemakers throughout the year. 

She is passionate about networking women across many professions, backgrounds, and locations to promote the advancement of women in all aspects of our community. Amanda hopes to foster meaningful relationships between Girls State alumnae by offering an accessible platform to build connections within such a beautiful, diverse group of women. 

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Arti Doshi
​Assistant Director of Professional Development


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Shruti Juneja
​Assistant Director of Professional Development


Shruti Juneja was an ALA California Girls State delegate from Los Altos High School in 2015 and returned as a Counselor in 2024.

After growing up in the Bay Area, she traded California sunshine for East Coast winters. Shruti graduated from Cornell University in 2020 with a double major in Information Science and Government (partly inspired by her Girls State experience) and a minor in Business. Currently, she works as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington D.C., where she specializes in technology modernization projects for federal government clients.

In her free time, Shruti volunteers with Compass Pro Bono, contributing to strategic consulting projects for local nonprofits. She also enjoys solving crosswords, crocheting, hiking, and traveling, and she is passionate about promoting women’s empowerment.


Public Relations Committee

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Siarra Bergmann
​​​Director of Public Relations


.Siarra attended ALA California Girls State in 2012 as a delegate from Willits High School. She returned to Girls State as a Junior Counselor in 2013 and has been a returning counselor since 2022.

In 2017, Siarra graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from University of California, Berkeley. After graduation, Siarra started work with Teach For America-Memphis and still continues teaching in Memphis. Siarra is passionate about education equality and fostering a love of learning in children of all backgrounds. ​

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Abeeha Shamshad
Assistant Director of Public Relations


​Abeeha attended ALA California Girls State in 2015 as the delegate for California High School and returned in 2016 as a Junior Counselor. She is a 2020 graduate of The Ohio State University, where she studied Public Affairs and Chinese History. 

Abeeha presently lives in St. Louis, Missouri, where she works as a Senior Media Relations Specialist for the Washington University School of Medicine.

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Deana Guardado
Assistant Director of Public Relations


​Deana has volunteered for Girls State since 2017 as the local ALA representative and as a City Liaison beginning in 2021. She holds a B.A. from Point Loma University, an MBA from California State University Los Angeles, and a PhD from Capella University in Organization and Management, specializing in Information Technology. She retired from management at Southern California Edison in 2012 and has volunteered in local organizations since then. She taught Desktop Publishing at Glendale College and Educational Technology at National University. Deana lives in Tehachapi, California, a small town in the mountains about 50 miles east of Bakersfield.​

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Josie Metcalfe
Assistant Director of Public Relations


Josie attended ALA California Girls state in 2021 as a delegate from Argonaut High School. She returned as a Junior Counselor in 2022 and has come back to the program as a staff member since. She plans on coming back to program for many years to come.

Josie currently attends the University of Colorado Boulder where she majors in Elementary Education with hopes of becoming a teacher. Along with her major, Josie also minors in Journalism and Leadership Studies. Serving as a member on her sororities executive board as the House Manager, she oversees day to day operations in a house of 76 women. Josie is proud to be involved in organizations that inspire women to be their most authentic selves.​


Intern Committee

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Emily Taketa
​​Director of Interns


Emily attended ALA California Girls State in 2017 as a delegate from Roseville High School. She has returned to ALA California Girls State as a volunteer staff member since 2022 and plans on always staying connected to the ALA California Girls State network.

Emily holds a B.A. in History from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Washington. At Cal Poly, Emily found a passion for student affairs and higher education by working for Cal Poly Orientation, one of the top-rated orientation programs in the country. Today, Emily works as a Senior Orientation Coordinator at California State University, Fullerton and is also involved with NODA, the Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education. She prides herself in working towards educational justice by designing accessible, inclusive, and empowering programs for new CSUF students and their families. 

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Siarra Bergmann
​​​PR Liaison to the Intern Committee


.Siarra attended ALA California Girls State in 2012 as a delegate from Willits High School. She returned to Girls State as a Junior Counselor in 2013 and has been a returning counselor since 2022.

In 2017, Siarra graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from University of California, Berkeley. After graduation, Siarra started work with Teach For America-Memphis and still continues teaching in Memphis. Siarra is passionate about education equality and fostering a love of learning in children of all backgrounds. ​

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Ellie Kidd
​Assistant Director of Interns


​​Ellie attended ALA California Girls State in 2021 as the delegate from Chico High School when it was online due to the pandemic. She returned to ALA California Girls State in 2022 as a Junior Counselor where she fell in love with the program. Ellie has been on the counseling staff since and she plans on being part of it every summer possible going forward. 

Ellie is a third-year student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, pursuing her own degree plan. She studies how the social sciences interact with biology and the study of the human body. She also has minors in Women and Gender Studies & Child Development. Ellie is passionate about working with women and children of all identities and backgrounds. She plans to be a Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife someday. Ellie is also heavily involved in her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.


Connect with your American Legion Auxiliary California Girls State network with #ALACAGirlsState at the social media and communication outlets listed above,
Shop at the ALA GSAF online store here.
View the American Legion Auxiliary California Girls State website here.

Copyright © 2016. The American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Alumnae Foundation.  All rights reserved.  
GIRLS STATE® is a registered trademark of The American Legion.
ALA Girls State Alumnae Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, Federal Tax ID: 20-3187027.
PO Box 3398   *   Cypress, CA 90630   *   www.cagsaf.org   *   [email protected] 
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