Founder and President-Michelle Hardy-Rodriguez
"Anyone going through or overcoming trauma has a continuum of physical and emotional support through My Scars Are Beautiful®." - Michelle Hardy-Rodriguez.
On June 5th, 2013 Michelle was in a horrific accident on the Las Vegas Interstate 15 highway that caused her to suffer third-degree burns to her upper extremities and entire right arm. She spent 2 long weeks at the UMC Burn Unit where she underwent multiple surgeries. Upon her release from the hospital, she endured in home nursing for six months at which time her spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being were dramatically affected. She realized how important it is to have support and encouragement for the physical changes and the mental stability of one's self after traumatic episodes and the lack of support in the community for these needs. This lead her to start the website My Scars Are Beautiful® on Sept 10th, 2014 where people submitted stories of their own traumatic experiences. Which has now grown into a non-profit organization where she focuses her efforts on helping others in her native town of Las Vegas, NV, and around the world. Michelle ensures that people know they're not alone and they don't have to fight through their trauma alone. My Scars Are Beautiful® is here to support and offer trauma after-care programs and services to help overcome the emotional and physical challenges of traumatic experiences. Michelle is also a licensed REALTOR® that helps families and individuals with buying and selling homes and gives a portion of the proceeds to My Scars Are Beautiful®. #AgentforaCause
Secretary-Catherine Datuin
Catherine was a former Secretary for a community board in Hawai'i working with homelessness, the Regional Secretary for NAFAA (National American Filipino Assistance of America) in Colorado, and currently the CARF accredited Secretary for U.S.VETS Cultural Diversity group. Catherine joined My Scars Are Beautiful as she states, "I really felt moved and inspired by this cause that helps people get through such challenging circumstances with empathy and understanding. It's hard for so many people to find this kind of help, let alone be told their beautiful inside and out."
Director-Christopher Weeks
Chris is a Las Vegas native and a military veteran; however, decided to retire after spending 22 years in the U.S. Army as Senior Logistics and Supply Chain Managers. He went from boots to business immediately after his retirement. As an entrepreneur and senior advisor, Chris has 17 years of proven experience with small business start-ups and managing diverse teams. In his spare time, he loves to DJ, travel, and spend time with his family.
Chris is an advocate for non-profit organizations and loves to give back to the community. While trauma survivors may have physical impacts, he believes that the invisible traumas affect survivor’s mental aspects of life. Understanding the visible and invisible traumas that survivors endure and providing the resources to overcome adversity is the first step to helping trauma survivors. He believes that My Scars Are Beautiful’s mission and purpose is the perfect organization to assist trauma survivors.
Director-Nissa Tzun
Nissa D. Tzun is the co-founder & editor-in-chief of the Forced Trajectory Project (FTP). She is a multimedia artist specializing in illustration, graphic and web design, photography, film, public relations and investigative journalism. In 2009, she founded FTP, an independent media outlet that began as a long-term documentary project illuminating the narratives of families impacted by police violence. FTP has been exhibited across the nation and has received numerous awards and recognitions including the 2015 OHA Emerging Crisis Grant, and is a two-time recipient of the Resist General Support Grant. She is the director Residuum, an award-winning docuseries highlighting cases of police abuse, misconduct, violence and corruption in the Las Vegas Valley produced by ChangeWire. Nissa joined My Scars Are Beautiful as she states, " I find the mission of this non-profit to be very much in alignment with the Forced Trajectory Project in relation to trauma and with also being able to connect impacted families with My Scars Are Beautiful and the services provided. I love what this non-profit represents and the hope it gives others. "