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| May 22, 2023
Taya Bookhart
Hotline Counselor
Taya was an intern at The Family Place in nonresidential services at our Central Dallas Counseling Center and Emergency Shelter Services at Ann Moody Place before she joined our hotline team on January 9, 2023. Taya strives to serve the community through resolving conflicts and providing guidance for those in need. She has a diverse background working with children and adults in psychiatric hospital settings and crisis intervention. Taya is working on her master’s degree in Social Work at Delaware University and received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Delaware State University as well.
Edwin Bustamante
Battering Intervention and Prevention Program Facilitator
Edwin has been facilitating psychoeducational groups in our Battering Intervention and Prevention Program and working with offenders since 2018. He joined our program full time on January 9, 2023. Edwin believes working with offenders is primarily about helping their survivors and families by providing tools and practices of accountability. He’s passionate about ending domestic violence and working with the team at The Family Place.
John Box
Ann Moody Place Operations Director
John joined The Family Place on January 17, 2023, to work with clients living in our Men’s Shelter on the logistics of starting new lives free from violence. His background is in manufacturing and management with 20+ years of experience in operations, 10 of which was in a director position focused on time management, scheduling, and cost saving. John is energetic about transferring this knowledge to his team and clients.
Keiarra Tolbert
Faith and Liberty’s Place Family Center Supervised Visitation Monitor
Keiarra originally joined The Family Place as a supervised visitation monitor in July 2021 and departed in August 2022. We’re excited that she returned on January 1, 2023, to her previous role helping families court ordered to supervised visitation enjoy safe and meaningful time together. Keiarra completed her undergraduate work at Grambling State University and pursued her master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. Keiarra has eight years of experience in social services. We’re excited to have her back at The Family Place!
Terrence Coleman
Warehouse Staff
Terrence joined our warehouse team on February 21, 2023, helping to house, organize, and distribute donations we receive from the community. He previously worked for Amazon and other major warehouse operations. We’re happy to have his expertise to keep our warehouse running smoothly.
Melanie Martinez
Emergency Shelter Services Bilingual Case Manager at Ann Moody Place
Melanie joined the Ann Moody Place team on February 21, 2023, to provide case management services to our Spanish-speaking clients. She has a background in crisis intervention and mental health with experience in de-escalation, working with children, and providing mental health assessments. Melanie graduated in 2019 from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Paulette Reid-Jones
People Services Coordinator
Paulette joined The Family Place People Services team as a temp on January 17, 2023. We were immediately impressed with her energy and dedication and hired her as a full-time member of the team on February 27, 2023. Paulette has been in payroll and human resources for more than nine years.
Myla Cashaw
Resale Shop Assistant Manager
Myla joined our Resale Shop team on March 1, 2023, as an accomplished leader who enjoys using her retail skills to contribute to the success of the Resale Shop. Myla has worked in various roles in retail management from the spa world to big box retail. We’re already benefiting from her perspective making our Resale Shop more inviting to shoppers, which increases proceeds for our client programs.
Maritza Ruiz, MSW, MHP
Bilingual Case Manager at Southern Dallas
Maritza joined The Family Place on March 6, 2023, bringing her background in mental health and case management to the Southern Dallas team. She is a Mental Health Professional and recently passed her Association of Social Work boards exam to become a Licensed Master Social Worker. She plans to continue her work in the mental health field and become a therapist. Maritza is dedicated to learning and advancement in evidenced-based interventions. She has a passion for helping the Spanish-speaking community that has less access to resources due to language barriers. Maritza graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2021 with a master’s degree in Social Work.
Maria Castro, LMSW
Bilingual Case Manager at Collin County Counseling Center
Maria joined the team at our counseling center in McKinney on March 6, 2023. Born in México City, she moved to the DFW area in 2000. And graduated from Texas A&M University Commerce with a master’s degree in Social Work. She became a Licensed Master Social Worker in 2019. Prior to joining The Family Place, Maria worked at Hope's Door New Beginning. She is eager to use her skills to help those in need.
Shanitta Baree-Busby
Supportive Living Program Resident Advocate
Shanitta joined The Family Place Supportive Living Program team on March 6, 2023. She was a childcare investigator for Child Protective Services for more than six years with significant experience working with families, assessing them for safety, and helping advocate for their needs. She was also a mental health technician for Hickory Trail Hospital in Desoto, Texas. Shanitta has a bachelor’s degree in Health Studies from Texas Woman’s University.
Melanie Lewis
Emergency Shelter Services Resident Advocate at Sally’s House
Melanie joined The Family Place Emergency Shelter Services team on March 20, 2023. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of New Orleans and is currently working on a master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. Melanie has worked in social services for more than 18 years. She brings valuable expertise to our team and will be an asset serving survivors of domestic violence.
Angelita Howard, LPC (pending state approval)
Central Dallas Counseling Center Counselor
Angelita joined our counseling team at Ann Moody Place on March 20, 2023. She brings a proven success record leading cognitive behavioral therapy, talk therapy, right brain therapy, and group counseling. Previously she was a counseling intern with Nexus Recovery Center, where she gained experience helping patients with substance abuse disorders, anxiety, and mood and personality disorders. Angelita also has more than a decade of experience as a dance educator. She has a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Delaware State University and a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Texas Tech University.
