At POETIC, we prioritize: teamwork, a non-judgmental stance, self-awareness, and most of all, putting youth first. Meet our dedicated staff that encourage POETIC girls to persist forward
At POETIC, we prioritize: teamwork, a non-judgmental stance, self-awareness, and most of all, putting youth first. Meet our dedicated staff that encourage POETIC girls to persist forward
Lisa Shofner, Treasurer Commercial Director, Accenture
Stacy Blank, Secretary Community Leader
Michele Galietta Ph.D Associate Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
HaeSung Han Psy.D. ATR-BC, LCAT Co-Founder, POETIC
CLINICAL ADVISORY BOARD
Kirsten Byrnes,PsyD. Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Audrey Hepburn Children’s House, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ. Clinical and Research Focus: Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA), Forensic Child Maltreatment Assessments, Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) profile of CSA and Polyvictimization, Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI) and Race, Assessment of Problematic Sexual Behaviors and Delinquency.
Jessica Linick, Ph.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist, New York, NY. Clinical and Research Focus: Neurobiology of trauma and attachment, psychotherapy within forensic settings, links between trauma and disruptive behavior disorders.
Karen Tejedor, LMFT
Karen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at POETIC. She received her undergraduate education in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine and her graduate education in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego. Karen began her career in ABA therapy for children with Autism and other developmental disorders as well as their families. She moved on to focus on family therapy after spending time working in-home with these families. Her areas of interest have largely focused on systemic work to provide support for individuals with consideration of the various systems he/she interacts with.
Karen has worked as a therapist in the medical system as part of the University of California, San Diego’s Collaborative Care Program. And prior to working with POETIC she worked in community mental health providing therapy for at-risk youth particularly adolescents who have experienced trauma. She is certified in Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Karen is bilingual and provided therapy in both English and Spanish.
Sharita Stewart serves as the Juvenile Justice Liaison/Case Manager. In this role, she will accompany POETIC girls to court appointments and ensure a smooth transition from the Juvenile Justice system and into POETIC aftercare. With the goal of ensuring every girl completes probation successfully while reaching their educational, therapeutic, and occupational goals at POETIC, Sharita is dedicated to providing support to POETIC girls and her guardian.
Prior to POETIC, she has worked at the Dallas County Juvenile Department at both Henry Wade Detention and Letot Girls Residential Center as a Juvenile Supervision Officer. She is thrilled to be able to continue the support of Dallas’s most vulnerable girls as they transition back into the community. Sharita attended University of Texas at Arlington receiving a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends. She married her high-school sweetheart and together they share one daughter and three sons. Sharita believes in order to serve and reach our youth today we must be able to wear many hats without judgment.
Dr. HaeSung Han is a Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologist and a Board Certified, Nationally Registered Art Therapist. She received her master’s and doctoral degree in clinical psychology from George Washington University and also received a master’s degree in art therapy from New York University. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at Audrey Hepburn Children’s House, Hackensack University Medical Center in the field of child maltreatment. She completed two post-graduate certificate programs: one in international trauma studies from Columbia University and the other in civil and criminal forensic psychology from Montclair State University.
Dr. Han has extensive experience working with individuals exposed to complex trauma including domestic violence, child maltreatment, and commercial sexual exploitation/sex trafficking. She has worked in forensic, hospital, outpatient and school-settings in NY, NJ, VA, DC, MA, and TX. She is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). She has also received training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and DBT-PE (Prolonged Exposure for the treatment of PTSD) and offers both comprehensive DBT and DBT-PE to youth and adult clients.
Dr. Han trains nationally on various topics related to the assessment, intervention and prevention of commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC) and domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST). She also provides consultation to anti-trafficking agencies on developing and implementing trauma-informed systems of care, programming and culture.
In addition to her work at POETIC, Dr. Han sees clients in private practice in Plano, Texas. Prior to co-founding POETIC, Dr. Han was the clinical director at Dallas County Juvenile Department, Letot Girls Residential Center.
In 2019, Dr. Han was awarded Texas Women’s Foundation’s Young Leader Award and was accepted into the 2020 class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program.
