Meet Our Board

MAX COSTON, CHAIR/CO-FOUNDER

Max Coston is a political strategist based in San Diego County, California. Starting his political experience in gun violence prevention policy, Max worked in leadership positions with March for Our Lives and Team Enough to advocate for gun safety measures on the local and state level. He is the youngest member of the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee, Secretary of the Party's East Area Caucus, and board member of Survivors Empowered. Currently, he is the founder and a partner at SP Strategies, a political and nonprofit consulting group. Some policy areas that are important to Max are public safety, LGBTQIA+ rights, and voting rights.

WENDY WHEATCROFT, CO-FOUNDER

Wendy is a mom and a teacher who came into the gun violence prevention movement after multiple personal and professional brushes with gun violence. Wendy became the San Diego Lead of Moms Demand Action (2016) and CA Chapter Lead (2018). She is one of the original founders of San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention (2018) and served as a mentor to Moms Demand leaders, as well as trainer at their national conference. Wendy is a graduate of the Emerge CA Class of 2018 and ran for San Diego City Council in 2020 on a local gun violence prevention platform. In addition to founding Safer California, Wendy is a classroom teacher.

MIA LIVAS PORTER

Mia Livas Porter is a mom of two, a gun violence survivor, and an elected delegate representing her district in the Los Angeles County Central Committee and the California Democratic Party. She is also a former Candidate for the California Assembly. Mia started her activism fighting for education equity and environmental injustice, then joined Moms Demand Action after the Parkland tragedy, where she served as a Local Group Events Lead, Survivor Events Lead, and now serves as an Everytown Senior Survivor Fellow and a State Special Campaigns Volunteer. After her brother Junior died by gun suicide, Gun Violence Prevention, Suicide Prevention, and Mental Health Awareness are her top advocacy priorities to ensure that no one else feels the pain that her and her family endured.

DR. TIFFANY BOYD-HODGSON, PHD

Dr. Tiffany Boyd-Hodgson is a mother, neuroscientist, former school board member and current elected water director. She joined the fight to prevent gun violence as PTO president of her children's Montessori school in 2012 after the Sandy Hook tragedy. Raised around firearms, she understands gun operation and gun safety, and advocates for safe storage, no access for domestic abusers, violent felons, or people under age 21. She supports a full ban on high-capacity firearms and supports ammunition limits.

RUDY ESPINOZA

Rudy currently serves as state spokesperson for California Moms Demand Action. He joined the movement back in 2018 after having two close calls with gun violence. Since joining, he’s volunteered to elect gun sense candidates and most recently served as Chief of Staff to a county supervisor. Rudy now lives in New York with his husband and daughter while advising and consulting for elected officials and non profit organizations.