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.
Tonya Harvey-McDonald
Between Friends
Director of Finance
Tonya joined Between Friends in the Spring of 2020. She received a double Master’s from DePaul University in Business and Information Technology. Tonya has over 15 years of experience, bringing a unique blend of business, finance, information technology and human resources to the agency. Tonya works with the rest of the Leadership team to maintain the organization’s finances, and is the financial liaison with local and federal agencies.
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
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.