Who We Are

Staff

Rebecca Weybright, Executive Director
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Becky joined the SARA staff in October 2012. She worked previously in this field with the YWCA Women’s Advocacy Program in Richmond and with Virginians Aligned Against Sexual Assault, which was then the state-wide coalition of sexual assault crisis centers. She also worked as the Executive Director for the Charlottesville Free Clinic and the Community Children’s Dental Center. She has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a Master’s degree in education from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Megan Gaspar, Grants Administrator
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Bass Wolf, Philanthropy Coordinator
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Bass joined the SARA team in October 2018, after relocating from Asheville, NC. He served as the Crisis Advocate Coordinator with Our VOICE in Asheville and spent some time writing “The North Carolina Approach to PREA”, a manual that focuses on building relationships between jails and rape crisis centers to prevent and respond to sexual assault in confinement settings. Bass enjoys approaching this work of ending violence through collaboration and creativity.

Direct Services 

Marni Barish, Therapist
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Marni Barish joined the SARA team in 2018 as the Clinical Child Advocate.  Marni has a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of South Florida and completed her internship with a trauma counseling concentration. She has a CDA in early childhood from ST. Thomas University and worked for 18 years in early childhood serving as a  teacher and then as assistant director. She has worked both nationally and internationally in outreach, education, case management, coaching and mentorship of sex trafficking survivors. She co-created the first anti-sex-trafficking museum in the United States used as an education resource for this issue.  Marni is passionate about the empowerment of survivors and considers it both an honor and privilege to walk alongside some of the most courageous and resilient of people. 

Gleibys Gonzalez Advocacy Coordinator
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Gleibys Gonzalez joined SARA as the Direct Services Advocate in April of 2016. After graduating college, she worked for Legal Aid here in Charlottesville, and also volunteered at domestic violence shelters in Staunton and Charlottesville. She left Legal Aid to attend American University, Washington College of Law, where she served on the Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law, co-president of the Women’s Law Association, and received her JD in 2002. After graduating law school Gleibys spent several years at home caring and advocating for her son, who was diagnosed with autism. In 2008 she went to work at the Baha’i Office of Public Affairs in Washington DC, where she served as the Representative for the Advancement of Women. As the AOW representative, Gleibys worked in collaboration with other NGOs to advance treaties, legislation, and policy that focused on women’s rights, such as the Convention on the Elimination on all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Violence Against Women Act, and the International Violence Against Women Act. Gleibys is bi-lingual in Spanish, a very busy mom of two and a passionate advocate for trauma survivors.

Lindsay Detlie, Clinical Coordinator
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Lindsay is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been involved in gender-based violence work since 2008. She first became involved in domestic and sexual violence agencies as a volunteer, where she helped administratively in the training of new volunteers. While in grad school, she worked on campus with the gender-based violence advocate and helped to provide training to student run prevention education groups. Her clinical internship at the YWCA Richmond provided her the opportunity to work directly with individuals impacted by domestic and/or sexual violence. She received her Master’s in Social Work in May 2015 and wanted to continue to work with this population. She moved to Charlottesville in early 2016 to join the SARA Direct Services Team. Lindsay provides therapy from a client-centered and relationally based framework. She integrates psychodynamic psychotherapy with elements of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems, and experiential modalities. She has also began training in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) as of 2018. Lindsay believes that all clients have the inherent ability to be well and sees her role as a guide who walks with clients on their journey for healing and wholeness.

Naila Baloch, Therapist
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Naila joined the SARA staff as a therapist in 2018. She comes to SARA from Clearwater, Florida, where she interned as a Counselor at a trauma-informed community mental health agency and made friends with peacocks in her spare time.  Naila holds a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from University of Massachusetts, Boston, a Master in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a three-year graduate certificate from the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism. Her academic journey includes a BA from Williams College, where she specialized in Astrophysics and Comparative Religion, and studies at Oxford University. She has been trained in Holistic Pelvic Care for Women™ by Tami Kent and is passionate about promoting safe and healthy sexuality. Naila has previously worked as a chaplain in higher education settings for nine years and has run counseling and personal growth groups for women for over a decade. She brings an integrative and client-centered approach to her work with clients, incorporating body, heart, mind, and spirit and addressing the whole person. She enjoys using creative arts interventions and a biopsychological approach to trauma. She welcomes working with multicultural and diverse clients and can provide services in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. Naila loves working at SARA, where she feels grateful every day for the honor and privilege of working with survivors and their families.

Jessica Harris, Outreach Advocate
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Jessica joined the SARA team in January 2019 after relocating from the Baltimore area in Maryland, where she spent most of her career working in law enforcement as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst. In that time she worked with the statewide anti-human trafficking task force and was exposed to the devastating long term effects of sexual assault and commercial sexual exploitation. After seven years as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst, she had a desire to move from law enforcement work to victim advocacy with under-served communities. As the Outreach Advocate, Jessica is excited for the opportunity to work with an organization who is so focused on eliminating sexual violence for all.

Christine Paquette, Child and Family Advocate
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Christine joined the SARA team in June 2019 after relocating from Fredericksburg, VA. After attending George Mason University, she moved to Pattaya, Thailand to work with women affected by human trafficking to teach them life skills and English language skills. When she came back to Virginia, she worked at RCASA in Fredericksburg as a Crisis Responder. In this role, she offered support to sexual assault survivors by accompanying them to the local Emergency Room to address urgent needs and to ensure they understood their rights. One of Christine's greatest priorities is to create a space where a survivor and their family feels safe and comfortable to receive information and to begin the healing process. 

