Team

Cassandra Aho, Manager of Program Innovation

Cassandra (pronouns: she/her) is driven by her lived experiences as a survivor, midwife, and advocate, to draw attention to the intersectionality of gender-based violence during the perinatal period. she is passionate about investigating stakeholder responses and their impacts on sexual, reproductive, and overall health outcomes. Her work is informed by an inclusive and anti-oppressive lens to identify responder-inflicted harms, barriers, and facilitators to help-seeking and health equity.
She is passionate about initiating innovative strategies that narrow gaps in access to culturally sensitive responses to gender-based violence. Cassandra believes in survivor autonomy and seeks to decrease revictimization, morbidity, and mortality using survivor-centered approaches in tandem with trauma-informed practices that emphasize the complexities of gender-based violence. She is a blissfully happy military spouse and mother of 4 incredible children who inspire her daily. Cassandra has her Masters in Maternal-Child Health Systems from Bastyr University, is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and NACP Credentialled Advocate (CA).

Husna Azizzada, Office and Program Coordinator

Husna was born in Afghanistan. Upon graduating from school, Husna studied at a medical university to become a doctor for two years. She was working as a social activist, but due to the collapse of the republic government of Afghanistan, she left her homeland and migrated to the United States of America in November of 2021. Since April of 2022, Husna has worked at NRCDV. She loves everything about her job and she is passionate about defending the rights of vulnerable people. She is a servant of the people, proud of the society we are building together, and wants to make her family proud. She likes traveling.

Dr. Oyesola Oluwafunmilayo Ayeni, Director of Research and Evaluation

Funmi is a community-engaged researcher and evaluation expert with several years of demonstrated experience developing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks in gender-based violence prevention and response and conducting process and outcome evaluations in diverse contexts. Funmi’s work focuses on mixed-methods evaluations of community interventions for survivors, improving the community response to domestic and other forms of gender-based violence, evaluating victim/survivor service programs, and policy advocacy. She has deep knowledge and use of participatory, empowerment, and equity evaluation/culturally responsive approaches, and is proficient in using data-driven, learning, and innovation-focused evaluation and assessment methods. She is also an experienced facilitator and trainer in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and program management. She is passionate about improving the well-being of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities and focuses on elevating and centering the values and voices of those most impacted by research and program work. She brings her demonstrated commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion to her work at NRCDV. Funmi has a Ph.D. in Community Psychology from Michigan State University.

Patty Branco, Senior Technical Assistance and Resource Specialist

Patty (pronouns: she/her/hers) has been a social justice advocate for over 20 years. Drawing upon her lived experiences as an Afro-Latina immigrant, her work is informed by an anti-oppression and intersectional lens. With NRCDV since 2003, Patty responds to requests from a broad-based constituency for information, technical assistance and training on a full range of topics related to gender-based violence. She engages in the identification and development of resources to support NRCDV’s capacity-building efforts and has been the lead staff in the development of several NRCDV publications. Her background includes anti-violence work in Brazil at the intersections of anti-Blackness, poverty, and police brutality. Patty has a Master’s in Community Psychology and Social Change from Pennsylvania State University.

Kim Camacho, Training and Technical Assistance Program Specialist

Kim (she/her) is passionate about systemic level change where we all can experience safety and thrive. Kim joined the gender-based violence movement in 2016. She previously served as an advocate and prevention educator at Boise State University, serving survivors of stalking, sexual assault, relationship violence, and LGBTQIA+ students. Kim has experience developing and facilitating bystander intervention and other educational programs related to violence response/prevention, facilitating LGBTQIA+ workshops, coordinated community response, and grant management. Kim is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Social Work from Boise State University.

Kara Cook, American Rescue Plan Coordinator

Kara is originally from Maryland but grew up mostly in Littlestown, Pennsylvania. She graduated college from Penn State Mont Alto with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies with minors in Criminal Justice and Women’s Studies. Kara has passion for work in the domestic violence movement which comes from personal experience seeing family members affected, but also wanting to break the stigma surrounding domestic violence. In addition, her passion for racial justice and gender equality has driven her to join NRCDV.

Lynne E. Dillard, Administrative Specialist

Lynne joined NRCDV in June, 2020 as a part-time administrative specialist. She has over 30 years working in the non-profit arena in the areas of fundraising, special events coordination, and administering various non-profit programs. At NRCDV, Lynne provides administrative support to the Transformation Team and the Board of Directors. She also provides assistance to the Operations Team with Grants coordination and Fund Development. Lynne graduated from Kutztown University with a degree in Business Administration.

Brittany Eltringham, Manager of Safe Housing Initiatives

Brittany Eltringham (she/her) joined the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) after several years of working at the local level. She draws upon her experience as a feminist, Native Hawaiian woman and maintains a deep commitment to aloha ‘āina, transformation, and liberation. Brittany brings her experience with community engagement, facilitation, racial and reproductive justice, and shelter advocacy to her work at the intersection of gendered violence, housing, and homelessness with NRCDV’s Policy and Research Team and the Domestic Violence and Housing Technical Assistance Consortium (DVHTAC). She has a BA in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Hawai’i and is currently based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Breckan Erdman Winters, Senior Program Specialist

Breckan (pronouns: she/her) is proud to be an advocate, a lifelong learner, a cat lady, a friend, and a mother to one amazing kid. Breckan joined the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence at the beginning of 2017, and works with the Programs & Prevention Team on several of NRCDV’s key initiatives and special projects, particularly VAWnet and PreventIPV. Before joining NRCDV, her background includes court and shelter-based domestic violence advocacy, and she has been active in community-based anti-violence activism. Breckan has a Bachelor’s degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.