For a list of therapists trained in DBT-PE: Click Here For a list of TF-CBT certified therapists: Click Here
Chelsea is an educator of twenty years, teaching both locally and internationally. She is a proud graduate of Texas A&M University. She has spent a significant amount of time in Early Childhood Education and Special Education Services. She served on the team at Plano Family Literacy as part of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, serving both children and adults. She spent several years as an educator at Santiago Christian School in the Dominican Republic. It was there on the North Coast of the DR where she fully grasped the complexities and social variables that contribute and fuel the sex trafficking industry. She has a heart to create a safe and encouraging space for her students to explore and pursuit their highest aspirations. Most recently, Chelsea has been teaching and residing in Richardson, Texas with her husband and four rambunctious children.
Nina Kang, a Korean immigrant came to the United States when she was 10 years old. Her parents instilled in her the value of hard work which she applies everyday at POETIC. She attended Angelo State University and graduated with a B.S. in Psychology. Nina has extensive experience working with vulnerable youth in Dallas, having worked at the Dallas County Juvenile Department, Letot Shelter, for 20 years, first as an Intake Probation Officer and then as a Residential Administrator. POETIC is proud to have Nina join the team as our Program and Operations Coordinator.
Jennifer spent the first decade of her career working in corporate business development and client relations with Fortune 500 companies. Prior to co-founding POETIC, she had the privilege of being the first employee at Shoptology, a creative start-up, and worked for three years to help build the successful agency working with a client roster including Walmart, PepsiCo and Dean Foods. She entered the anti-trafficking space full-time in 2016. Along with her experience in business management and storytelling, Jennifer is an award-winning grant writer and led a record-breaking Dallas luncheon event raising over $1MM+ in net proceeds. Jennifer holds a B.A. in English Literature and Interdisciplinary Writing from Colgate University.
If you are a match with one of the skills below and want to learn more about joining our volunteer team, we would love to hear from you!
● Food Assistant: Sign up to pick-up critical food donations and deliver to Thanksgiving Tower (a drop location blocks from POETIC). Also could assist with grocery shopping, cleaning and stocking kitchen, preparing any of the three daily meals. Daytime, evening, and weekend opportunities.
● Office Assistant: Dedicate set hours each week to assisting with office coordination to include administrative support. Daytime opportunity. Assumes commitment of 4-8 hours per week.
● Teacher’s Assistant: Assist our teacher in helping students complete their specific coursework. Ability to tutor in various subjects at the junior high and high school level. Interest in teaching specific skills class (ex. nutrition, cosmetology, etc.). Daytime opportunity.
● Graphic Design/Social Media/PR: Use your creative skills to support POETIC marketing materials and social media content. This volunteer opportunity is done offsite. Flexible hours. Engagement with staff only.
● Salesforce Guru: Help staff fully utilize and troubleshoot our CRM software, Salesforce, to be most effective for POETIC.
● Photographer: Donate your photography skills to help capture images for POETIC’s photo library. Flexible hours. Daytime and evening opportunities.
● Fitness Professional: Seeking certified fitness professionals to lead classes for POETIC girls. Classes will happen on-site at POETIC. Background check required.
● CPA: Donate your time to assist with POETIC’s accounting needs. The request is to take a working role owning execution of monthly accounting tasks. Flexible hours. Work can be completed offsite.
● Cleaning Crew: Sign up to help maintain a warm and welcoming environment for POETIC girls by donating time on Friday to clean and aid in ongoing organization at POETIC. Engagement with staff only.
●Cleaning Crew: Sign up to help maintain a warm and welcoming environment for POETIC girls by donating time on Friday to clean and aid in ongoing organization at POETIC. Engagement with staff only.
● Lead a Donation Drive: Rally your friends, family and network to gather much needed supplies for POETIC girls in the areas of personal care items, art supplies, school supplies, groceries, beverages, and snack food. Engagement with staff only.
● Build Welcome Bags: Support POETIC girls by creating welcome bags with essential items like toiletries and clothing for every girl we serve. POETIC staff will provide a list of recommended items. Engage a group of friends and build these fun bags for POETIC girls to enjoy.
● Retail Relationship Builder: Become an ambassador for POETIC girls and engage local retailers to donate gift cards, in-kind items and more to provide supplies critical to program delivery. Templated materials provided along with staff support.
