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Staff

Want to join Team NNEDV? Find open positions at NNEDV.org/Employment.

Executive Team

Capacity Technical Assistance Team

Communications Team

Grants & Development Team

Economic Justice Team

  • Kim Pentico, Senior Director of Economic Justice
  • Kara Rhodebeck, Economic Justice Specialist
  • brandii collins, Economic Justice Specialist

Finance Team

  • Lara Osman, Finance Manager
  • Reshena Johnson, Finance Specialist

Housing Team

Human Resources & Administrative Support Teams

Positively Safe Team

  • Ashley Slye, Director of Positively Safe
  • Akayla Galloway, Positively Safe Specialist
  • Robin Pereira, Positively Safe Specialist
  • Diane Granberry, Positively Safe Specialist
  • Steph Moraes, Positively Safe Coordinator

Public Policy Team

Safety Net Team

WomensLaw Team

Stephanie Love-Patterson, President & CEO

Before joining the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Stephanie Love-Patterson was with Connections for Abused Women and their Children for nearly 25 years. She served the last ten years as their Executive Director, providing innovative leadership focusing on strategic planning, adjusting to community needs, and increasing organizational support and capacity. In addition, Stephanie served as Vice President and President of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In that role, she supported domestic violence organizations within the state, advocated for programs and survivors, and worked closely with legislators. Stephanie is a Chicago native.

Tonya King, VP of Programs

Tonya King currently serves as the VP of Programs at the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Tonya has a career that spans over thirty-five years serving the community. She has a lifetime of experience working to empower others, bringing people together, strengthening communities, and building relationships. Prior to joining NNEDV, Tonya served as the executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where she led the strategic vision and mission working to make Rhode Island a safer place for victims and survivors of domestic violence. She is committed to centering the voices of survivors and working toward change that leads to inclusive and healthy communities. In addition, she is an experienced mediator and conflict resolution trainer who has used her skills to train community members, youth, law enforcement officers, and public officials in South Africa. Tonya believes that diversity is our strength and being kind and patient with each other are essential to creating a culture of respect. She is passionate about the work to end violence and to creating a world where all people can live a life free from violence.

Erica Olsen, Assistant VP of Safety Net & Housing

Since joining the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) in 2007, Erica has advocated on behalf of survivors of gender-based violence by educating victim service providers, policymakers, and technology companies on issues of technology abuse, privacy, and victim safety. She has provided trainings to technologists, attorneys, law enforcement officials, victim advocates, and other practitioners in the United States and internationally. Through the Safety Net Project, Erica works with private industry, state, and federal agencies and international groups to improve safety and privacy for victims in this digital age. She regularly provides consultation to leading technology companies on the potential impact of technology design and reporting procedures on survivors of abuse. She also provides technical assistance on technology safety to professionals working with survivors. Erica’s prior work at the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence included writing curriculum and developing trainings focused on addressing accessibility barriers for survivors with disabilities.

Ellen Yin-Wycoff, Senior Manager of CTA

Ellen Yin-Wycoff serves as the Senior Manager of CTA at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). She has worked in the violence against women movement (and nonprofit sector) for over 35 years as a Director, Manager, Coordinator, Board member, and Advocate at statewide domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions in California, Colorado, and Iowa, along with several local domestic violence and sexual assault organizations. She was the former President and an inaugural Board Member at My Sister’s House, a culturally-specific domestic violence and sexual violence program serving the Asian Pacific Islander communities in Sacramento, California. Ellen also served as the former Chair, Vice Chair, and member of the National Advisory Council at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). She has also served as a member of the Advisory Committees for the Women of Color Network (WOCN) and the National Organization for Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault (SCESA). She has also served as an appointed member and Vice Chair of the State Advisory Committee on Sexual Assault Victim Services through the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES).

