Board of Directors
Cristina Medina Dirksen
Chair
Cristina Medina Dirksen is a Senior Public Affairs Representative for Kaiser Permanente. She served as Mayor Pro Tem and as an elected council member for the City of Marina. Cristina is a former journalist, working for newspapers in Fresno, Fort Worth, Texas, Oregon and two local publications.
She attended Monterey College of Law and worked as part of an in-house legal counsel team for a publicly traded international mining company before working in philanthropy. Cristina is a community volunteer, having served on nonprofit boards, including The Friends of the Marina Library and Marina Youth Arts (current). She is a 2020 graduate of Emerge California who put her skills into action, helping elect key candidates in the area.
She and her husband are raising their triplet daughters Mariessa, Ruby and Viviana in Marina, their home for the last 24 years.
Cristina's Linkedin profile.
Email: adelante.consult@gmail.com
Natalie R. Herendeen
Vice-Chair & Secretary
Natalie Herendeen is the Executive Director and Attorney for Monterey Waterkeeper. Natalie was born and raised in the Salinas Valley, where most of her family continues to live. In 2014, Natalie returned to the Salinas Valley after graduating with honors from Santa Clara University School of Law to work within her community and improve
conditions for her fellow residents. Natalie has been a licensed attorney since December 2014. Prior to this, Natalie earned her Bachelor's Degree at University of California Santa Barbara in Global Studies with an emphasis on culture and ideology and graduated Phi Betta Kappa.
Prior to joining the team at Monterey Waterkeeper, Natalie was the Executive Director and Attorney for the Center for Community Advocacy in Salinas from 2021 to 2024, whose mission is to identify, cultivate, and recognize leadership from farmworkers and low-income families and to expand opportunities in their lives.
In July 2023, Natalie founded Wildlings Conservatory who mission is conservation, discovery, healing empowerment, and advocacy to conserve land to conserve life and implement sustainable systems, solutions, and second chances to address the injuries caused to our earth, communities, and vulnerable sentient beings, creatures and lifeforces that coexist in our shared planet.
From 2014 to 2020, Natalie was the Staff Litigation attorney, and later Director of Litigation for Legal Services for Seniors for Monterey County where she helped local residents fight elder abuse and other consumer claims. Natalie also managed her own solo practice, Herendeen Legal, from 2016 to 2021.
Natalie's LinkedIn profile.
Stefan Jaskulak
Treasurer
With an impressive career spanning more than two decades in finance and strategic management, Stefan has consistently driven high-impact financial operations and sustainable growth across diverse organizations. Previously a member of HDS's Board of Directors, Stefan has decided to return after a few years to continue supporting the organization’s mission and goals. Known for his proactive approach to fiscal excellence, he is highly skilled in financial planning, forecasting, and operational improvement.
Stefan’s leadership experience spans both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, where he has played key roles in aligning financial strategy with organizational objectives. With a solid educational background in accounting and finance and a commitment to transparency and prudent financial management, he is an invaluable asset to the HDS Board. His return to the board underscores his dedication to responsible stewardship and to HDS's long-term financial health.
Jessica Macias
Board of Director
Jessica Macias is the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Monterey County and brings more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience to the Hijos del Sol Board of Directors. Throughout her career, she has led programs, teams, and community partnerships focused on strengthening families, supporting children, and addressing inequities. Her experience includes strategic planning, organizational growth, financial management, fundraising, marketing, program development, and collaboration with government agencies, funders, and community-based organizations.
Jessica’s professional background also includes extensive work in early childhood education, where she developed programs, trained staff, engaged families, and advocated for the needs and rights of children. She is especially passionate about the relationship between the arts and childhood development, including the ways creative expression can support learning, confidence, healing, and emotional well-being.
Jessica joined the board because she feels deeply connected to the mission of Hijos del Sol and believes the arts are essential—not simply an activity, but a powerful part of human development. She hopes to help expand programming, strengthen community partnerships, and explore opportunities such as a community makerspace, educational presentations, and greater public awareness of the transformative role art can play in the lives of young people and families.
Jessica's LinkedIn profile.
Email: jessica@hijosdelsol.org
Directors Emeritus
To all former board members of Hijos del Sol, we express our heartfelt gratitude for your dedication, wisdom, enthusiasm, and compassion. Your commitment to our community, our visitors, and our organization has been instrumental in shaping Hijos del Sol into what it is today. Your decision to lead and nurture this organization has left a lasting impact.
Thank you for everything.
-
Elizabeth Jimenez
-
Veronica Plascencia
-
Ramiro Medrano
-
Nick Sandoval, Jr.
-
Rosío Pedroso
-
Ted Rico
-
Stefan Jaskulak
-
Elizabeth Gonzalez-Jaskulak
-
Danika Jaskulak-Gonzalez
-
Rosmary Soto
-
And all others