Danielle Lopez
Board President
Danielle Lopez has a long history of volunteerism, serving on the Women’s Fest Planning Committee, the Women’s Advisory Committee, the MAP LGBT CFO Conference Planning Committee, the Bisexual Advisory Committee, she served as an AIDS Walk San Diego Area Manager for several years, and earned the M. Corinne Mackey Volunteer of the Year award in 2007. When she was 18, she co-founded the nonprofit collective Revolution Rising in Los Angeles with folks from the Riot Grrrl movement and music has always been an integral part of her life. Currently, she serves as Vice President and Treasurer of the Board at The Child’s Primary School and as Treasurer of the Board for Volunteer with Cheli. Danielle is the Chief Financial and Operating Officer at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego and prior to that, she was the Chief Financial Officer at the San Diego LGBT Community Center. Danielle and her husband relocated to San Diego from Los Angeles in 2002 where she now lives with her daughter and two fur babies.
Melissa grove
Executive Director & Rockin' Board Member
For the past 14 years, Melissa has been involved in a community that uses music as the foundation for improving lives and contributing to others. While watching the success of rock camps globally and seeing the positive results, she created a team of musicians and non-profit professionals to bring the mission of empowering girls through music to San Diego. Melissa’s background in child development allowed her to work as a youth activities coordinator on cruise ships and a Disney event coordinator and host. Her true passion for music and the performing arts inspires her to work with non-profits that encourage children to experience performance and complete self-expression. Her days are also filled with program possibilities for the Jason Mraz Foundation.
Born in Brazil, raised in California and traveling the world, Melissa loves calling San Diego home. Being a proud auntie to six nieces and ten great nieces, Melissa feels passionate about providing young females the tools to help overcome the challenges girls face regularly.
“I believe in building a community that supports a strong identity and encourages collaboration. At Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls San Diego we encourage the girls to embrace their uniqueness and become advocates for themselves and others. We use music as the catalyst to empowerment…it's fun and educational!”
2020 girls rock camp VIRTUAL team
2017 rock camp team
CHARLIE NECOR
GXRLS ROCK! SUMMER CAMP COORDINATOR
Charlie is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego who moved here from Chicago. She is majoring in Cognitive-Behavioral Neuroscience and minoring in Human Developmental Sciences. She currently works for SAY San Diego as a Teacher’s Aide at a local elementary school. She also conducts developmental neuroscience research on infant empathy at the SoCal Lab. Outside of academics, she spends the majority of her time playing music. She grew up taking piano lessons but ultimately ended up teaching herself guitar and bass. She now plays indie-folk covers with her friends in their band, Cowgirls in the Air. They have performed at multiple on-campus activism events. She also is a DJ for her university radio station, playing the music she listens to on a daily basis. As a queer Filipinx, Charlie is passionate about accessible and inclusive education and is excited to promote the camp’s mission.
2019 Ladies rock camp team
2018 ladies rock camp team
Join our team!
MENTORs, workshop leaders & VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Apply HERE
WE'RE HIRING A camp technical coordinator...click here to learn more
Questions? EMAIL US @ ROCKCAMPFORGIRLSSD@GMAIL.COM
Karlie Carbone
Managing Director
A San Diego native, Karlie is a nonprofit arts administrator and vocalist with a strong passion for equity in arts education. She earned her undergraduate degree in music with an emphasis in vocal studies from Loyola Marymount University, where she was also involved in service and social justice volunteer work through Ignatians Service Organization. Prior to her current nonprofit work, she earned continuing education credits in early childhood education and worked as a preschool teacher. Since 2018, she has worked for a Los Angeles-based nonprofit bringing music programming to schools in underserved communities, serving up to 5,000 students annually. In her role she oversees all schools-related programming and operations, develops new programmatic initiatives, and works collaboratively to create and carry out the organization’s strategic plans. Always looking to learn and grow in her career, Karlie has participated in Responsive Classroom Special Area Teachers workshops, as well as the LA County Arts Ed Collective Art of Leadership Intensive in 2020. In 2021 she also completed a Certificate Program in Social Emotional Arts through Arts & Healing Initiative. Currently Karlie sings with the San Diego Master Chorale, and enjoys spending time outside with her fur baby, family and friends.
