About Us | Staff & Board




			Administrative Staff Kathy Jacobs Executive Director Linda Septien Deputy Director & Nevada 211 Supervisor Susan Ripsom Office Manager Allison Edwards Director, Fund Development & Marketing Debbie Gant-Reed Coordinator, 24-hour Crisis Lines Ben Felix Coordinator, Sexual Assault Support Services Contact Information Crisis Call Center PO Box 8016 Reno, NV 89507 Business Office 775-784-8085 Fax: 775-784-8083 admin@crisiscallcenter.org Board of Directors Crisis Call Center’s board of directors sets the goals and operating policies of the agency. They are expected to attend monthly board meetings, serve on at least one board committee (Strategic Planning, Personnel & Bylaws, Marketing, Board Recruitment, Special Events and Program Advisory), and make an annual financial contribution to the agency. Current Board of Directors Penelope Moezzi, President, is retired as an educator and designer, but maintains her talent for art and design as an avocation. Traci Dory, President-Elect, is a native Nevadan originally from Elko, Nevada. Traci is the Victim Services Officer with the Nevada Department of Corrections, assisting victims whose offender is incarcerated within the state prison system. Pat Best, C.D.M.S., Secretary is a retired Vocational and Guidance Counselor, Pat has developed lectures and training workshops for employers, colleges and professional groups. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from California State University, Sonoma. Bruce Rice, Treasurer, is retired from Sierra Pacific Power Company. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (Accounting) from the University of Nevada, Reno. Egan Walker, Esq., Immediate Past President, A partner in the law firm Kreitlein & Walker, LTD, Egan is a former prosecutor with the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the Major Violator’s Unit and Domestic Violence Protection Team. He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Nevada, Reno. Betty Barker, M.F.T. has a private practice in Marriage and Family Therapy and is retired from the position of Counseling Coordinator for Washoe County School District. Gary Bartlett, is an Insurance Broker Specializing in Employer Benefits; a Board Member of Better Business Bureau, and Member of Reno Sunrise Rotary Club. Vicki A. Chicago Marsh has been employed at Sparks Police Department for the last six years and was an administrator with a private school for 22 years prior to working with the Police Department. Barbara Drake, M.S.W., retired from United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra in 1997 as Vice President of Planning and Fund Distribution. She currently serves on several community boards and committees. William Evans, Ph.D. is a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is the State Specialist for Youth Development for Nevada Cooperative Extension. He also is a licensed Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist. Kimberly Goetz has a background in corporate events and training for both large and small groups. She loves to be involved in the community, especially when it involves helping others. Evelyn Grupe, M.S. Counseling, has been a volunteer on the crisis lines and a member of the Board of Directors since 2002. She is retired from her job of 20 years as an elementary school counselor and teacher with Washoe County Schools. Reno has been her home since 1982. Jill Jones, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., is Associate Professor and Coordinator of the MSW Program in the School of Social Work at University of Nevada, Reno and is also a licensed LCSW in Utah. A board member since 1999, Jill also supervises the social work students doing their internships at the Center. David Nikoley: With over 20 years of service at Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Dave has served in Patrol and supervised the Crimes Against Children Unit as well as the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He is currently a Captain assigned to the Detention Bureau at Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Alice Ortiz, is the Production Manager for Stride, Inc. Stride, we make a difference in peoples life. Dula Talbott: In her position as the Victim Advocate for Washoe County Sheriff’s Office she provides support and assistance to victims of crime and their families throughout Washoe County. Dula has a background in administration and public relations. Jeanne Lauf Walpole, M.A., is a writer who has also worked as a volunteer on the crisis lines for the past decade. Responsibilities Crisis Call Center’s Board of Directors is legally and morally responsible for all activities of Crisis Call Center. Board members are responsible for determining agency policy in the following areas: Fundraising/Finance, Human Resources, Strategic Planning, Community Relations, and Organizational Operations. Fundraising/Finance Board members have four key responsibilities in this area: 1) Raising funds and/or ensuring that adequate funds are raised to support the organization’s policies and programs; 2) Ensuring financial accountability of the organization; 3) Overseeing an ongoing process of budget development, approval and review; and 4) Managing and maintaining properties or investments the organization possesses. Human Resources Board members have four key responsibilities in the area: 1) Board membership (which includes recruiting new board members, and providing existing board members with opportunities to grow and develop as leaders); 2) Executive Director accountability (which includes hiring, firing and ongoing evaluation of the Executive Director); 3) Personnel policies (which include providing policy guidance about salaries, benefits, and grievance procedures); and 4) Volunteer Involvement (which includes setting policy regarding how volunteers should be used; in what areas; and generally how the organization should treat, recognize and celebrate its volunteers). Strategic Planning Board members have four key responsibilities in this area: 1) Setting and reviewing the organization’s mission/philosophy and goals; 2) Planning for the organization’s future, on a long and short range basis; 3) Deciding and planning which services/programs the organization provides; and 4) Evaluating the organization’s programs and operations on a regular basis. Community Relations Board members have four key responsibilities in this area: 1) Ensuring that the organization’s programs and services appropriately address community/client needs; 2) Marketing the organization’s services/programs; 3) Ongoing public relations, (which includes an awareness that board members are always emissaries of the organization in the community); and 4) Cooperative action, (which includes occasions when the organization could/should take part in coalitions, joint fundraising, etc.). Organizational Operations Board members have four key responsibilities in this area: 1) Ensuring that the organization’s administrative systems are adequate and appropriate; 2) Ensuring that the board’s operations are adequate and appropriate; 3) Ensuring that the organization and legal structures are adequate and appropriate; and 4) Ensuring that the organization and its board members meet all applicable legal requirements.