Meet Our Board

Alexa U. brings over a decade of experience in the mental health and social services field to her role as President of Survivor Center, a survivor-led organization supporting women healing from domestic violence. Her career includes work with Native communities and the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, as well as service in juvenile and adult correctional settings, residential group homes, and addiction treatment centers.

Currently, Alexa leads the Family Shelter at The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia, where she provides trauma-informed care and holistic support to families experiencing homelessness. As both a survivor and advocate, she is deeply committed to empowering women through connection, safety, and community. Alexa’s leadership is rooted in compassion, cultural humility, and a belief in every woman’s right to rebuild her life with dignity and strength.

Carmen Mercado is a Latina woman born and raised in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. She was subjected to mental health trauma due to witnessing Domestic Violence as a child as well as being in intimate partner violence relationships of her own. However, with her resilience and focus, she was able to thrive against her struggles. Currently, she is a single mother of three with an adorable fur baby. Her medical office education landed her a role as an Advanced Medical Support Associate at the VA Hospital. She is also an active member of the Domestic Survivor organization VOW and participants in their Steering Committee, where she helps change policies and advocates for survivors like herself. In 2023, Carmen was invited to speak on a survivor panel for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s DV awareness event. Carmen hopes her life work will bring more awareness to the effects of Domestic Violence.