Senior Leadership
Kathryn Jacob, LMSW
SafeHaven President and CEO
Kathryn is a mission-driven executive who has dedicated 20 years working to end domestic violence through her innovation, leadership, and good grit.
In 2015, Kathryn was named the President and CEO of SafeHaven of Tarrant County, and since then, grew the agency’s budget from $6.5M to $12M, deepened the quality of service delivery to survivors, developed and nurtured local relationships to support a coordinated community response to intimate partner violence, and championed the agency’s work to hold offenders accountable.
Kathryn is currently spearheading the creation of the Texas Assessment of Dominant Aggressor (TX-ADA), a tool that will help the criminal justice system and others in the work of IPV to determine the dominant aggressor in an abusive intimate partner relationship. She is working with the nationally-esteemed RAND Corporation and a team of experts from across the country, and the tool is currently in a nation-wide research phase.
Prior to SafeHaven, she served as the Executive Director of the Housing Crisis Center of Dallas for six years where she worked to prevent and treat homelessness for both victims of domestic violence and veterans. Kathryn also had a three-year stint as the Associate Director of Program Services at The Salvation Army in DFW and successfully oversaw that organization’s five area shelters, including one domestic violence facility.
She spent time with the Appalachia Service Project and led extensive staff trainings on domestic violence in rural areas. Prior to her stretch in east Tennessee, Kathryn served in the United States Peace Corps and founded two sustainable women’s groups focused on women’s safety, rights and equality in Turkmenistan. There she became proficient in the Turkmen and Uzbek languages.
Kathryn received her Master of Social Work degree and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Fordham University as a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honors Fraternity. Prior to that, she earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Creighton University as a member of Alpha Kappa Delta, the Sociology Honors Fraternity, and Delta Zeta, a social sorority. She has been a Licensed Master Social Worker since 2004, and was named the North Texas Social Worker of the Year in 2017. Kathryn has been qualified as an expert witness on intimate partner violence for felony criminal cases and regularly serves in this role in Tarrant County.
Michelle Chapellier Arrington
Chief of Staff
As Chief of Staff, Michelle oversees executive operations and serve as a key liaison between the CEO and Board of Directors, ensuring seamless communication and smooth coordination. Michelle builds and manages the cadence for leadership meetings, board sessions, and offsite events while adhering to governance and compliance standards. A major part of her role involves managing confidential relationships with board members, facilitating board recruitment, and supporting leadership with cross-functional initiatives. She is passionate about creating streamlined processes and fostering collaboration to drive meaningful impact across the agency.
Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and earned her MBA from Tarleton State University. With over a decade of experience as an Executive Assistant, she brings expertise in governance, project management, and organizational optimization. Michelle’s background also includes leading high-level initiatives and executive projects, ensuring operational continuity and accountability.
Outside of work, Michelle enjoys spending time her husband, Blake, and their French bulldog, Hudson, plus traveling, reading, cooking and playing Mah Jongg. She is an active member of the Junior League of Fort Worth and serves on the board for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program of Tarrant County.
Kendra Balod
Chief Philanthropy OFficer
As the Chief Philanthropy Officer at SafeHaven, Kendra brings over six years of dedicated experience in non-profit development and fundraising, complemented by a background in sales. With a passion for storytelling and connecting with individuals, Kendra excels in donor cultivation and leadership, driving impactful initiatives that foster community support.
Kendra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with minors in Business and Women & Gender Studies from Texas A&M University. Starting in January 2025, Kendra will further expand her expertise by pursuing a Master of Science in Non-Profit Administration at LSU Shreveport.
Outside of work, Kendra enjoys quality time with family, including her husband Mitchell, their energetic 4-year-old son Lucas, and their beloved pup, Lucy.
Ronna Quimby Huckaby
Chief of Mission
Ronna Quimby Huckaby has 36 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and a lifelong passion to end domestic violence. She began her career at the Women’s Haven (later merged to become SafeHaven) in 1988 as an undergraduate intern and spent the next nine years working as a counselor, program coordinator, and the Director of Program Services. She also worked as a Batterers’ Intervention Counselor and served as an expert court witness. From 2000-2005, Ronna worked as Director of Client Services at the Women’s Shelter (merged with the Women’s Haven to create SafeHaven). She also served as the Executive Director of a domestic violence shelter in rural Texas.
Ronna is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Approved Supervisor. She earned her Master’s Degree in Education in Counseling from the University of North Texas, with an emphasis in Women’s Studies. Ronna serves as the Chair of the local Emergency Food and Shelter Board as well as other local advisory boards. She is a published author of “Somewhere Out There - My Experience of Adoption and Search for Understanding.” She is working on a second book and hopes to publish by the end of 2024.
Stephanie Storey
Chief Operating Officer
Stephanie Storey has worked in Tarrant County nonprofits for over 30 years. Her desire to serve others started at an early age as a camp counselor. Having experienced strong mentorship through her camping experience as a child, she was drawn to serve youth to reach their potential. While studying social work at the University of Texas at Arlington she was placed in an internship working with children at The Women’s Shelter (later merged to become SafeHaven). This experience was the foundation of her career, igniting a passion for what is now her life’s work. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in social work she went straight to work and never looked back.
Stephanie served in various roles with The Women’s Shelter in Arlington for 10 years. Keeping in line with serving the most vulnerable individuals and families, she then spent several years working with agencies serving the homeless in both Arlington and Fort Worth. In 2007 she came back where it all started. Stephanie has served SafeHaven for the last 16 years, leading and developing programming to ensure safety and opportunity for survivors and their children. Today Stephanie serves as the Chief Operating Officer overseeing the agency’s finance and Human Resources departments as well as government grants, compliance, facility operations, offender programming and prevention programming.
Vice Presidents
Jeremy Carroll
VP of Facilities
RoseAnn Castillo
Executive VP of Compliance
Dr. Lauri Jensen-Campbell
Executive VP &
Principal Investigator
Liz Tumlinson
Executive VP of Finance
Board of Directors
Jonathan Whitley
Board Chair
Crimson Group
Whitney Laughlin
Board Secretary
AMN Healthcare
Kacey Fickes
Board Treasurer
Tarrant County Criminal Courts
Holland Sanders
Nominating - Governance
HOLLAND. collective
Ray Casas
Exec. Committee At-Large
Texas Rangers Baseball Club
Bill Bowie
Exec. Committee At-Large
Retired
Drew Kile
Marcus & Millichap
Audria Maltsberger
Community Ambassador
Auxiliary Board Members
Rachel Arellano
City of Fort Worth
Sheila Barnes
Total Wine
Jessica Beaulieu
Christ Chapel Bible Church
Allenna Costanza
Tarrant County Criminal Courts
Amanda Fisher
Frost
Lynnette Kile
Self-Employed
Tiffany Lasher
Philanthropist
Tiffany Turnage
Community Ambassador
Mike Tyson
Retired, CPA
Grace Wynne
Prosperity Bank