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Staff

 

Administrative

Louise Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, ljackson@womensbureau.com 
A lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Louise Jackson has supported her hometown in a variety of professional and volunteer positions. 

She received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Saint Mary’s of the Woods College in 1997 and earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Saint Francis in 2003. She also graduated from the Indiana University School of Philanthropy in 1999 with a certificate in Fundraising Management, and participated in the 2003 Leadership Fort Wayne class. She has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne, and as a Development Officer at the University of Saint Francis and Indiana Tech. She currently serves as Director of Development and Women’s Philanthropy at Manchester College.
Jackson began her volunteer work with the Junior League in 1984. After caring for her mother in her final stages of life, she served on the Visiting Nurse and Hospice board from 1999 to 2009. She served Hospice in many capacities, including two capitol campaigns. Jackson was elected President of the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau in 2007, and during her three year term, oversaw the reorganization of leadership and succession planning. She also launched the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser to support the Women’s Bureau Rape Awareness Program. The event raised nearly $100,000 in 2010 and set a Guinness World Record for number of participants. For her leadership, the Women’s Bureau named Jackson Woman of the Year in 2010. She has also been active in the Downtown Rotary Club since 2000 and was recently elected to its Board of Directors.
Jackson lives in Fort Wayne with her husband, David Tanner. She is the proud mother of three adult children-one an undergraduate student and two in graduate school.

Rose Hardy, Administrative Coordinator, rhardy@womensbureau.com
Rose Hardy started work with the Women's Bureau in March of 1987. As the Administrative Coordinator, she works closely with the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Operating Officer. Rose's longevity with the Bureau provides a valuable historical perspective. Rose was very active with run, jane, run, the Women's Bureau's long-term fundraiser, and continues to be involved in every special event. She was a recipient of the Bureau’s annual "Woman of the Year" award and was one of the 1999 YWCA Tribute to Women of Achievement honorees. Rose truly wants to help women and strongly believes in the Women's Bureau mission.

REACT

Abby Widmer, Director, REACT, awidmer@womensbureau.com
Abby Widmer completed a Bachelors degree in Social Work with a minor in interpersonal relations from Ball State University in 2000.  After working for two years at a local social service agency, she decided to leave and obtain a Master’s of Social Work degree from Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI).  After graduating in 2005 with a MSW, she worked in several different social work fields and most recently was the director of a small adoption agency. Abby welcomes the chance to work with individuals as well as the community to raise awareness about sexual assault and its devastating impact on our society. Abby enjoys spending time with her husband Mike, her son Mason, and her dogs Cassady and Stitch.     

Candice Hall, REACT Outreach Specialist, chall@womensbureau.com
Candice Hall received her Bachelors degree in Psychology with minors in Criminal Justice and Interpersonal Relations from Ball State University in 1999.  She worked with young fathers at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for 2 years.  She moved back to Fort Wayne in 2003 and started her Master’s program at the University of St. Francis.  Candice completed my Masters in Education, School Counseling in 2006.  She worked at SCAN, Inc. for two years and Park Center for two years, while working on her Master’s degree.  She was a guidance counselor at Hamilton Jr./Sr. High school for one year until budget cuts caused a layoff.  At the Bureau, Candice works with schools and community organizations to raise awareness about rape and sexual assault.  She also oversees the Bureau’s Engaging Men’s Task Force which gets men involved in the fight against violence against women. Candice is the proud mother of her 9 year old son, Jalen.  

Susan Schuerenberg, Clinical Counselor, sschuerenberg@womensbrueau.com
Susan Schuerenberg received her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Ball State University in 1995.  After working as a paralegal for 11 years, she decided to return to school and obtained her Master’s degree in Professional Counseling in 2008 from Argosy University in Nashville, Tennessee.  She began counseling women coming from incarceration with substance abuse and mental health issues at a residential  transitional facility in Nashville, Tennessee and assisted the program in expanding to Knoxville, Tennessee.  She recently returned to Indiana to be closer to family and is honored to be a part of the REACT program.  She enjoys spending time with her family at the lake and hiking with her dogs, Carly and Kramer.

Lydia Priest-Ferraro, Disability Outreach Educator, lferraro@womensbureau.com                                                                After graduating from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s degree in Youth Adult and Family Services in 2001, Lydia worked in the mental health field with adolescents, gaining the ability to create groups based on the needs of patients with mental illness and developmental disabilities. Lydia’s experience with the Women’s Bureau began in the fall of 2008 as a volunteer developing a curriculum for an empowering support group for teen female survivors.  This experience, as well as serving on a human rights committee, has been invaluable in developing Project C.A.R.E. She is excited to fight the good fight against sexual assault on behalf of all people. A perfect day would involve her loved ones & dog Ladybird and adventure with plenty of sunshine. 

