Sony Harrison-Avalos

Speaker Information

Sonette “Sony” Avalos is a public service leader, community advocate, and Master of Social Work candidate at California Baptist University with over two decades of experience across government, nonprofit, and higher education. Her work centers on equity, community resilience, and systems-level change, with a focus on military families, transitional youth, and underserved populations.

Sony’s career began with the Armed Services YMCA, where she rose to Interim Executive Director before joining Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) in 2009. As Deployment Readiness Program Director, she has supported thousands of military families across multiple installations through programs that strengthen family stability and operational readiness—earning multiple General Officer-level Certificates of Commendation.

In higher education, Sony served as Interim Assistant Director and Black Student Success Initiatives Coordinator at CSU San Marcos, developing culturally responsive programming to improve retention and belonging for Black students. She holds a B.A. in Communication from CSUSM and dual Associate degrees from MiraCosta College. Sony is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work from Cal Baptist University with aspirations to continue on to her Juris Doctorate in constitutional law

Currently, Sony is deepening her focus on macro social work practice—connecting policy, advocacy, and community programming to address systemic inequity. Her fieldwork includes an MSW internship with Lutheran Social Services of Southern California and work with Building Resilience Together, supporting young adults aging out of foster care through housing literacy curricula and resource navigation strategies.

Her civic engagement includes volunteering with the League of Women Voters, serving as a Precinct Inspector with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, and helping charter a Delta Sigma Theta Sorority chapter at CSUSM. She also co-hosts The Other Side of Service: Your Place in the American Story, a Secure Families Initiative podcast amplifying the voices and experiences of military-connected families.

Sony believes meaningful change requires both structural reform and human connection—and brings that conviction to every program she builds, policy she advocates for, and person she supports.