2018 girls rock camp team
Justice Bailey
Rockin' Board Member
Born and raised in Louisiana, Justice Bailey is a professional musician with over 20 years of musical experience. As Justice’s mother was a musician for many churches, Justice was exposed to music at an early age which began her passion and devotion to music arts with drums and percussion being her primary instrument. Justice has auditioned and participated in various music programs, workshops, and musical training as a youth to help develop her into the musician she is today. In 2017, Justice received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Louisiana Lafayette. In 2020, she began a postgraduate degree of Music Therapy at Saint Mary of the Woods College in Indiana. In 2021, she joined Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls San Diego where she was a band coach and instrument instructor. She developed a love for the program and its mission of empowering females and female identifying youth through music - which is a male dominated industry. Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls inspired and moved Justice as she watched how life changing and empowering this program was for young girls. She returned to camp in 2022 to continue to be a part of such an empowering movement. As of 2023, Justice has eagerly joined Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls San Diego Board of Directors to continue assisting in positively changing the lives of young girls through music empowerment. Justice believes in the power of music and the positive influence that Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls has for the community. Justice also teaches piano, music theory, and drums to people of all ages in a military community. Justice is a music therapy intern with sights on becoming a Board Certified music therapist (MT-BC) in 2024. Justice moved to San Diego in 2018 and is the proud wife to her husband of 5 1/2 years, a proud mother to their beautiful two year old daughter, and one fur baby.
2021 girls rock camp VIRTUAL team
Rockin' 2023 Advisory Team
Andrea Trent, Ben Varela, Candi Newton, Christine Lafontant, Connie Corn, Erika Malone, Ettore Dedivitiis, Gina Smigel, Joel Goodman,
Lisa Hightower-Kibbe, Meghan Lowery, Paige Miller and Shardie Flenoid.
2016 INAUGURAL rock camp team
kenz McManus
Board Treasurer
Kenz has loved music from a young age but became a more active student and performer in the last couple of years. After learning to drum through the video game Rock Band, ze joined the Gonzaga Drumline in college and a variety of bands and projects since. Passionate about sharing the love, wonder, and expression of music, Kenz joined the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Gxrls San Diego in 2022 as a Drum Instructor and Band Coach.
With a background in engineering, mathematics, and physics, Kenz is excited to contribute to the board in the Treasurer position. Ze currently works as a Senior Electrical Engineer at Tandem Diabetes Care and serves as Treasurer for SWAGMIT (Supporting Women and Gender Minorities in Tandem). Kenz is also supported by Mathematicat, who isn’t the biggest fan of loud instruments like drums but is a steadfast believer in creating empowering communities where everyone can discover and pursue their passions.
Yvonne Schmeltz
Board Secretary
Yvonne was born in the small state of Indiana in the United States. After 22 years of being surrounded by cornfields and cemeteries; they moved to San Diego, California. Yvonne Schmeltz’s career and passion revolves around creativity, education, advocacy, and lifelong learning. For more than 15 years, they have been working for the San Diego Community College District at City College with the School of Arts, Humanities, Communications and Telecommunications, excited to build community, support, and lead efforts like the Annual Social Justice in Education Conference, and the AFT Immigrant Student Support Committee. More recently, transitioned to working for the San Diego College of Continuing Education, still within SDCC District. As a current College Operations Supervisor, Yvonne is well versed in mediation, contracts, connection, communication, community building, and leading. Active in the San Diego Imperial Queer Alliance (SDIQuA) which is a regional hub of LGBTQ+ identified community college educators, students, community members, and collaborators, Yvonne works to support the queer community in advocacy, visibility, and research. Aside from parenting, spending time and being creative with family and friends, Yvonne spends any extra moments playing and listening to music, doing book arts, reading, writing, embroidering, and laughing loudly as much as possible
2019 girls rock camp team
Sandy Haasis
Board Vice President
Sandy Haasis has a passion for supporting powerful programs for youth in her community. Her background includes twenty years of experience in arts education, art program development and administration. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from Northern Arizona University. Sandy first experienced the power of Rock Camp as a participant in Ladies Rock LA. At Rock Camp she found a brave, safe place to try, fail, try again, and find her inner rock star. Not just on stage…in life. Now it is her turn to empower young girls and she could not be more excited to be a part of the team that created Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls to San Diego.
2022 gXrls rock camp team!
2023 gXrls rock camp team!
Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls San Diego
Empowering Girls And Non-binary Youth Through Music