Hope & Healing Leadership

Together we can make a change.

Hope & Healing Leadership

Together we can make a change.

Teresa Stafford-Wright
CEO OF HOPE AND HEALING SURVIVOR RESOURCE CENTER

Teresa M. Stafford-Wright is the Chief Executive Officer at Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center. Teresa’s experience includes more than a decade of leadership at a Northeast Ohio rape crisis center and establishing a witness victim unit for one of the largest county Prosecutor Office’s in Ohio. She has over 25 years of experience in strategic leadership, organizational development, coaching, consensus building, operations management, program development, and system advocacy. She recently shared her expertise as a contributing author for the book, Sexual Assault Kits and Reforming the Response to Rape.

Teresa approaches this work through her own lived experiences as a survivor of incest, rape, and teen dating violence. Teresa’s passion and dedication to serving survivors has been recognized across Ohio and nationally. She is the recipient of the Ohio Attorney General’s Robert Denton Special Achievement Award and Visionary Voice Award from the National Sexual Violence Resources Center. Teresa has partnered with the International Association of Chiefs of Police to enhance law enforcement’s response to interpersonal violence.

Teresa is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and graduated from Tiffin University earning a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and a master’s in Criminal Justice Administration.

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”-Maya Angelou

Ashley Kline
Chief Program Officer

Ashley Kline serves as the Chief Program Officer at Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center. In her role, Ashley leads program development, operations, and evaluation to ensure the delivery of high-quality services grounded in trauma-informed care for survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking. Her expertise in program development has been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission and expanding its comprehensive program offerings for survivors. Her career includes nearly a decade of extensive experience in providing trauma-informed crisis intervention, advocacy, and therapeutic services to survivors.

Additionally, Ashley has held pivotal leadership roles in numerous community coalitions, task forces, and advisory boards dedicated to enhancing systemic collaboration and improving community responses to survivors. She is also a 2024 Leadership Ohio Fellow, a recognition that demonstrates her commitment to leadership excellence and her impact on advancing the safety and well-being of our communities.

Ashley earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Kent State University and is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervision designation (LPCC-S). She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Conflict Resolution.

“Daring leaders who live into their values are never silent about the hard things.” – Brené Brown

Julius Payne
Director of Prevention

 

Julius Payne is the Director of Prevention at Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center. Julius has been in the field of prevention for over a decade facilitating conversations about healthy relationships, bystander action, and sexual violence prevention for students from middle school all the way up through college and professionals.   He graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in Sociology/Corrections.  His start in the field began through the Rape Crisis Center Services as he managed outreach and advocacy services at the University of Akron. From there, he went to work at Kent State University providing prevention programming to the KSU community.  He enjoys the work that he does because it has allowed him to create relationships with the youth and young adults in our communities.  It also allows him to help shape the culture that these individuals take forward to create safer and more compassionate communities free of sexual violence and relationship violence.

 

Sarah Krieger
Director of Donor Relations & Community Engagement

Sarah has over 15 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, including executive leadership roles at Teen Leadership Corps and Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center. Sarah has been with Hope & Healing since 2018 and in her current role as Director of Donor Relations & Community Engagement at Hope & Healing, she is responsible for increasing funding by cultivating donor relations, brand building, and event management.

Sarah graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in Political Science, and also holds a leadership role at Mission Possible – Dominican Republic. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her dog Winter, volunteering, the Cleveland Guardians, and traveling to new places.

“Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.” – Maya Angelou

Janet
Director of Human Resources

Janet joined Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center in August 2022. She has a BS in Human Resources and Business Management and maintains her CP-SHRM certification, Certified Professional from the Society of Human Resource Management. After providing HR guidance with a for-profit Fortune 50 company for ten years, Janet shifted her focus to non-profit. She has now worked in the non-profit world for more than 15 years in the Akron area.

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” Dalai Lama

Megan Vermillion
Director of Survivor Services

Megan Vermillion is the Director of Survivor Services at Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center. Megan earned a Bachelor’s in Social Work and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from The University of Akron. Joining the Rape Crisis Center in January 2018, Megan believes in building a strong continuum of care for survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, and human trafficking. Her passion lies in disrupting cycles of trauma and breaking down barriers that prevent survivors from accessing vital support services.

Megan holds leadership roles as the Chair of the Summit County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and serves as the Chair of the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Coalition in Medina County.

Actively engaged in combating human trafficking in Ohio, Megan sits on the Attorney General’s Public Awareness Committee for Human Trafficking and Hope and Healing serves as the lead victim service provider for the Summit Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, serving Summit, Medina, Stark, and Portage Counties. Through these efforts, Megan aims to strengthen community connections and educate the public alongside her dedicated team at Hope and Healing.

“We owe future generations a world free of sexual violence. I believe we can build that world. Do you?” Tarana Burke

Tia Payne
Director of Shelter & Housing Services

Tia Payne is the Director of Shelter and Housing Services at Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center serving both Medina and Summit Counties. Tia began her career as an advocate in 2007 as a Crisis Intervention Specialist in the Children Who Witness Violence Program a collaboration between Akron Children’s Hospital, Victim Assistance Program and Hope and Healing known at the time as the Battered Women’s Shelter. Tia has been passionate in focusing some of her work in the area of youth as a survivor of child abuse.

Tia has over 17 years of experience and has worked with many advocacy organizations where she has been able to lend her expertise in operations through a survivor leader focused lens. As a survivor of intimate partner violence in her first marriage, Tia lived in a shelter with her 2 children and has been able to use that experience in her roles within residential settings and shelters. She is a member of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network board of directors where she serves as vice chair, and is a part of the finance committee.

To date, Tia is a published author of “reflections of a PK” and a co-author in Bloom Vol. 2 where her chapter is titled “She Survived”, Tia published her latest book in November 2024 a devotional titled “Sis, You Have One Job: Be Healed”.

“If I’m going to tell a real story, I’m going to start with my name” ~ Kendrick Lamar

Kate Robbins, MPH
Director of Grants & Public Policy

Kate Robbins, MPH, is passionate about the intersections of policy, community, art, equity, and health. Born and raised in Akron, OH, she earned her B.A. in English Literature and minored in Management & Information Systems at Kent State University. She graduated with her master’s in public health from Columbia’s Mailman School for Public Health in 2014. She lived in New York City for over a decade, advocating for universal healthcare as Executive Director of Physicians for a National Health Program NY Metro and Director of the Campaign for New York Health. She’s excited to bring her expertise in policy and grant writing to serve the mission of the Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center.

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding chair.” -Shirley Chisholm