Laurie Jackson – Executive Director
Laurie Jackson is the Executive Director for National Safe Place, which also administers the RHYTTAC cooperative agreement. She joined the organization in June 2010, and has been active with Safe Place for more than 15 years. She recently served as Associate Executive Director for Synergy Services, Inc. in Kansas City, Mo. Jackson was with Synergy Services, Inc. for 16 years and prior to that worked for several years with Cedars Youth Services in Lincoln, Neb. She has been active with local, regional, state and national efforts in the areas of runaway and homeless youth, child welfare and domestic violence.
Jackson holds an executive master’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri Kansas City and a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Nebraska Kearney. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Network for Youth and is dedicated to bringing awareness to the issues of runaway and homeless youth.
Email: ljackson@nationalsafeplace.org
Robin Donaldson – NSP Program Development & Research Director, RHYTTAC Research Director
Robin Donaldson joined the National Safe Place staff in August 2008, but has been involved with Safe Place since 1998. She is responsible for the development and implementation of new programmatic initiatives for National Safe Place, as well as collecting, analyzing and reporting statistical data regarding all aspects of the National Safe Place program.
Donaldson was first a Safe Place Coordinator and was one of two awarded the honor of “Safe Place Coordinators of the Year” in 2000. She then joined the National Safe Place Advisory Board and served in that capacity for seven years before joining the NSP staff. Prior to joining National Safe Place, she served as the Assistant Director at Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County in Bloomington, In., and had been at YSB of Monroe County for 12 years. Donaldson has a master’s degree in counseling and social psychology from Ball State University and bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She is a licensed Mental Health Counselor and also teaches psychology classes at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.
Email: rdonaldson@nationalsafeplace.org
Susan Harmon – NSP Organizational Advancement Director
Susan Harmon works to expand Safe Place’s national network of programs and provides consultation, technical support and instruction for new Safe Place agencies. She joined National Safe Place in July 2000 after serving 10 years as the Safe Place coordinator for the Louisville, Ky. program.
Harmon specializes in organizing and conducting training sessions geared towards preparing new agencies and coordinators on how to operate a Safe Place program. Harmon represents National Safe Place and conducts training and networking opportunities at regional and national conferences for Safe Place personnel and other agencies interested in learning more about the program. Prior to joining Safe Place, Harmon worked for Louisville’s Jefferson County Public Schools. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and History from Shorter College in northwest Georgia.
Email: sharmon@nationalsafeplace.org
Sherry Casey – NSP Program Coordinator
Sherry Casey serves as the primary contact for more than 140 Safe Place coordinators across the country. She joined the organization in February 2003 as an administrative assistant and was promoted to her current position in 2006. Casey is responsible for monitoring each Safe Place program’s annual goals and maintaining the national database of Safe Place statistics. In addition, she serves as the lead staff member on the National Safe Place Advisory Board’s Quality Enhancement Committee. Prior to joining National Safe Place, Casey spent seven years in a variety of roles for the YMCA of Greater Louisville, including both office manager of the Bullitt County branch and site director for its Before/After Child Care program.
Email: scasey@nationalsafeplace.org
Hillary Bond – NSP Communications Coordinator
Hillary Bond provides public relations and communications support for the organization and its 141 member agencies. Bond joined the organization in July 2011 and manages media relations, social media marketing efforts, website maintenance and the creation and distribution of print and electronic publications. In addition, she serves as the lead staff member on the National Safe Place Advisory Board’s Awareness Committee. Prior to joining the organization, Bond spent two years as a publicist for an independent book publishing company. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in public relations from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
Email: hbond@nationalsafeplace.org
Danielle White – Executive Administrative Assistant
Danielle White provides administrative support for National Safe Place and RHYTTAC. White served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at National Safe Place from July 2011-July 2012 and re-joined the organization in March 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and communication from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky. Previously, White served as a Resident Assistant at Bellarmine, as well as a writing center consultant in Bellarmine’s Academic Resource Center. She is from Columbus, Ind.
Email: daniellewhite@nationalsafeplace.org
Tammy Hopper – RHYTTAC Project Director
Tammy Hopper is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has supervised youth programming for almost 25 years. This experience includes basic center, transitional living programs, and street outreach program management experience. She has also worked on an impatient psychiatric unit for youth; served as a member of a Mobile Crisis Unit; and, worked as a therapist for a project dedicated to preventing the sexual abuse of Appalachian children. Hopper has served as the Chair of the National Council on Youth Policy and spent 20 years as a member of the National Safe Place Advisory Board. She is also a member of the first class of Certified Grants Professionals recognized by the American Association of Grant Professionals.
Hopper is an advocate and enthusiastic believer in youth development and is committed to working with individuals and organizations that embrace the power and promise that comes from partnering with youth. She is the President/CEO of the Youth and Family Services Network, a primary partner with National Safe Place for the delivery of RHYTTAC services.
Email: tammy@rhyttac.net
TC Cassidy – RHYTTAC Technical Assistance Director
TC Cassidy holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from East Tennessee State University. She is currently completing a second Master’s Degree in Divinity from Phillips Theological Seminary. She has extensive experience in the youth services field and has worked in both direct care and supervisory positions in basic center, transitional living, and street outreach programs. Cassidy is a talented facilitator and has provided training and technical assistance for more than 12 years to RHY providers, first as a representative of a major agency in the Southeastern Network and most recently for NRCYS, as a Senior Development Specialist. She is already well known to RHY providers across the country and she will continue to lead the technical assistance team.
Email: tc@rhyttac.net
