Our Team & Partners - Alabaster International

Shannon Fernando-Rubera,
RN, MSN-FNP-C

Founder & CEO

Shannon Fernando-Rubera is a California board-certified family nurse practitioner who has devoted her career to increasing access to health care for vulnerable people and communities. She founded Alabaster International, originally Alabaster Mobile Clinic, with a vision for bringing holistic care and education to communities that have been overlooked by going where others choose not to go. She is a tireless advocate for people who live on the margins, and envisions a world where everyone has the resources they need to realize their dreams.

In addition to her work with Alabaster, Shannon serves as Chief Innovations Officer at Los Angeles Christian Health Centers in LA’s Skid Row community, providing primary care for homeless individuals and driving strategy and vision for new programming, including their street medicine initiative. She previously served the Los Angeles homeless population through the St. Vincent Cardinal Manning Center as an AmeriCorps scholar. An active member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Shannon holds degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles and Azusa Pacific University. She has lived in and visited more than 27 countries, including medical outreach trips to Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Haiti, Mexico, and Kenya.

Our Team

Ashantha Rubera

Program Officer - Youth

Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Ashantha works as a financial planner in the greater Los Angeles area. His passion is to educate clients on strategic savings and long-term investments, and help them to create solid financial foundations to achieve their dreams and move closer to financial clarity. An avid traveler, Ashantha has visited more than 40 countries, and has been involved with Alabaster International for close to a decade. He spearheaded the Endonyolasho Community Library project and has established deep relationships within the community. Ashantha combines his love for people and food through leading the hospitality ministry at Vision Christian Fellowship, serving as president of the Burbank Toastmasters Club, and producing a cooking show on YouTube called Smiling Islander.

Frida Barragan

Fund Development Officer

Frida Barragan is a dedicated healthcare professional specializing in infectious disease care, street medicine, and community outreach. She currently serves as the Infectious Disease and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Supervisor at Los Angeles Christian Health Centers and was a volunteer with Alabaster International from 2022 to 2024, traveling to Kenya in 2023 on one of Alabaster's humanitarian service trips.

With a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UCLA, Frida has held various impactful roles, including COVID Response and Recovery Care Coordinator and Executive Assistant to the Chief Innovations Officer. She has contributed to grant proposal writing, managed pandemic-related health data reporting, and expanded street medicine programs.

Frida is an active leader with Alabaster International, where she develops marketing strategies, educational programs, and fundraisers to support healthcare and food security initiatives in remote regions of East Africa.

Our Africa Team

Truphosa Nganga

Kenya, Girl Child Network

Truphosa is a passionate Project Coordinator with experience in community-based initiatives, focusing on agriculture, education, and community empowerment.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Sociology from the University of Nairobi and is working with Girl Child Network (GCN).

Truphosa is dedicated to the Enset project, which focuses on fostering sustainable development and creating community impact by combating food insecurity in ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) regions.

Jane Limei

Kenya, Girl Child Network

Jane Limei was born and raised in Kajiado County and is currently a 4th year student at Moi University in Kenya. Jane is passionate about community-based initiatives driven by her lived experience in a marginalized community, where she faced challenges like limited access to quality education and healthcare services.

Jane works at Girl Child Network supporting Alabaster International’s projects, coordinating programming for Masai and Turkana communities. Her focus areas include: improving healthcare services, women empowerment and access to quality education.

Angelo Tuol - South Sudan, UNIDOR

Board of Directors

Leela Braganza, CPA

Treasurer

Leela Braganza has practiced accounting for more than 20 years, with specific experience in nonprofit accounting. She has served as Alabaster’s bookkeeper since 2015, and joined the Board to serve as Treasurer in 2018. She runs a private bookkeeping business and works at a tax firm doing individual, corporate and non-profit taxes.

Leela holds a Bachelor’s degree from Vanguard University of Southern California and is a CPA both in California and Washington. She currently lives in Washington with her husband and two children and enjoys playing guitar and spending time with her family.

