From the Desk of the (Interim) Executive Director…
In the Midwest, autumn brings change—and this year, Between Friends has been no exception. We saw several staff members move on to new opportunities and had the pleasure of welcoming new staff into our work family.
Shena Willbrandt, our Prevention and Education Manager, moved on from Between Friends in September. Under Shena’s leadership, we began working with Heather Flett (founder of Taking Back Our Lives / Take Back the Halls) to strengthen and refine our prevention and education curriculum for young people in grades 6-8.
Colleen Norton, Between Friends’ Director of Programs, also left us after almost 14 years. During her time at the agency, Colleen filled many roles, including Court Advocate and Prevention/Education Manager. She helped the agency grow to its current size of more than 20 members of staff and a budget of over $2 million. Over the last six months, Colleen has also been a critical part of the Executive Director transition team here at Between Friends, and I personally will always be grateful to her for her leadership, insight, and guidance.
We also had the pleasure of welcoming two new staff to our team: Tony Orea and Artelia Holt. Tony joined us as Operations Associate, adding much needed support to our operations and finance departments. They previously worked with non-profits serving youth of color on the South and West sides of Chicago. Artelia joined us as Youth Education and Prevention Manager and will be working with our teen dating violence prevention teams and other community-based projects. She has worked for over 20 years with children, youth, and adults within the social service field. We are excited to have these two passionate, dedicated people join the Between Friends team in our efforts to end domestic violence.
In Gratitude,
Shailushi