ABOUT US
The Office Team
Mary Azula , Executive Director
A gentle, quiet yet solid and determined personality describes the fearless leader of the Executive Director of AES. With a background of working previously in a corporate world in her homeland, Kenya, Mary Azula had the opportunity to move to the U.S. to discover a new chapter in her career but led her to work in a “caregiving world”.
The inception of AES became into existence when Mary Azula responded to her personal conviction of creating an opportunity to adults with intellectual disabilities to have an option in their living arrangement.
As every SLS agency is characterized by its unique quality and specialty, Amani Exceptional Services (AES) shares the same concept as to its name origination. “Amani” is a Swahili word for “peace”; an inner peace that AES would like for every person receiving services to possess knowing that the services being provided to them meet their personal choice and expectation combined with “exceptional” standard.
Giovanni “Joe” Cruda , Program Director
Before joining the management team at A.E.S. in Sep. 2022, Joe already possessed over 15 years of experience in the supported living arena. His expanded SLS experience coupled with working at the regional center as a service coordinator, provided him a unique experience and to become a well-rounded Program Director of A.E.S.
Joe was born, raised and educated in the Philippines, yet, fate drew him to the U.S. to utilize his God-given gifts and talents in the social services field. With literally no experience in the field, he first worked as a habilitation aide until reaching the administrator role in a 90-bed facility in the Chicago area. When he moved to Sacramento area in 2001, that’s when he was introduced to SLS where it changed his view in providing services to adults with intellectual disabilities and he became a strong advocate of SLS.
Someone asked him about what’s keeping him going in working in this challenging field, he gladly responded…”I feel that I am fulfilling my calling whenever I see someone being successful living his/her life because of SLS”. Joe also commented his type of leadership…”I will not tell anyone to do something I myself will not do or perform”.
Here at AMANI Exceptional Services, we provide exceptional support to Individuals with disabilities regardless of what their disabilities may be. Most importantly, we believe in providing exceptional support to the support teams/staff surrounding the client to ensure we are building a culture of reverence for the whole person, excellence in all areas, and passion for what we bring each day. Supported Living Services is designed to provide case management to individuals with disabilities allowing them to live independently in the home of their choice. Independent living means having control or a say of how their own world operates. Individuals in Supported Living benefit from assistance to explore options and to make informed decisions about who works for them and who is involved in their circle of support. Individuals are empowered to choose their own paths, including taking risks that promote growth and independence.
Kristina Mansfield , HR/Accounting
Kristina can be considered as one of the pillars in the establishment of AES. Kristina joined the AES Management Team on its first day of operations in 2020 working alongside with Mary Azula, Executive Director. She is the active Human Resources Coordinator and Payroll Administrator for AES.
Kristina has a deep understanding of supported living. Prior to her current role, she was immersed to performing the role of a direct support staff for about 10 years where she gained a high level of understanding of the client’s support needs and learning the job from the employee’s perspective.
This experience has become invaluable in order forKristina to be effective in fulfilling her current role. Although she still misses working directly with clients, she enjoys the challenges that HR and payroll administrator role brings. Kristina’s contribution to the company is essential to its stability.
Jennifer Wenger , Community Support Facilitator
Angel Hernandez , Community Support Facilitator
