WHO WE ARE
Give and Get Light is a vibrant community united by a singular mission: to illuminate lives with kindness and generosity. Founded on the principles of compassion and reciprocity, we are dedicated to making a positive impact in our world. Since our inception, we have grown steadily, casting a brighter light on the lives of those in need. Our diverse team, from compassionate volunteers to dedicated advocates, works collaboratively to spread warmth and hope to all. We invite you to join us in our journey to share light, brighten spirits, and make a lasting difference. Welcome to Give and Get Light, where together,
we shine a beacon of positivity.
We believe all women can embrace who they are,
can define their future, and can change the world.
Joan Marques
Founder and President
Joan Marques, PhD, EdD, has been a long-time champion for women
support. She holds a PhD in Social Sciences from Tilburg University and an
Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University’s Graduate
School of Education and Psychology. She has been facilitating university
courses for working adults for over two decades. She continues to teach,
present, and write on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Workplace Spirituality; Ethical Leadership, and Leadership Awareness.
Joan has received several accolades over the past years, including, the
national decoration of Commander in the Honorary Order of the Yellow
Star, by the President of the Republic of Suriname; the Dr. Nelle Becker-
Slaton Pathfinder Award, granted by the Association of Pan-African
Doctoral Scholars to an academic female leader who has demonstrated
groundbreaking leadership in her field, and the “Kankantrie” Award from the Suriname-American Network Inc., honoring her long-term contribution tothe educational field on multiple continents.
Joan has thus far authored/co-authored and edited more than 38 books
and more than 150 articles on management and leadership topics. Her
most recent single-authored book is, “Leading with Awareness” (Routledge,
July, 2021).
Sofia Torro
VP, Operations
Sofia Toro has over 25 years of experience in non-profit and higher education
industries. Toro has managed admissions, outreach, recruitment, student affairs,
financial aid, strategy, growth, development, and international student affairs divisions
for different organizations. She brings operations expertise, leadership, and growth
strategies within higher education administration, thanks to her work in both
undergraduate and graduate programs.
She has managed all aspects of the admissions cycle and financial aid. She has been
instrumental in driving the recruitment of diverse students across programs, including
expanding recruitment efforts into Latin America, China, Africa, and India. She has been
successful at streamlining recruitment, admissions process, and financial aid while
working to build awareness of different careers for first-generation and underserved
students. Toro was responsible for enrollment growth of over 400% during her tenure at
Keck Graduate Institute, one of The Claremont Colleges in the Los Angeles area.
Toro helped improve the organizational effectiveness of Los Angeles Universal
Preschool (LAUP), the largest universal preschool effort in the history of the U.S.
educational system. While there, she co-designed and implemented a continuous
quality improvement system. She facilitated the California Award for Performance
Excellence training for organizational learning, process improvement, problem-solving,
and implementation. She also held admissions positions at Pepperdine University and
Woodbury University.
Toro is a first-generation college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business
administration from Woodbury University and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She
serves on the California Graduate Diversity Forum Planning commission, El Camino
College Biotechnology Advisory Board, and the Woodbury University Inaugural Chair for
the Alumni Advisory Council.
Mercedes Coffman
VP. Wellness and Psychological Support
Mercedes Coffman is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist who was born in Suriname,
South America and currently lives in Shadow Hills, California. She graduated with honors from
Woodbury University and continued at Pepperdine University where she earned her Masters
degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy.
Mercedes has been a practicing therapist for over 11 years. She worked in a residential
addiction treatment center for 5 years, and has counseled individuals, couples and families
experiencing severe mental health, trauma, relationship conflict, and addictive disorders
related to gambling, sex, eating, codependency and substance abuse. She now sees individuals,
couples, and families in her private practice. In her work she provides therapy to a wide range
of celebrity and non-celebrity clients, who suffer from child abuse trauma, communication problems in relationships and marriages, and/or internal conflicts regarding life
or career choices.
As a relationship expert Mercedes has contributed to several articles featured in the Huffington
Post, Cosmopolitan, Martha Stewart Weddings, RedbookMag.com, WeddingWire, just to name
a few. On TV, she has been featured as an expert commentator on “the Insider”, FoxSoul, and
as a family therapist on “Growing Up Hip- Hop”.
Along with therapy, Mercedes shares her passion for education while teaching at a local
University in the Psychology, Communications and Interdisciplinary departments.