Meinkeng Fonge, CTA Specialist

Meinkeng Fonge has over eight years of domestic and gender-based violence experience as well as sexual health experience working with both adults and adolescents. As a North Carolina native, she has done direct practice, training, and policy work across the state of North Carolina to combat teen dating violence, gender-based violence, and decrease teen pregnancy. She has coordinated, led, and assisted with projects that have contributed to decreasing teen pregnancy and increasing healthy relationships among adolescents in Cumberland, Durham, Guilford, and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. She has also coordinated projects in Orange County, North Carolina to help provide survivors with resources to safely leave domestic violence situations. Globally, Meinkeng has partnered with hospitals, clinics, and community NGOs in Malawi, Southeast Africa, to advance sexual and reproductive rights and to provide better resources and supportive services for survivors of gender-based violence and people living with HIV/AIDS. Meinkeng obtained her Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Social Work and Minor in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has been a keynote speaker and spoken word spotlight artist at various Women’s Day events in Charlotte, NC, college campuses and public schools, and intercollegiate Organization of African Students events. She has organized public social justice marches and events that have gained coverage by WCNC News in Charlotte, NC, has presented and facilitated at national conferences, and is a certified domestic violence advocate.

Laura Zillman, Communications Specialist

Laura Zillman (she/her) supports internal and external communications as the Communications Specialist for the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), including content creation, social media campaigns, and the development of the annual Domestic Violence Counts survey and report. Prior to joining NNEDV, Laura worked with a number of organizations on gender-based violence intervention and prevention initiatives, including Saving Promise, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN, Polaris, and GW Students Against Sexual Assault. Laura earned her BA in Human Services with a minor in Women’s Studies, and her MPA with a concentration in Gender & Public Policy, from The George Washington University and currently lives in Washington, DC.

Wendy Leatherberry, Director of Grants & Development

Wendy Leatherberry is a non-profit professional with more than 25 year of experience navigating complex issues with grace, strategy, empathy and equanimity. Specializing in fundraising and communications, she knows that all aspects of any organization are connected and require deliberate collaboration and transparency for success. Ms. Leatherberry’s passion for social and economic justice are evident in her career path and her volunteer and extracurricular work. She thrives when able to mentor and coach others, as well as guide strategic projects. Her ability to empathize and determine the “why” is one of her biggest strengths in fundraising and communications, as well in managing people, whether direct reports, colleagues or supervisors. Ms. Leatherberry has developed an entire department and overseen exponential growth in the funding from private, corporate and government sources for more than one organization. Developing teams and cultivating their strength is a source of great pride. Ms. Leatherberry’s colleagues regularly comment on her ability to be calm in any situation, noting that her kindness and empathy make her a terrific colleague. Outside of work, Ms. Leatherberry serves as the Vice President of the Beachwood (Ohio) Board of Education and is a mom, wife, daughter and activist for democracy and justice.

Erin Dunmore, Senior Development Specialist

Erin has more than 10 years of experience with the management and compliance of federal awards and more than four years working with awards from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Her experience includes more than ten years working in the fields of domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and 15 years working for and with non-profit organizations. Erin comes to NNEDV from the University of Charleston (WV) where she is the OVW Project Director for the Sexual Awareness and Violence Education Program (SAVE), overseeing the University’s coordinated community response to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and managing reporting and compliance for multiple OVW awards. Since 2022 she has also served as the part-time Community Outreach Specialist for the Rape Crisis Program at REACH (Rape Education, Advocacy, Counseling & Healing) where she developed, coordinated, and implemented outreach strategies for this local rape crisis program. Erin holds a BA in Sociology with a concentration in Women’s Studies from the University of Windsor.

Kiesha Preston, Grants & Development Coordinator

Kiesha Preston is a dedicated and results-oriented professional with a passion for advancing social justice, racial equity, and empowering marginalized communities. As a Black woman and survivor of gender-based violence, Kiesha brings a unique and powerful perspective to her work in gender equality and violence elimination. With over eight years in the field, Kiesha has become a recognized lived experience expert by collaborating with numerous agencies and government organizations. Her personal journey from escaping an abusive relationship to drafting and passing the Virginia Domestic Violence Victims Protection Act in March 2020 highlights her dedication to systemic change and her ability to turn lived experience into impactful policy. Kiesha’s professional accomplishments include her role as Development Director at the West End Center for Youth from 2019 to 2021, where she led fundraising initiatives that significantly exceeded expectations, securing over $611,000 against a $340,000 goal. Her strategic planning and donor engagement efforts ensured the sustainability and growth of youth development programs. Her dedication and impact have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award, the NAACP Impactors of Excellence Award, and recognition in the Roanoker Magazine’s 40 under 40 list for 2023. Kiesha Preston remains dedicated to combating domestic violence, leaving a lasting impact in her advocacy.

