Dena brings a sense of joy and energy to everything she does and her new position as CEO with TFT is no exception! She graduated from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas with the MA in Community Counseling in 1997 and obtained a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Education and Research from the University of Arkansas in 2002. Her areas of research interest involve women with severe work disabilities. In 2005, she published the results of her dissertation research in The Journal of Counseling and Development. Dena is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Louisiana Board Approved Supervisor with extensive experience in service provision to adults and children dealing with trauma and abuse and to women with severe psychiatric disabilities. She brings a wealth of experience in program development, implementation, and evaluation to The Family Tree. She has teaching experience in a variety of academic settings, including the ULL Psychology Department in 2005. Dena is a seasoned presenter with interests in the application of theory to practice, ethics, and treatment planning and is a member of both Louisiana Counseling Association and American Counseling Association. She also serves on the Board of Directors for CASA of the 16th JDC, Inc. Dena enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including bicycling, jogging, and working in her yard.

Lafayette has been home to Anne LeBlanc all of her life, and she joined the staff of The Family Tree in 2001. She is office manager of the agency and also is assistant to the Chief Executive Officer. Her daily tasks encompass the various duties in managing day to day operations, as well as bookkeeping, assisting Human Resources, IT troubleshooting, purchasing agent, contract maintenance, for the agency. Anne also assists the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer in their administration of the agency. She is referred to by staff as the "go to" lady, and strives to provide coworkers, clients and the general public in her best ability.

Anne has over 30 years experience in bookkeeping and office management. Her interests mainly revolve around "La Joie de Vie", the joy of life.

Cooking, family, music, laughter and peace are her favorite pastimes.

Ms. Lauren Auverset graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2006 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts with an emphasis on Performing Arts. Lauren has experience in non-profit fund development, event planning, fundraising and volunteer coordination.

Lauren's role at The Family Tree will be to coordinate fundraising and fund development and to assist with partnership and community development initiatives. She will also update our new website, attend networking meetings and maintain social media sites for the agency.

Lauren is very passionate about Louisiana and the Acadiana area; she enjoys volunteering her time to several local non-profit organizations, attending local festivals, running, canoeing, and soaking in the beautiful Louisiana landscape.

Dee Atkinson, affectionately called “Maw Dee,” has been with The Family Tree since 1999. As one of our support staff, she is one of the first faces you will see as a visitor to our agency. Dee’s background in various office settings, including the health care and legal fields, is valuable in her daily tasks of scheduling counseling and Community Education clients, billing insurance providers for counseling sessions, providing information to callers, and more. Dee provides administrative support to over 20 staff members at The Family Tree. She also loves soccer, serving as a youth soccer coach for 25 years.

Wendy J. Leger, LCSW, is the Clinical Director of The Family Tree Information, Education & Counseling Center. She has been working at the Family Tree since 1996 and has over 16 years of clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. She currently provides required supervision to two Master Level Social Workers employed full-time by the Family Tree. Wendy also facilitates the Project Hope program at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. She received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1989 and has been licensed in the state of Louisiana since 1997.

Ms. Skyi Comeaux, MS, LPCi graduated in 2009 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Master’s degree in Counselor Education. She has experience in community relations and has worked with adults and adolescents dealing with substance abuse issues in both state and nonprofit agencies.

Skyi is one of our sliding fee scale clinicians; she provides counseling services to individuals, couples, and families here at The Family Tree.

Dolores Broussard is the area Coordinator of Ways to Work, a national family loan program. Dolores serves as the direct link between a borrower and the purchase of a vehicle, managing all aspects of closing a car loan from start to finish. She walks clients through the process of applying for a loan, and assists borrowers in the many aspects of car ownership including choosing a car, establishing a budget, and maximizing community resources. Dolores has been at The Family Tree since 2002.

Tina LeBlanc is the Administrative Assistant for the Healthy Start Program. She is responsible for administrative support for the program, planning and organizing health education for clients, and also helps with the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Committees. Tina is originally from Lafayette, and resides in Iberia Parish with her husband and two children. Tina is a Volunteer Parent for the Girl Scouts of America. Prior to working at The Family Tree, Tina worked in Lafayette for 12 years in Customer Service for the food and transportation industry.

In addition to her responsibilities as Nurse Case Manager for the Healthy Start Program, Joan Conway, RN has developed the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review program for the Regional Office of Public Health in Acadiana. This statewide initiative focuses on ways to improve pregnancy outcomes through case review and community action. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from D’Youville College in Buffalo, and has also been certified as a Parish (Church) Nurse.

