Our People
Verda Bhatti
Between Friends
Executive Director
Before becoming the Executive Director of Between Friends, Verda was our Director of Prevention and Community Education, where she grew the REACH program and our adult education and training services.
Verda Bhatti has over 25 years of experience working with educational and nonprofit organizations, developing and maintaining strong coalitions in multicultural settings. Verda previously served with YWCA Evanston North Shore as the Manager for Domestic Violence Training and Prevention.
Elena Calafell
Between Friends
Director of Prevention & Community Education
Elena joined Between Friends in 2024, bringing over 20 years of experience in counseling and violence prevention. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is ABD in her doctoral studies. Elena has held leadership roles in social services, including as Program Director at Metropolitan Family Services’ Midway Center, overseeing programs in domestic violence counseling, court advocacy, and Safe Exchange services. At the Illinois Center for Violence Prevention, she developed evidence-based initiatives for child abuse and teen dating violence prevention. Earlier, she implemented community violence prevention programs at the Cook County Department of Public Health. A sought-after speaker and educator, Elena specializes in trauma-informed, strength-based approaches to mental health and domestic violence.
Bernard Mariano
Between Friends
Chief of Staff
Bernard joined Between Friends in 2018. He primarily works on HR Personnel Documentation and Grants Training Compliance. Bernard collaborates with Managers and Directors to overcome technical issues that employees and clients may face, especially when working remotely. Bernard makes sure that staff are equipped to complete their work and to follow Federal, State, and Grant level training requirements and documentation. He also ensures that staff personnel documentation is up to date to reflect their growth at Between Friends.
Molly Pim
Between Friends
Director of Development
Molly joined Between friends in 2016. With nearly a decade in the domestic violence prevention and intervention field, Molly has been deeply rooted in organizations that take transformative approaches to healing-centered services and engage in sustained and systematic efforts in families, relationships and communities at large. As the Director of Development, Molly works collaboratively to drive revenue growth and elevate the conversation about domestic violence.
Nancy Toncy
Between Friends
Director of Survivor Services
Nancy joined Between Friends in 2009. She has overall responsibility for the management and administration of the Survivor Services Program. Nancy works with Counseling, Support, and Court Advocacy Program Managers to maintain trauma and client-informed service delivery and to ensure program operations are successfully meeting or exceeding outcomes. Nancy represents Between Friends on various community groups and conducts DV-informed and clinical trainings to other social service agencies and partners in the community.