Board Members

Billy Walker, an electrician by trade, joined the Breaking the Silence Board of Directors in 2012.

Billy learned from a very young age that hurt people hurt people. Billy was a loner and yet spent countless moments listening to classmates tearfully sharing their experiences. Over the years Billy heard story after story from kids who were being, or had been, abused. Those stories included abuse from mostly “safe” contacts, including family members and clergy.

Billy studied Psychology and Sociology at Fresno City College. In spite of the fact that he did not obtain a degree, Billy took all of the classes in those fields and completed independent studies under two prestigious professors.

Billy understands the importance of community and the value of community awareness.

After spending several years as a Breaking the Silence volunteer, Bill Hinton joined the Breaking the Silence Board of Directors in 2020. He has acted as treasurer for several non-profit organizations over the year and now for BTS.

Bill has three sons and three grandchildren and is a dedicated family man. He is retired from the IBEW Local 332 Electrical Workers Union and spends his time on home projects and volunteering for the betterment of our community.

Dakota M Draconi is a Founding Member of Breaking the Silence. Dakota is an activist and advocate for the vulnerable and oppressed, who began speaking publicly about Child Abuse and related issues in the community in 1999 and brought it under the umbrella of Breaking the Silence in 2006.

Dakota earned a BA in Women’s Studies in 2008 and a Master’s in Social Work in 2012.

Dakota has an undeniably profound passion for raising community awareness, with the primary goals of both preventing further child abuse as well as facilitating the empowerment of child abuse survivors. Dakota’s dream is an end to all violence against the most vulnerable among us: Our Children.

Marc Antonio is a registered associate marriage family therapist who works with trauma survivors. He is trained in EMDR, CBT for psychosis, and DBT. He has worked with adolescents, young adults, and older adult populations. He also has experience in dual diagnosis.

Marc started volunteering with Breaking the Silence in 2012 as an event planner and community organizer. He served as Vice President from 2014-2018. He served as Walk for the Children Event Director from 2014-2018 where he conducted outreach and collaborated with other organizations with similar missions to Breaking the Silence. He is currently a board member and helps planning annual events.

Marc grew up in a military family that spent time in Virginia, Florida, and Southern and Central California. He received his BS in psychology and MS in marriage family and child counseling from the University of Phoenix. He incorporates nerd and pop-culture into his therapy practice. He tends to his three cats, enjoys cooking, and likes bacon.

Corky Draconi is a Founding Member of Breaking the Silence. Corky is a Veteran of the United States Air Force with a BS in Electronics and a MS in Information Technology.

As a survivor of emotional incest, childhood rape, and adult domestic violence, Corky is proud to serve as a member of an organization that embodies the fight against child abuse and related issues.

Corky is usually found in the background at any event, focusing on providing the best technical experience possible for those attending.

Roselena Guerra is a Fresno Pacific University graduate, where she earned her B.A in Psychology. Ms. Guerra has been working with at-risk children and youth since 2016, along with their caregivers. Roselena seeks to become a school Social Worker to advocate for those who are suffering in silence, just as she was.

As a survivor of abuse by her father, Roselena has experienced first-hand the effects of child abuse in her day-to-day journey. Ms. Guerra is very passionate about the topic and has reached other survivors through sharing her story as well as spreading awareness with Breaking the Silence.

Roselena connected with Breaking the Silence in 2012 and has since participated and volunteered. Ms. Guerra has served on the Planning Committee and Board of Directors since 2019.

Coming soon

Jacob Taylor was brought to the Speak for the Children event by his mom, when he was a junior high school student, and he has been a volunteer since.

After acting as a single event Volunteer Coordinator for Speak for the Children, Jacob became interested in continuing in that role. When the topic of new positions came up at a planning meeting, one of which was Volunteer Coordinator, he told himself that night that position would be his.

Jacob expressed an interest in the position and was given a trial run as Volunteer Coordinator the following April, after which he formally applied for the position. He was voted in as the youngest member of the Board of Directors as well as Volunteer Coordinator.

In addition to recruiting and managing volunteers for the organization, Jacob–as a younger member–tries to be a voice of the next generation in the planning and execution of events.

Jacob is currently a student at Fresno City College, pursuing a career in education.

Sheri Taylor began as a volunteer with Breaking the Silence in 2013, and joined the Breaking the Silence Board of Directors in 2015.

Sheri earned a BA in Social Work with a minor in Child and Family Sciences from Fresno State in 2007, and a Master’s in Social Work from Fresno State in 2011. She has been working clinically since 2009, and as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2015. She has also been certified in Clinical Supervision since 2017.

Sheri specializes in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The majority of her clients have a history of child abuse and/or domestic violence.

Brandon C. Wainio is a Founding Member of Breaking the Silence, and joined the Board of Directors in 2015. Brandon earned a BS in Criminology, Law Enforcement Option, and a Victim Services Certificate in 2017.

Through his studies and experience, Brandon has seen the lasting effects child abuse and domestic violence can have on individuals and their loved ones. This has given Brandon a strong sense of empathy toward victims and survivors, and motivated him to assist as much as possible.