Allyson Sonenshine, JD

Founding Director

Allyson Sonenshine has over 25 years of nonprofit, legal and volunteer experience in women’s health.  In 2011, she co-founded the Orange County Women’s Health Project. Under her leadership, the OCWHP has hosted eight OC Women’s Health Summits (the premier annual conference for healthcare and social service professionals, government and nonprofit agencies, researchers, educators, students and advocates concerned with women’s health in Orange County), spearheaded the Domestic Violence & Health Collective–OC (a groundbreaking, five-year, $2M+ initiative that strengthened the local healthcare sector’s response to domestic violence and improved linkages between sectors across Orange County), launched the Healthy Teen Collective-OC (a multi-sector initiative to promote teen health in the areas of mental health, substance use, sexual/reproductive health, and dating violence), led three OC Women’s Health Task Forces, produced five Women’s Health Policy Briefs, created two OC Women’s Health Dashboards, and co-presented multiple professional trainings, symposia and conferences on women’s health policy, disparities, and research.

Prior to the OCWHP, Ms. Sonenshine was an attorney with Bingham McCutchen in Los Angeles, where she practiced employment and business litigation. Upon transitioning to the nonprofit sector, she worked with the Merage Foundations to establish the nationally recognized SOS-El Sol Wellness Center at a Title I charter school in Santa Ana. 

Ms. Sonenshine presently serves on the Hoag Hospital Sexual & Reproductive Health Collaborative (formerly the Women’s Reproductive Advisory Committee); has served as Board Chair for both Essential Access Health and Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties., and formerly served on the Support Council for The Rape Foundation in Los Angeles. Her honors include 40 Kickass Women (Orange Coast), 100 Most Influential (Orange County Register), Health Advocate of the Year (YWCA of North OC), the inaugural Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award (NWPC-OC), 20 Women to Watch (OC Metro), Woman of the Year-Community Service (Women of Temple Bat Yahm), and recognition by the Los Angeles County Bar Association for her pro bono legal work. Allyson earned her BA with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and her JD at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Dena Rubin, MPH

Program Manager

Dena Rubin has over 30 years of experience developing and managing health and human service programs in California.  As Program Manager for the Orange County Women’s Health Project, she supports the mission to advance women’s health in Orange County by developing and coordinating collective impact efforts, training programs, conferences, policy briefs, and needs assessments. For the Domestic Violence & Health Collective - OC (a groundbreaking, five-year, $2M+ initiative that strengthened the local healthcare sector’s response to domestic violence and improved linkages between sectors across Orange County), Dena provided critical technical assistance to funded and unfunded partners, oversaw robust data collection and evaluation activities, prepared grant proposals and collateral materials, and presented at conferences about the initiative.

As a private consultant in Orange County, Dena assisted with development of the Families and Communities Together (FaCT) Program, a county-wide system for funding, expanding and supporting Family Resource Centers (FRCs), and the development Orange County’s Strong Families, Strong Children program to support military-connected families. She also helped develop and manage the Prop 10 funded community based health access initiative, coordinate a comprehensive Child Abuse Prevention Plan, and administer the county-wide Bridges Maternal Child Health Network. Further, she completed planning and feasibility reports for the Children and Families Commission of Orange County and a strategic health analysis for Orange County United Way.  Prior to moving to Orange County, Dena's public health work was recognized by both the Santa Barbara County Health Care Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services - AIDS Program Office.  Dena earned her Master’s in Public Health from UCLA.  

Gail Dratch, MSW

Mental Health Specialist

Gail Dratch has spent most of her career with the County of Orange Health Care Agency in Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health directing case management programs for pregnant and parenting adolescents (AFLP and Cal-Learn). In this role, she served as the Southern Region representative on a State-wide board tasked with developing protocols, reviewing program data, and recommending improvements throughout the State. She has also worked with the MHSA-funded Prevention and Early Intervention programs, participating in the selection, oversight and support of community agencies providing contracted services focused on decreasing the incidence and severity of mental illness in Orange County. Most recently, she was an adjunct faculty member at Chapman University, teaching undergraduate social work classes. Gail earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Southern California.