Veena Fenn, RN, MS

Secretary

Veena Fenn is a registered nurse with 10 years of experience in adult critical care. She traveled on her first outreach trip with Alabaster in 2013 and has returned every year since. Veena joined Alabaster’s board in 2015, allowing her to contribute to the overall strategy, in addition to the implementation, of healthcare and health education projects.

Driven by a longstanding desire to bring quality medical care to underserved communities in Africa, Veena has grown a deep commitment to Kenya and its people, and strives to provide quality nursing care to her patients. She also enjoys partnering with local providers and educating fellow team members on key areas of health and preventative medicine. Veena holds a Bachelor’s in Nursing from New York University and a Master’s in Science from Dartmouth College. She is a proud aunt of two and enjoys traveling and spending time with her friends and family.

Dr. Katy White

Dr. Katy White serves as a family practice physician and Associate Medical Director of Quality Improvement at TCC Family Health, a secular community health center in Long Beach, California. Dr. White was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, attended Williams college in Massachusetts, graduating with a BA in Psychology, and returned to California for medical school. Through college Bible studies and mission trips to India and Mexico City, she realized she was called to follow Jesus in loving and caring for people in poverty. She spent her gap year between college and medical school living in Mexico City, Mexico, volunteering with short term medical and dental Christian missions teams, serving among people living and working in garbage dumps. She graduated from UCSD School of Medicine and completed a Masters of Public Health at San Diego State University. She graduated from family practice residency in Long Beach and has been working with inner city, underserved populations since 2000.

Before coming to TCC Family Health in April 2024, Katy served as Chief Medical Officer at LA Christian Health Centers from 2013-2024, and worked at two other secular community health centers as a family physician prior to coming to LACHC in 2009. Dr Katy is passionate about meeting Jesus through interactions with patients, shepherding and training new providers and students, bringing justice, reconciliation, and hope to patients and communities, and through the trials and failures and growth moments in safety net health care, continuously learning and growing in her mission to be a healing presence in the lives of others. She has participated in international short terms mission work, in the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Mexico, and participated in an Alabaster International trip to Kenya in 2017.

She is thankful for her husband of 32 years, who is a pastor, and for her 2 adult children.

Grace Beredo

Grace Beredo is a dedicated hospitality professional with over 20 years of experience in the hotel industry and serving her community through various altruistic endeavors. As a hotel Catering Sales Executive in the Orlando area, with dual degrees in Marketing and Communications from the University of Central Florida, she works closely with local businesses as well as local non-profit organizations. Through hands-on involvement and strategic initiatives, she's contributed her time and efforts to various causes aimed at empowering underserved regional populations and fostering education and social welfare.

She has always had a passion for helping others and strives to make an even greater impact and further reach with Alabaster International. Grace's first encounter with Alabaster was attending the 10th anniversary event in 2022. She then joined the 2023 Alabaster trip to Kenya, where she fell in love with the communities of Endonyolasho, Turkana, and the Salama Centre in Nairobi.

Tina Babajanians, MS

Tina Babajanians, a licensed speech and language pathologist, boasts an expansive career of over a decade, primarily serving Title I schools in Los Angeles, California, where she specialized in child speech and language development. Beyond her clinical contributions in special education, Tina has ventured into the realm of marketing and communications, notably for her restaurant group. Leveraging these skills, she collaborates with Alabaster International, aiming to enhance their communication strategies and fundraising initiatives. Tina was among the pioneering individuals who embarked on Alabaster's inaugural mission trip to Kenya.

Bijo George

Bijo George serves as the co-founder and Marketing Director of 5Fold, a digital marketing agency serving home service businesses across the US, which he has been leading for 15 years. Since the inception of Alabaster, Bijo has played a pivotal role in shaping its digital presence, including spearheading the design and development of their website to enhance its outreach and impact.

Bijo graduated from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. He is passionate about helping businesses grow and leveraging his experience to serve communities and create positive change. Bijo currently lives in Ohio with his wife and two sons.