● IT: Help POETIC staff with troubleshooting IT issues and concerns. Research potential technology donations and install new computers, programs, printers, etc. Background check required. Daytime and evening opportunities.
Volunteer With POETIC
If you are a match with one of the skills below and want to learn more about joining our volunteer team, we would love to hear from you!
● Food Assistant: Sign up to pick-up critical food donations and deliver to Thanksgiving Tower (a drop location blocks from POETIC). Also could assist with grocery shopping, cleaning and stocking kitchen, preparing any of the three daily meals. Daytime, evening, and weekend opportunities.
● Office Assistant: Dedicate set hours each week to assisting with office coordination to include administrative support. Daytime opportunity. Assumes commitment of 4-8 hours per week.
● Teacher’s Assistant: Assist our teacher in helping students complete their specific coursework. Ability to tutor in various subjects at the junior high and high school level. Interest in teaching specific skills class (ex. nutrition, cosmetology, etc.). Daytime opportunity.
● Graphic Design/Social Media/PR: Use your creative skills to support POETIC marketing materials and social media content. This volunteer opportunity is done offsite. Flexible hours. Engagement with staff only.
● Salesforce Guru: Help staff fully utilize and troubleshoot our CRM software, Salesforce, to be most effective for POETIC.
● Photographer: Donate your photography skills to help capture images for POETIC’s photo library. Flexible hours. Daytime and evening opportunities.
● Fitness Professional: Seeking certified fitness professionals to lead classes for POETIC girls. Classes will happen on-site at POETIC. Background check required.
● CPA: Donate your time to assist with POETIC's accounting needs. The request is to take a working role owning execution of monthly accounting tasks. Flexible hours. Work can be completed offsite.
● Cleaning Crew: Sign up to help maintain a warm and welcoming environment for POETIC girls by donating time on Friday to clean and aid in ongoing organization at POETIC. Engagement with staff only.
●Cleaning Crew: Sign up to help maintain a warm and welcoming environment for POETIC girls by donating time on Friday to clean and aid in ongoing organization at POETIC. Engagement with staff only.
● Lead a Donation Drive: Rally your friends, family and network to gather much needed supplies for POETIC girls in the areas of personal care items, art supplies, school supplies, groceries, beverages, and snack food. Engagement with staff only.
● Build Welcome Bags: Support POETIC girls by creating welcome bags with essential items like toiletries and clothing for every girl we serve. POETIC staff will provide a list of recommended items. Engage a group of friends and build these fun bags for POETIC girls to enjoy.
● Retail Relationship Builder: Become an ambassador for POETIC girls and engage local retailers to donate gift cards, in-kind items and more to provide supplies critical to program delivery. Templated materials provided along with staff support.
● IT: Help POETIC staff with troubleshooting IT issues and concerns. Research potential technology donations and install new computers, programs, printers, etc. Background check required. Daytime and evening opportunities.
We will get back to you right away!
Volunteer With POETIC
If you are a match with one of the skills below and want to learn more about joining our volunteer team, we would love to hear from you!
● Food Assistant: Sign up to pick-up critical food donations and deliver to Thanksgiving Tower (a drop location blocks from POETIC). Also could assist with grocery shopping, cleaning and stocking kitchen, preparing any of the three daily meals. Daytime, evening, and weekend opportunities.
● Office Assistant: Dedicate set hours each week to assisting with office coordination to include administrative support. Daytime opportunity. Assumes commitment of 4-8 hours per week.
● Teacher’s Assistant: Assist our teacher in helping students complete their specific coursework. Ability to tutor in various subjects at the junior high and high school level. Interest in teaching specific skills class (ex. nutrition, cosmetology, etc.). Daytime opportunity.
● Graphic Design/Social Media/PR: Use your creative skills to support POETIC marketing materials and social media content. This volunteer opportunity is done offsite. Flexible hours. Engagement with staff only.
● Salesforce Guru: Help staff fully utilize and troubleshoot our CRM software, Salesforce, to be most effective for POETIC.
● Photographer: Donate your photography skills to help capture images for POETIC’s photo library. Flexible hours. Daytime and evening opportunities.