Community Outreach

Sheri Owen, Director, Community Outreach
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Sheri received her undergraduate and Master’s degree from Radford University in Music Therapy with a concentration in voice performance. Upon graduation, she worked at Old Dominion University and The College of William and Mary in Residence Life where she responded to sexual assaults on campus. While at Old Dominion University, she helped develop and was co-founder of the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) System of self-defense. For the next ten years, she traveled and trained police departments all over the country to teach the RAD System for women and children in their communities. She comes to SARA after working for the City of Charlottesville and is thrilled to be back working with an amazing organization whose mission is to eliminate sexual violence.

Lexie Groves, Crisis Services Coordinator
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Originally from Illinois, Lexie graduated from Millikin University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She spent most of her undergraduate career working in housing and other aspects of student affairs. From there, Lexie worked as a Residence Hall Director at a small liberal arts college in Green Bay, WI. In her role, she had the opportunity to challenge students throughout the discovery of themselves with social justice and diversity trainings. Lexie's motto is "share love," and she believes that every person deserves safe, healthy, and positive love. As the Crisis Services Coordinator, Lexie is thrilled at the opportunity to connect with the community and empower everyone to eliminate Sexual Violence. 

Prevention Programs

Laurie Jean Seaman, Director of Prevention
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Since 2010, Laurie Jean has served as a Prevention Educator, helping adolescents, schools, parents, and youth-serving organizations prevent first-time perpetration of sexual violence among the next generation. Laurie Jean holds a Bachelors in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia. After graduation, as the Housing Operations Manager for Polaris Project, Laurie Jean supported the healing of survivors of sex trafficking in Washington, DC. Her work with survivors of sex trafficking and sexual assault has led her to believe that prevention is not optional, but necessary. A strong proponent of affirmative consent and social norms change through community action, she works with the community to make it a place where all people are treated with dignity and worth, where empathy and listening are practiced by all and for all, and where it is common to speak out for gender equality and healthy sexuality.

Rebekah Coble, Prevention Training Specialist
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Originally from Indianapolis, Rebekah received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Romance Languages from DePauw University. From there, Rebekah attended the University of Virginia and earned her Master of Arts degree in Spanish. While at UVA, Rebekah participated in the Green Dot initiative and the Survivor Support Network. These initiatives allowed Rebekah to work with faculty groups in order to deliver Green Dot trainings across campus and to learn trauma-informed ways to support and advocate for her students. She joins SARA after working in Southwood and is excited to work with the community to eliminate sexual violence.

Jada Cox, Bystander Empowerment Specialist
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Jada is a recent graduate from James Madison University. Although she has received her Bachelors degree in Hospitality Management, she finds herself passionate in helping others. She has started working at SARA in order to promote the Green Dot initiative and aims to reflect her values in her career. She notices that prevention work is a major step in cultivating change, and hopes to provide support to high school students as she continues the Green Dot program.

Note: Please be aware that e-mail is not a secure means of communication. If you are seeking services, please call our 24-hour hotline at (434) 977-7273 or our office at (434) 295-7273 during Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Board of Directors

Melinda Baumann, President
User Experience Librarian, UVA Library

David H. Ferrall, Vice President
Associate Broker, Nest Realty Group

Alexandra Timmons, CPA, Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair
Senior Accountant, Hantzmon Wiebel LLP

Defines Fineout, Secretary
Software Architect, Silverchair

Renee Branson, Member
Founder, RB Consulting

Sarah Jenkins, Member
Mentoring Coordinator, Maxine Platzer Lynn Women's Center at UVA

Robert Alan Leffers, Member, Policy Action Committee Chair
Assistant Professor, University of Virginia

Amanda Litchfield, Member, Donor Engagement Committee Co-Chair
Senior Commercial Executive, C&F Bank

Kimberley Martin, Member, Marketing & Events Committee Chair
Marketing Director, Carter Myers Automotive

Nathalie Pincham, Member
Creative Director, Brightworks Marketing

Shellie Taylor, Member
Attorney at Royer Caramanis, PLC

Henry Young, Member, Board Development Committee Chair
Attorney at Scott Kroner, PLC

Committee Members

Anne Coughlin, Policy Action Committee Member
Professor of Law, University of Virginia

Nicole Eramo, Marketing & Events Committee Member
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Virginia

Jennifer King, Donor Engagement Co-Chair
Chief Operations & Compliance Officer, Chase Inv. Counsel Corp.

Kerry Rock, Marketing & Events Committee Member
Lead Technical Support Specialist, Department of Corrections

Sam Spillman, Finance Committee Member
Owner, Balance Chiropractic

Samantha Strong, Marketing & Events Committee Member
Membership Sales Manager, Boar's Head Resort

Kevin Terhaar, Finance Committee Member
Managing Principal at Stairway Partners LLC

Connie Brennan, Advisory Committee Member
Nelson County Board of Supervisors; Nurse Practitioner, ret

Camille Burnett, MD., PhD., Advisory Committee Member
Asst. Professor of Family, Community and Mental Health Systems, UVA School of Nursing

Deborah Healey, MD., Advisory Committee Member
Psychiatrist, ret

Peggy Plews-Ogan, MD., Advisory Committee Member
Assoc. Professor of Medicine, Dept of Medicine Division Chief, Gen Medicine, Geriatrics & Palliative Care, UVA