Patricia Sterling
Supportive Living Program Resident Advocate
Patricia joined The Family Place Supportive Living Program team on March 20, 2023. Her background is in education. She has a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and has taught in public, private, and charter schools for more than 25 years. Patricia is an author and a service-oriented professional in the areas of domestic violence, advocacy, life coaching, speaker engagement, and group training. She serves on The Family Place African American Domestic Violence Council. Patricia always looks for opportunities to gain experience and growth.
Alexis Cokes, BSW
Emergency Shelter Services Resident Advocate at Ann Moody Place
Alexis joined The Family Place on March 20, 2023, as a weekend resident advocate. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is currently working on her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Alexis sees herself as a mental health advocate. During the week, she is a special education inclusion teacher in Dallas ISD working with middle school students. Her vision is to be an agent for social change creating a safe space, building connections, and helping find solutions.
Michael Edwards
Child Development Center Lead Teacher
Michael joined the Child Development Center team on March 20, 2023. With a background in teaching, coaching, and mentoring, he is a communications professional with a passion for youth development and sports. Michael is a creative and collaborative problem solver with success in content creation. He is proud to be a graduate of a historically black college having received his bachelor’s degree in Communications from Paul Quinn College in Dallas. He brings experience in mentoring and child development to the Child Development Center team.
Syamoria Williams
Hotline Shelter Advocate
Sy joined The Family Place team on March 20, 2023. She was previously a court coordinator for the State of Texas and a legal technician and child support officer for the Texas Attorney General’s office in Dallas, Tarrant, and Johnson counties. She worked for The Texas Attorney General’s office more than a decade gaining extensive experience with domestic violence cases, restraining orders, and visitation concerns. Sy has associate’s degrees in Management and Liberal Science and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Development.
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Kayla Landry
Faith and Liberty’s Place Family Center Program Director
Kayla joined The Family Place team in October 2021 and was promoted to her current role on January 15, 2023. She has a background in social services and retail management. For five years prior to joining our team, she worked with adult and child family violence survivors and with offenders. She is passionate about providing quality care and safety to the clients we serve. Kayla has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Social Work.
Theresa Little
Men’s Shelter Program Director
In her more than 22 years at The Family Place, Theresa has developed many areas of expertise. She has served in a variety of positions within the agency from program director to Community Counseling outreach specialist. She took on her current role at the Men’s Shelter on January 16, 2023. Theresa is a sought-after speaker about domestic violence in the community. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for work including the 2020 I Change Nations Award from the Grand Prairie Police Department and the 2021 Genesis Women’s Shelter Miriam Award for her community advocacy work. In addition to her role at the Men’s Shelter, Theresa is a liaison for The Family Place African American Domestic Violence Council.
Edith Walker
Director of the Children’s Educational Department
Edith joined The Family Place in 2000 and has been in the childcare field for 38 years. She was promoted to her current role on February 1, 2023. Edith is a supportive resource for families at our Safe Campus. She has a director’s license, National Accreditation certificate, and an associate’s degree in Business Administration. She will graduate in May 2023 with an Early Childhood Education in Administration degree from Eastfield College.
Britanny Roddy
Resale Shop Key Holder
Brittany joined The Family Place in April 2022 as a sales employee bringing 15 years of customer service experience to the Resale Shop team. She was promoted to her current role on February 3, 2023. Brittany brings a positive attitude and exceptional creativity to her work at the Resale Shop and values helping customers and associates achieve the Resale Shop’s goal of funding programs for our clients.
Terri Garner
Program Administrative Assistant at Ann Moody Place
Terri has been with The Family Place for 16 years. For years she was part of the glue that held together our Emergency Shelter Services at Sally’s House. She began her career with The Family Place in February 2007 at Sally's House as the administrative assistant. She was later promoted to administrative assistant at our Southern Dallas Counseling Center. On February 16, 2023, Terri transferred to her current role at Ann Moody Place.
Nikisha Anderson, MSW, QMHP
Emergency Shelter Services Case Manager at Ann Moody Place
Nikisha joined our Ann Moody Place team in October of 2018 as a resident advocate and was promoted to her current role on February 16, 2023. Nikisha has a bachelor's degree in Business from Northwood University and a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. She brings many years of experience working with domestic violence survivors and children and families experiencing abuse and neglect. She has extensive training in anger management, illness management and recovery, the Satori alternatives to managing aggression, seeking safety, and adult needs and strengths assessment.
Trish Turrentine
Resale Shop Shift Supervisor
Trish joined The Family Place in September 2019 as the Resale Shop social media associate focusing on social media, online sales, and consignment. She was promoted to her current role on February 16, 2023. She previously worked in retail management and buying for a major retailer. Trish is currently focused on working with the Resale Shop team to build our better sportswear and consignment business.
Brielle Salley
Emergency Shelter Services Case Manager at Sally’s House
Brielle became a part of the Sally’s House family in the fall of 2022 and took on her new role on March 16, 2023. She connects clients to resources and provided support in encouraging ways to both colleagues and clients. Brielle has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Stephen F. Austin University and is pursuing a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Amberton University.