● Fitness Professional: Seeking certified fitness professionals to lead classes for POETIC girls. Classes will happen on-site at POETIC. Background check required.
● CPA: Donate your time to assist with POETIC's accounting needs. The request is to take a working role owning execution of monthly accounting tasks. Flexible hours. Work can be completed offsite.
● Cleaning Crew: Sign up to help maintain a warm and welcoming environment for POETIC girls by donating time on Friday to clean and aid in ongoing organization at POETIC. Engagement with staff only.
●Cleaning Crew: Sign up to help maintain a warm and welcoming environment for POETIC girls by donating time on Friday to clean and aid in ongoing organization at POETIC. Engagement with staff only.
● Lead a Donation Drive: Rally your friends, family and network to gather much needed supplies for POETIC girls in the areas of personal care items, art supplies, school supplies, groceries, beverages, and snack food. Engagement with staff only.
● Build Welcome Bags: Support POETIC girls by creating welcome bags with essential items like toiletries and clothing for every girl we serve. POETIC staff will provide a list of recommended items. Engage a group of friends and build these fun bags for POETIC girls to enjoy.
● Retail Relationship Builder: Become an ambassador for POETIC girls and engage local retailers to donate gift cards, in-kind items and more to provide supplies critical to program delivery. Templated materials provided along with staff support.
● IT: Help POETIC staff with troubleshooting IT issues and concerns. Research potential technology donations and install new computers, programs, printers, etc. Background check required. Daytime and evening opportunities.
We will get back to you right away!
Regina Reynolds, MSW
Regina joined the POETIC team as a mental health clinician. Prior to POETIC, she worked at Dallas County Juvenile Department as a residential officer supporting post-adjudicated girls at a long-term residential treatment center, Letot RTC. Regina received her bachelor’s degree at Southern Arkansas University-Magnolia and her masters at the University of Texas at Arlington, both in the field of Social Work. She has extensive experience working with youth and adults with a history of complex trauma and completed her internship at the mental health outpatient, inpatient and ED departments at the VA North Texas Health Care System. Regina believes that there are two ways of spreading light. One must either be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Amber is a Licensed Professional Counselor on the POETIC team. She received her
bachelor’s degree in psychology from Baylor University and went on to earn her master’s
degree in counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Amber has extensive
experience working within the juvenile justice system. After graduation, she had the
privilege of starting her career as a detention counselor at Bill Logue Juvenile Detention
Center. In addition to working for McLennan County, she served as the Partnership Sub-
Committee Chair for the Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition and the Member-at-
Large for the Heart of Texas Counseling Association.
Most recently, Amber worked as the
psychotherapist for a non-profit neuro rehabilitation facility. Amber has experience
working with adolescent and adult populations that have experienced trauma such as
abuse, complex trauma, sexual exploitation, and traumatic brain injury.
Maria Flores-Akinwunmi
Parent Advocate & Case Manager
Maria Flores-Akinwunmi is a bilingual mentor and advocate for youth and parents in crisis, connecting them to resources and collaborating with social services agencies, local government agencies, private entities and the faith community to serve their needs. Maria coordinates POETIC’s weekly Parent-led Support Group and provides case management support to POETIC parents. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has served with social services agencies for more than 15 years as a crime victim’s liaison and family advocate for children, youth and adults. A proud graduate of Lubbock Christian University, she is a Texan at heart and is married with two inspiring daughters. She has a strong faith in God and believes that God has a purpose for everyone: “It’s not our past that defines us; it is where we are going that defines us!”
Yolonda graduated from the University of Arlington with a Masters of Social Work. Her work history scope encompasses community organizing; mental and behavioral health education, advocacy, as well as program and policy implementation; and providing trauma services to children exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) including substance abuse, domestic and/or child abuse, teen pregnancy, and incarceration.
Yolonda most recently worked for the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute conducting research and program implementation for school-linked mental/behavioral health services, as well as community assessments and program facilitation for delivering mental/behavioral health services to schools devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Her prior experience also includes case management for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Mental Health Department, Court Appointed Child Advocacy for Dallas CASA, administering a Texas Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, and constituent case management services for a US Congresswoman.