Kim Pentico, Senior Director of Economic Justice

Kim has been working with and on behalf of survivors of sexual and domestic violence since 1990. She first spent over seven years working for a local domestic violence program in Kansas and another seven years at the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. She has also worked for the STOP Technical Assistance Project in Washington, DC. Kim works to ensure and enhance survivor access to economic justice and long-term safety.

brandii collins, Economic Justice Specialist

After receiving her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California: San Diego, brandii started her career working in direct services with domestic violence survivors. For two years she worked in a crisis shelter where she provided trauma-informed care and emergency advocacy for survivors. She supported survivors in crisis safety planning, housing case management, and resource building. Now on the the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) team, brandii plans to spend the rest of her career striving for anti-racist community building and the revitalization of our communities.

Lara Osman, Finance Manager

Lara Osman coordinates benefits and payroll, serves as a key part of the finance team, and provides general support to all of our teams. Prior to joining the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Lara spent 13 years as the Operations Manager for the Remediation and Training Institute, a small non-profit focused on online learning and educational policy. Before that, she served as the Operations Coordinator for Communities in Schools of Pittsburgh-Allegheny County, where she started as a VISTA (Volunteer In Service to America) volunteer. Lara has a B.A. in International Politics from Penn State University, and an M. Ed. in Elementary Education from Duquesne University.

Elena Hampton-Stover, Director of Housing

Elena Hampton-Stover, LMSW (she/her/hers) began her work in the gender-based violence movement in college and has over a decade of professional experience in residential and housing programs. Prior to joining NNEDV, she served as Director of Community Technical Assistance and Capacity Building at Collaborative Solutions, a HUD technical assistance provider and member of the Domestic Violence and Housing Technical Assistance Consortium. Elena has prior experience in non-profit management and program development, implementation, and evaluation. Elena has previously directed emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid re-housing, parallel coordinated entry, and abuse intervention programs as well as served as a comparable database system administrator. Elena is passionate about building capacity of communities to respond to the housing needs of survivors equitably and effectively. She obtained her master’s in social work with a concentration in administration, advocacy, and policy practice from the University of Kansas and additionally holds a Bachelor of Arts in African and African American Studies and social work from the University of Arkansas. She is originally from the Arkansas Ozarks and currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Kailey Carter, Housing Senior Specialist

Kailey has spent most of her career providing trauma-informed services to survivors of gender-based violence beginning as a shelter intern in a domestic violence program in Montana. During her time with this program she held many roles, including Director of Programs, where she sought to focus on voluntary services for survivors to ensure they had full autonomy while starting their healing journeys. After relocating to Idaho, Kailey began work with the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence. During her time with the Idaho Coalition, she developed and provided webinars and in-person trainings focusing on survivors most impacted and built meaningful relationships with domestic violence programs in Idaho. Through this work, Kailey has come to believe that uplifting and empowering those who have been oppressed by racist, sexist, and classist structures is the key to transforming our society. She strives to be part of the revolution to dismantle the systems of capitalism, racism, and anti-LGBTQ agendas while keeping the focus of the work human centered. She works remotely from Boise, Idaho.

Alexis Champion, Housing Senior Specialist

Alexis has worked in different capacities in the domestic violence movement since 2003, when she began as a volunteer and then a full-time advocate at Project Safe, Inc., a domestic violence program in Athens, Georgia. During that time, she worked on obtaining her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Georgia. After receiving her MSW, Alexis was hired as a trainer at the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. As such, she coordinated, developed, and provided in-person trainings and webinars for domestic violence advocates throughout the state of Georgia. Alexis has done independent contract work for United 4 Safety, a non-profit organization serving LGBTQ survivors of intimate partner violence and worked for Partnership Against Domestic Violence as Prevention and Outreach Director. She also served as the Family Violence Intervention Program Compliance Coordinator with the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, monitoring Georgia’s batterer intervention programs. She works remotely from Asheville, North Carolina.