Casey Keene, Director of Programs & Prevention

Casey Keene (she/her) believes that social change is both possible and necessary. A survivor of childhood trauma and mother to two inspiring children, her passion is nurturing resilient and equitable communities where all children can thrive. With more than 20 years of experience in gender-based violence advocacy, Casey knows that our work must be grounded in and guided by the needs, priorities, and leadership of those with lived experience at the intersections of violence and oppression. As the Director of Programs & Prevention at the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV), Casey works to advance the special projects and resource development initiatives of the Programs & Prevention Team. These include PreventIPV, VAWnet, the Domestic Violence Awareness Project, and the Adult Children Exposed to Domestic Violence (ACE-DV) Leadership Forum. Casey is a lifelong learner and Licensed Social Worker who earned her Master’s in Social Work from Temple University.

Sharita Lewis, Events & Administrative Specialist

NRCDV welcomes Sharita Lewis as the Events & Administrative Specialist. Sharita start date was August 14, 2023 and comes to us through the Professional for Nonprofits staffing agency.  In addition to the admin support for operations,  her duties include being the POC for the DVRN meetings and all other external meetings and events. Sharita was responsible for contracts until the Contract Specialist was hired and provided support for our fund development efforts. Sharita brings a wealth of knowledge to NRCDV in event planning and admin support as she has served as an administrative liaison and operations communication professional in the nation’s capital for nearly two decades.
 
Prior to joining NRCDV, Sharita strengthened administration and communications efforts at area non-profits including the American Lung Association, The Fuller Project, the National Teachers Association, The Families Forward Project and Tech Congress: The National Coalition for the homeless client relations and case management. Key elements of her position included a focus on advocating and supporting efforts to end homelessness while teaching self-sufficiency.  
 
Sharita studied Business Administration at Ashworth University, and hold certificates such as case management, database administration, event planning, captain of special police, certified firearms instructor, and a member of the American Society of Administrative Professions. Sharita has a deep passion for social justice and loves all things comedy.

Jacqueline Miller, Director of Racial Equity & Social Change

Jacqueline Miller is the Director of Racial Equity & Social Change of NRCDV.  With over 30 years of work experience within the Violence Against Women Movement, she shares her knowledge and expertise on the overlapping intersections of domestic violence such as women and children’s health, trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the adultification of children with an emphasis on Black girls. Jacqueline has spearheaded the issue of the emerging topic of adultification across the nation at several national conferences, trainings and webinars. With over 20 years of training experience, Jacqueline has expertise in working with systems such as the child welfare system, housing programs for homeless youth, the healthcare system and systems designed to reduce intimate partner homicide. Jacqueline is part of NRCDV’s DVAM and the Women of Color Leadership projects. Jacqueline contributed to several national publications including, most recently, on the intersections of sexual violence and intimate partner violence in addressing health equities. Jacqueline is the author of “What Agencies Should Know When Working with Formerly Incarcerated Survivors” published by NRCDV on VAWnet’s website. Jacqueline was the survivor speaker for events with UNWomen Generation Equality and FVPSA.

Marlena Moore, Senior Program Specialist

Marlena (they/them) joined the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence in 2022. They spent several years working at a state domestic and sexual violence coalition after working as an educator and library staffer. Their previous experience includes managing a statewide crisis line that worked to connect survivors of violence with local resources. Marlena has experience educating advocates on the dynamics of intimate partner violence, responses to violence, and the impacts of gender-based violence on and within culturally specific communities. They have developed white papers on intimate partner violence as it relates to the African American community and individuals with disabilities. Their work as a librarian included educating member programs on how to find and utilize resources for material development as well as understanding bias in media that impacts prevention and intervention efforts. Marlena is a certified librarian with a Master’s in library and Information Science from Wayne State University and Bachelors of English Literature and Language from the University of Michigan.

Lavon Morris-Grant, Director of Community Engagement

Lavon joined NRCDV as the Director of Community Engagement in 2021. Working in close collaboration with the Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships and Systems Change, Vice President of Programs, Prevention and Social Change, the Director of Policy and the Director of Housing and Economic Justice, she is a bridge to people with lived experience in communities most impacted by housing insecurity to guide and inform the work of NRCDV’s housing capacity center and across all initiatives. Lavon has been a social justice advocate for over 25 years, where she founded and was the Executive Director of MACOSH Healing Network in 2013 – 2021. It is the first culturally specific, holistic African American non-profit, domestic violence organization providing resources through the Arts in the State of Georgia. She is a gifted international and keynote speaker and dedicated political activist on vital social and psychological issues including; homelessness, domestic violence, sexual assault, mental illness, trauma recovery, suicide prevention and gun control.

Sumra Qadir, Contracts Specialist

Sumra joined NRCDV as the Contracts Specialist, where she works with the Operations Team to provide support for the contractual work of the organization. She also collaborates with various partnerships to ensure NRCDV maintains longstanding contractual relationships with working parties. Previously, she has had experience working in advocacy-based organizations and law firms that inspired her to merge her passions in empowering individuals from an advocate/legal perspective. Sumra has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in General Business from Virginia Commonwealth University.

John Schein, Information Technology Director 

John (pronouns: he/him/his) has been with NRCDV since 2003, serving as the Content Administrator for VAWnet prior to becoming NRCDV’s Information Technology Director. He is responsible for building and maintaining network infrastructure, preserving organizational resource integrity and providing budgetary guidance for administrative staff. John provides instruction to and researches technology issues for NRCDV staff members so they can accomplish their jobs more effectively. He graduated from the University of Maine with studies focusing on Political Science, Public Administration and History.