Prior to transitioning into mental and behavioral health services, Yolonda worked as a broadcast production specialist for more than 13 years and received her BA in Journalism and Sociology from Southern Methodist University.
Alina is a music therapy intern providing individualized and group music therapy programs at POETIC. She is currently a candidate for her M.A. in Music Therapy at Texas Woman’s University and holds a B.M. in Piano Performance from University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. As a student-music therapist, Alina worked with children and adults of various ages and in numerous settings, but her experience with youth in the foster care system ignited her passion for music therapy and its application in addressing trauma. At POETIC, Alina delivers creative opportunities for girls to enhance their self-awareness and discover a new, empowering outlet for self-expression.
Rosalind is an educator, consultant and leader in the field of special needs children, adolsecents and young adults. With over 40 years professional experience in a wide variety of clinical and academic settings, she has earned her reputation as an innovator and advocate for special needs students in North Texas. Rosalind holds a Bachelor’s degree in education and Masters degrees in education, special education administration and curriculum development. A certified teacher, Rosalind is also a licensed educational diagnostician. She developed thetherapeutic programs for a private psychiatric hospital in Dallas and was the founder of the first free standing Day Treatment Program for children and adolescents in Dallas. In 1993, Rosalind founded Vanguard Preparatory School, a therapeutic private school for students with social and emotional challenges. Under her leadership, Vanguard has been recognized as one of the leading private programs for K12 special education.
If you are a match with one of the skills below and want to learn more about joining our volunteer team, we would love to hear from you!
● Food Assistant: Sign up to pick-up critical food donations and deliver to Thanksgiving Tower (a drop location blocks from POETIC). Also could assist with grocery shopping, cleaning and stocking kitchen, preparing any of the three daily meals. Daytime, evening, and weekend opportunities.
● Office Assistant: Dedicate set hours each week to assisting with office coordination to include administrative support. Daytime opportunity. Assumes commitment of 4-8 hours per week.
● Teacher’s Assistant: Assist our teacher in helping students complete their specific coursework. Ability to tutor in various subjects at the junior high and high school level. Interest in teaching specific skills class (ex. nutrition, cosmetology, etc.). Daytime opportunity.
● Graphic Design/Social Media/PR: Use your creative skills to support POETIC marketing materials and social media content. This volunteer opportunity is done offsite. Flexible hours. Engagement with staff only.
● Salesforce Guru: Help staff fully utilize and troubleshoot our CRM software, Salesforce, to be most effective for POETIC.
● Photographer: Donate your photography skills to help capture images for POETIC’s photo library. Flexible hours. Daytime and evening opportunities.
● Fitness Professional: Seeking certified fitness professionals to lead classes for POETIC girls. Classes will happen on-site at POETIC. Background check required.
● CPA: Donate your time to assist with POETIC's accounting needs. The request is to take a working role owning execution of monthly accounting tasks. Flexible hours. Work can be completed offsite.
● Cleaning Crew: Sign up to help maintain a warm and welcoming environment for POETIC girls by donating time on Friday to clean and aid in ongoing organization at POETIC. Engagement with staff only.
●Cleaning Crew: Sign up to help maintain a warm and welcoming environment for POETIC girls by donating time on Friday to clean and aid in ongoing organization at POETIC. Engagement with staff only.
● Lead a Donation Drive: Rally your friends, family and network to gather much needed supplies for POETIC girls in the areas of personal care items, art supplies, school supplies, groceries, beverages, and snack food. Engagement with staff only.
● Build Welcome Bags: Support POETIC girls by creating welcome bags with essential items like toiletries and clothing for every girl we serve. POETIC staff will provide a list of recommended items. Engage a group of friends and build these fun bags for POETIC girls to enjoy.
● Retail Relationship Builder: Become an ambassador for POETIC girls and engage local retailers to donate gift cards, in-kind items and more to provide supplies critical to program delivery. Templated materials provided along with staff support.
● IT: Help POETIC staff with troubleshooting IT issues and concerns. Research potential technology donations and install new computers, programs, printers, etc. Background check required. Daytime and evening opportunities.
Thanks for your interest. We will get back to you right away.