Dani DeLorme, HR Operations Manager

With over 15 years of experience, Dani has a proven track record of building and refining people-centered HR and Operations that drive meaningful impact. Her diverse HR background and commitment to fostering inclusive, high-performance environments make her a great addition to the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) team. She’s dedicated to aligning HR strategies with NNEDV’s vision and goals. Outside of work, Dani enjoys pinup and hotrod culture, spending time with her husband and two beloved fur babies, and hitting the road in her classic ’62 Comet.

Lee Rolandi, Executive Support Specialist

Lee Rolandi serves as the primary contact for NNEDV’s Executive Team and Board, overseeing schedules and day-to-day workflow between staff and their leadership. Prior to joining NNEDV, Lee Rolandi was the Operations Manager of AdvantEdge Workspaces, a shared workspace in downtown DC, where she managed a team of Client Services Coordinators and provided professional support to over 40 in-house clients. She is a DC/MD native and graduated from the National Cathedral School and received her BA in History from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Outside of the office, she volunteers her time, energy, and passion to addiction recovery and adult adoptee circles.

Ashley Slye, Director of Positively Safe

Ashley Slye is the Director of the Positively Safe project addressing the intersection of HIV and domestic violence at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). Ms. Slye has supported Positively Safe since it was founded in 2010 and has been instrumental in the development of NNEDV’s DV & HIV curriculum, toolkit, topical trainings, and webinars for domestic violence and HIV advocates. She has presented on the intersection at numerous international, national, and state conferences. Additionally, Ms. Slye oversees the Domestic Violence Counts project which is an annual, one-day count of survivors accessing services and the unmet needs across the country and in the US territories. In addition to managing two national project for NNEDV, Ms. Slye also sits on the board of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters, providing support for the helplines project, Lila.Help, assistance on funding applications, and development of resources and webinars. Ms. Slye is also on the Board of Directors for the John G Stone III Scholarship Foundation. Prior to joining NNEDV, Ashley supported the transitional housing program at the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley. She has a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Cultural Studies and a minor in Sociology from Virginia Tech.

Robin Pereira, Positively Safe Specialist

Robin Pereira has a longtime passion for ending gender based violence and expanding access to reproductive healthcare. Her dedication to these missions shine through in her role as Specialist for the Positively Safe project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). Positively Safe addresses the intersection of HIV and domestic violence. As Specialist, she provides technical assistance, hosts webinars for both domestic violence and HIV advocates, creates tools for NNEDV’s DV and HIV toolkit and curriculum, and presents at local, national and international conferences. Prior to working on Positively Safe, she supported the NNEDV Transitional Housing team as coordinator. She graduated from Hofstra University on Long Island in May 2018, with a degree in Journalism and Women’s Studies and a minor in Sociology. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Melina Milazzo, Senior Manager of Public Policy

Melina Milazzo has nearly a decade of national non-profit experience in government relations, legislative and policy advocacy, coalition building, and communications work on a range of US and international human rights issues. Prior to joining the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Melina was the Washington director for a legal advocacy organization that worked to free political prisoners from around the world. She previously worked in the DC offices of the Center for Victims of Torture and Human Rights First, where she successfully developed and executed policy and legislative advocacy strategies on US national security laws and policies to respect human rights. Melina has appeared in major print, radio, and TV outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, the Guardian, and NPR. Prior to attending law school, Melina worked for over 10 years in the private sector in a variety of roles, including management, operations, and data analysis in the hotel management and mortgage insurance industries. Melina received her J.D. with high honors in international law from Florida State University College of Law and her B.S. in Business Administration from the same university. She is a member in good standing of the New York State Bar.