Joan came to the Family Tree Healthy Start program with many years of experience in public health and home visiting nursing services. Her nursing career has taken her to several states where she has worked in clinical practice at hospital and health unit settings, and has provided school health care in both public and private schools. Joan is a native of New York.

Katy is a 2009 graduate of the LSU School of Social Work. She completed her Advanced Internship at The Family Tree where she provided counseling and helped facilitate Project HOPE, an inmate parent/child program for incarcerated parents. She was hired after graduation as a Case Manager for the Healthy Start program.

Prior to attending graduate school, Katy was an elementary school teacher for seven years in Lafayette Parish. She enjoys working with young children and their families and hopes to one day specialize in Infant Mental Health.

Leslie Stelly has been with The Family Tree since August 2004. She completed her Advanced Internship at The Family Tree while attending Louisiana State University. During her internship, Leslie primarily provided clinical services in the counseling program. After graduating in May 2005, Leslie joined The Healthy Start team as the MSW Case Manager. Leslie has also previously been involved with other services of The Family Tree, including The Breaux Bridge Adolescent Drug Court, and facilitates a parenting class called How to Talk So Kids Will Listen.

Leslie received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2003 and her Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University in 2005. Leslie is certified as a Graduate Social Worker and is working towards receiving her license. Leslie also plans to one day specialize in Infant Mental Health.

Dr. Amy Cavanaugh is a clinical psychologist and the infant mental health consultant to the Healthy Start Program of the Family Tree. She provides psychological assessment and intervention services to mothers and babies in the program, as well as infant mental health information to the Healthy Start team and the Lafayette community. Dr. Abraham also conducts mental health consultation as part of the Quality Rating System.

Shannon has a Bachelor's of Arts in Sociology and Social Welfare and a Master's of Science in Human Resources with an emphasis in Child and Family Studies. Prior to becoming an employee of The Family Tree, Shannon was employed by Volunteers of America where she worked with the elderly and individuals with disabilities. Shannon came to work for The Family Tree Healthy Start program in January 2009. She sought this job after her experience of having a child born prematurely at 27weeks gestation. Shannon hopes that she can help women to have healthy pregnancies and minimize their risk of pre-term birth as well as help children to live healthy lives. Shannon enjoys spending time with family and shopping.

Lisa LaRochelle, LCSW, has been with The Family Tree since August 2005. She has worked as a clinician in several capacities, including providing counseling, working with Breaux Bridge Adolescent Drug Court participants, facilitating the HOPE parenting program at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center, and assisting with the community-based program Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol. Lisa is currently working as a mental health consultant for the Quality Rating System. She is excited about being part of the state-wide initiative to increase the quality of child care centers in Louisiana.

Lisa received a Bachelor of Arts with a Concentration in Humanities and Social Thought from the Louisiana Scholars’ College in 2002, a Bachelor of Social Work from Northwestern State University in 2003, and a Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University in 2005. She earned her social work license in 2009 and enjoys being a member of the National Association of Social Workers. p>

Shallan has a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. She is originally from San Diego California. She is married with two children and her passion is making a difference in people's lives however she can. Other than making a difference, Shallan enjoys spending time with family and friends, exercising, traveling, and spending time outdoors. She has been with The Family Tree since late 2007, a little over two years.

Rubia Solis, RNC is excited to be part of a dynamic team helping first time families succeed. Being a nurse home visitor for the Nurse/Family Partnership Program will allow Rubia to continue her lifelong commitment advocating for positive mother & child relationships. She has sixteen years of experience in the Maternal/Child field beginning at Charity Hospital then at Memorial/Baptist in New Orleans and most recently at Women’s and Children’s here in Lafayette. She became certified in Obstetric Nursing in 1996 and was honored as a Great 100 Nurses of Louisiana in 2005.

Rubia is a native of New Orleans-actually St. Bernard Parish- and since Hurricane Katrina resides in Lafayette, LA. She and her husband, Bernard, enjoy the music, the dance and the joy of friends in their new home town.

Originally from West Monroe, LA, Alison Campbell joined the Family Tree Staff in February 2010 as a nurse home visitor for Nurse/Family Partnership Program. Alison is honored to be a part of such a dedicated staff and to work for such a wonderful program. Her nursing background is in medicine/pediatrics, home health, and long-term care. She was also a Child Care Health Consultant and the school nurse for the Head Start Program in Acadia Parish.

Alison has a Bachelor Degree in Finance from Louisiana Tech University and a Bachelor Degree in Nursing from University of Louisiana in Monroe. Her husband, Hampton, grows gourmet rice and together they have a gourmet food business to complement our rice. They have 2 children, Kent and Claire, who are the center of Alison's world. Alison loves spending precious time with her family, gardening, scrapbooking, and caring for all of the animals on their farm.