Transitions

Patti Van Leuven, Director, Transitions, pvanleuven@womensbureau.com
Patricia Van Leuven received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Cincinnati in 1979. After 8 years of teaching at the university level, she entered the non-profit arena in a variety of consulting roles—doing grant writing, need assessments, program evaluation, and demographic studies. In 1995, she joined the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau as the Research/Development Director and assisted in the implementation of the Transitions Program. She left the Bureau in 1997 to become the 1st Executive Director of the Drug and Alcohol Consortium of Allen County, bringing the coalition its first federal grant in drug and alcohol prevention.   She returned to the Bureau in 2000 and has served as the Director of Quality Assurance (2000-2009)and as Chief Operations Officer from 2009-2011. Currently, she is the Program Director of Transitions  where her primary roles are program oversight, grant-writing, and agency accreditation.   She lives on a lake in Noble County with her husband and their dog and cat. She also is an adjunct instructor at IPFW. 

Jule Godsey, Family Clinician, jgodsey@womensbureau.com
Jule Godsey has worked in the mental health field for over 20 years, including work at Bi-County Services, Easter Seals ARC, Allen County Youth Services, and Washington House.  She has a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Saint Francis, and is working to become certified as an alcohol/drug counselor.  She is a member of the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors (NAADAC), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Indiana Counselors Association (ICA).  Her passion is to touch a life and teach a mind, and to be a world-changer one person and one day at a time.  In spite of her busy schedule, she finds time to garden, fish, read, and walk through the woods near her home in Markle.  She lives with her loyal dog, Magic, and three cats, and has many hobbies that keep her balanced, active, and healthy.

Kim Sherwood, Administrative Coordinator, ksherwood@womensbureau.com
Kimberly Sherwood was hired in 1996 as the office employee assisting the program coordinator, two case managers, child advocate, three residential assistants, and a handful of clients and their children. Over the years, she has helped Transitions grow into a program that now employs 30 people and serves up to 20 moms at a time! Along the way, Kim has filled the roles of case manager and child case manager/child care supervisor. Kim is proud to see how Transitions and the Women's Bureau have become an integral part of Fort Wayne and surrounding counties. Kim has a bachelor's degree in General Studies from IPFW. She is married to Bud. They have a son, Charlie, three dogs (Gizmo, Rusty, and Buster), and a cockatiel (Rocky). When not working, Kim likes to volunteer, hang out with extended family, take photos and play with editing software, watch sports, and travel.

 
Amanda Voltaire, Child Case Manager, avoltaire@womensbureau.com
Amanda Voltaire joined the WB in 2008 as a Child Case Manager at Transitions. Amanda earned her BS in Counseling Psychology and Sociology from Morningside College in Sioux City, IA. She also earned her MA in Community Counseling and Social Psychology from Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Amanda’s passion is working with at-risk youth and she is currently focused on becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She enjoys facilitating the Nurturing Parenting Program and helping reunify children with their mothers at Transitions.  Outside of work, Amanda enjoys volunteering for the Generosity Project, American Red Cross, and taking trips to Haiti.  She also enjoys spending time with her family, baking, and traveling.
 
 
Kenya Irby-King, Childcare Supervisor,
Kenya Irby-King holds an Associates degree in Business Management, and is currently back in school working on her Bachelors degree. In the past, she has operated her own home daycare, and has also worked at SCAN, CANI Head Start, Gingerbread House, and was an ESL teacher through AmeriCorp and Fort Wayne Community Schools. While Kenya enjoys the business side of life, she is very much a humanitarian at heart, and has a passion for working with children. She believes in setting goals and striving for the things you want in life – a message she frequently shares as she helps her 12-year-old daughter manage her candle business.
 

Promising Partnerships Permanent Supportive Housing

 In the spring of 2011, Natasha received a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with a minor in Child Welfare from the University of Saint Francis. Upon graduation, Natasha became a staff member at Women’s Bureau, Inc. as a Case Manager for the Promising Partnerships Supportive Housing Program.  Natasha is currently a member of NASW (National Association of Social Workers) and the Homeless Task Force in Fort Wayne. She was recently awarded the 2011 Junior Hope Award from the YWCA for her participation in the community. Natasha has been trained by Erin’s House for Grieving Children as an Adult Group Facilitator and volunteered for a year with plans to beginning volunteer work there again soon. Natasha began her college career as a graphic design major and still holds onto this passion. In her free time she paints, draws and attends art galleries and museums. Natasha recently moved to Fort Wayne from Whitely County and lives with her fat cat, Louie. Natasha has aspirations to continue her education by perusing a Master’s Degree in Mental Health.