Francesca Caal Skonos, Public Policy Specialist

Prior to joining the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Francesca worked as a Legislative Aide on Capitol Hill for her own Congressional Representative from Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Public Policy and moved to DC in 2018. Outside of the office she enjoys boxing, hiking and cooking.

Audace Garnett, Director of Safety Net 

Audace Garnett has extensive experience in facilitation, providing technical assistance nationally and internationally, and supporting crime victims and domestic violence survivors. She began her career in 2004 at a non-profit organization named Barrier Free Living where she provided advocacy to survivors with disabilities. Audace has also worked at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office where she served as the Teen Services Coordinator in the Victim Services Unit. After six years at the district attorney’s office, she then went on to work at a Teen Dating Violence prevention and intervention program named Day One NY where she trained adult professionals around the intersection of teen dating violence and domestic minor sex trafficking. She is currently a Technology Safety Project Manager with Safety Net at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) where she focuses specifically on the intersection between domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and technology.

Shalini Batra, Senior Manager of Safety Net Project

Native to the Washington, DC area, Shalini has worked in nonprofits focusing on issues such as reproductive health, victims of crime, ending genocide, and LGBT equality. She has a background in grassroots organizing and conference planning. Her volunteer work includes working with survivors of abuse from the South Asian American community, various political campaigns and Asian American Legal Defense Fund. Shalini graduated from University of Maryland with a degree in Women’s Studies and a concentration in Sociology. She also has a degree in Culinary Arts and a certification in Early Childhood Education.

Chad Sniffen, Tech Safety Senior Specialist

Chad Sniffen is a Tech Safety Senior Specialist for the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)’s Safety Net project focused on technology and gender-based violence. Since 1999, he has worked or volunteered in the domestic and sexual violence movements as an educator, advocate, researcher, self-defense instructor, and board member for campus, community, state, and national organizations. He earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Arizona in 2007.

Laisa Schweigert, Tech Safety Specialist

Laisa is a Tech Safety Specialist with the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) Safety Net project. Prior to coming to NNEDV, Laisa worked for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA), where she was responsible for providing technical assistance and support to Illinois’ 30 certified rape crisis centers. She has also worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault at Against Abuse, Inc. in Casa Grande, AZ and as a research assistant with the Interpersonal Violence Research Laboratory at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Laisa graduated from Arizona State University in 2018 with a M.A. in Social Justice and Human Rights. She also holds a B.A. in Psychology from ASU.

Michelle Robles-Torres, WomensLaw Legal Director

Michelle Robles-Torres, Esq., MA, works remotely from Puerto Rico, where she previously worked as an attorney in private practice in family law matters, including representing victims of domestic violence. Before law school, she had worked for 15 years with nonprofit organizations, including the field of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. She is in charge of overseeing the Spanish content on WomensLaw.org and she manages the WomensLaw Spanish Email Hotline, answering inquiries from monolingual Spanish speakers and training and supervising law student Email Hotline volunteers.

Liety Acevedo Morales, Bilingual Staff Attorney

Liety is a feminist activist who has worked in education, prevention, and intervention with HIV/AIDS and different manifestations of violence against women and marginalized communities for more than 22 years. She worked for 14 years as an Educational Coordinator at Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer, Inc. (the Puerto Rican Coalition against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault). For the last six years, she worked as a Legal Advisor I and II in the Program for the Attention of Domestic Violence Cases of the Directorate of Judicial Programs in the Office of Court Administration of Puerto Rico, seeking access to justice for victims of gender violence.

Jessica Spector, Staff Attorney

Jessica Spector is a WomensLaw Staff Attorney. She is based in New York City, where she spent over 13 years working in domestic violence legal and social services. Most recently, she was a program director leading a team of advocates at the NYC Family Justice Centers. Before this, Jessica worked as a DV-specialist attorney representing individual survivors in their family law cases and providing legal consultations and brief services at the Family Justice Centers and community-based law clinics. She has expertise working with survivors with disabilities and in interdisciplinary collaboration. Jessica received a JD from Brooklyn Law School and a BA in International Development Studies and English Literature from McGill University. She is admitted to practice law in New York.