An organization that accredits and helps strengthen organizations in the social sector across the United States and Canada has announced a set of critical new hires.
The new staffers for the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation, known as the Alliance-COA, will work in the five focus areas of accreditation; equity, diversity and inclusion; safety and resilience; brain science and trauma-informed care. Alliance-COA is based in Washington, D.C.
Diane Barnes, Ellie Walborn and Keesha Souvenir will serve as accreditation coordinators, overseeing accreditation services for a variety of human and social service organizations. The trio will bring their extensive experience in the sector to organizations’ phased efforts to receive full accreditation to offer Qualified Residential Treatment Programs under the Family First Prevention Services Act. In doing so, they’ll be helping nonprofit, for-profit and government programs in the U.S. and Canada.
Barnes has spent decades supporting those who have experienced domestic violence, homelessnes, human trafficking and mental illness. Walborn brings a solid background in providing social services in the foster care and elementary education systems, including efforts to drive improvement in organizational culture and wellness. Souvenir most recently worked as an investigator for the New York City Department of Corrections, but she has also served in child welfare and developed skills in crisis management.
Joining Alliance-COA in the area of safety and resilience is Romero Davis. Known as a strong leader and mentor, Davis has been active nationally with agencies working in areas such as poly-victimization; trauma in families; equity, diversity and inclusion; juvenile justice and domestic violence. Davis will co-lead the technical assistance for the Department of Justice-funded Child Safety Forward initiative and support client organizations’ efforts in the area of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Karen Johnson is taking over as director of the Change in Mind Institute with more than 25 years of work in behavioral health, community services and child welfare, applying her expertise in individual and organizational resilience, brain science, toxic stress, trauma and trauma-informed approaches. She’ll oversee 10 Texas-based organizations to strengthen their ability to translate brain science concepts into programs, practice and policy change.
“The addition of these five staff represent our continued growth and commitment to the areas of quality improvement, equity diversity and inclusion, and brain science as critical areas to propel our field forward and improve outcomes for all people,” said Alliance-COA President Jody Levison-Johnson.