Meet Our Staff
Susie Weller
Children First, Inc. Executive Director
As the Children First, Inc. executive director, Susie continues to grow advocacy and awareness throughout the community. In her position, she oversees all aspects of Children First and furthers the goal of promoting safe homes for children in times of family crisis. Susie has dedicated over eight years to child welfare through her work with Children First and as program coordinator for Athens-Oconee CASA. Susie earned her Bachelors of Social Work and Masters of Social Work from the University of Georgia then went on to become a Licensed Master of Social Work in 2006. Her goal is to help children have better outcomes.
When not in the office, Susie enjoys a plethora of activities such as reading, singing, walking, basketball, bike riding and experiencing new things!
Contact Susie:
susie@childrenfirst-inc.org
706-613-1922 x1
Children First, Inc. Executive Director
As the Children First, Inc. executive director, Susie continues to grow advocacy and awareness throughout the community. In her position, she oversees all aspects of Children First and furthers the goal of promoting safe homes for children in times of family crisis. Susie has dedicated over eight years to child welfare through her work with Children First and as program coordinator for Athens-Oconee CASA. Susie earned her Bachelors of Social Work and Masters of Social Work from the University of Georgia then went on to become a Licensed Master of Social Work in 2006. Her goal is to help children have better outcomes.
When not in the office, Susie enjoys a plethora of activities such as reading, singing, walking, basketball, bike riding and experiencing new things!
Contact Susie:
susie@childrenfirst-inc.org
706-613-1922 x1
Mary Joyce
Associate Director / SafeCare Home Visiting Program Coordinator
As Associate Director, Mary handles many "behind the scenes" tasks such as accounting and grant reporting. Mary also enjoys making a practical difference in the lives or families and getting to meet people that she might never get to know otherwise. As the SafeCare Program Coordinator, Mary has the opportunity to enjoy just that while getting to something different everyday. She provides in-home parenting education for families with children ages 0-5 at risk for abuse or neglect and handles bookkeeping and grant reporting. In her past, Mary worked with several non-profits before pursuing her Masters in Nonprofit management in 2007.
Contact Mary:
mary@childrenfirst-inc.org
706-613-1922 x2
Associate Director / SafeCare Home Visiting Program Coordinator
As Associate Director, Mary handles many "behind the scenes" tasks such as accounting and grant reporting. Mary also enjoys making a practical difference in the lives or families and getting to meet people that she might never get to know otherwise. As the SafeCare Program Coordinator, Mary has the opportunity to enjoy just that while getting to something different everyday. She provides in-home parenting education for families with children ages 0-5 at risk for abuse or neglect and handles bookkeeping and grant reporting. In her past, Mary worked with several non-profits before pursuing her Masters in Nonprofit management in 2007.
Contact Mary:
mary@childrenfirst-inc.org
706-613-1922 x2
Emily Dant
Athens-Oconee CASA Advocacy Coordinator
Advocacy Coordinator Emily Dant found her way into child welfare after an internship with the Family Time program. Emily found the work interesting and challenging while being able to help a family in hard times, even if it just in a small way. With a bachelor of arts degree from Fort Valley State University, Emily recruits, trains and supports CASA volunteers.
In her spare time, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband, two kids and two dogs.
Contact Emily:
emily@athensoconeecasa.org
706-613-1922 x4
Athens-Oconee CASA Advocacy Coordinator
Advocacy Coordinator Emily Dant found her way into child welfare after an internship with the Family Time program. Emily found the work interesting and challenging while being able to help a family in hard times, even if it just in a small way. With a bachelor of arts degree from Fort Valley State University, Emily recruits, trains and supports CASA volunteers.
In her spare time, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband, two kids and two dogs.
Contact Emily:
emily@athensoconeecasa.org
706-613-1922 x4
Tasha Nicholson
Athens-Oconee CASA Advocacy Coordinator
With a Master of Science in psychology with an emphasis on behavior management, Tasha has always been an advocate for the child. Before joining CASA as a volunteer in 2012, she worked in public school special education classrooms and provided after school tutoring to ESL students. As the CASA advocacy coordinator, Tasha recruits, trains and supports volunteers ensuring they each receive the necessary resources and information. Additionally, she edits reports and supports CASAs in meetings and courts.
On the weekends, Tasha’s role is just “mom”. She can be found traveling to soccer games and music lessons or finding time to scrapbook.
Contact Tasha:
tasha@athensoconeecasa.org
706-613-1922 x5
Athens-Oconee CASA Advocacy Coordinator
With a Master of Science in psychology with an emphasis on behavior management, Tasha has always been an advocate for the child. Before joining CASA as a volunteer in 2012, she worked in public school special education classrooms and provided after school tutoring to ESL students. As the CASA advocacy coordinator, Tasha recruits, trains and supports volunteers ensuring they each receive the necessary resources and information. Additionally, she edits reports and supports CASAs in meetings and courts.
On the weekends, Tasha’s role is just “mom”. She can be found traveling to soccer games and music lessons or finding time to scrapbook.
Contact Tasha:
tasha@athensoconeecasa.org
706-613-1922 x5
Arden Bakarich
Athens-Oconee CASA Advocacy Coordinator
Arden Bakarich came to Children First Inc. as a Bachelor of Social Work for the CASA program. After participating in the Fall 2017 CASA training she was able to take on the additional role of volunteer. Both roles came with a unique set of challenges, but provided her invaluable experience as a social worker and now as an advocacy coordinator. Arden obtained her BSW from the University of Georgia and hopes to one day return to school to pursue a MSW.
When Arden is not in the office you can find her at home unsuccessfully trying to leash train her cat, Lizard, or spending time with her one of her five siblings.
Contact Arden:
arden@athensoconeecasa.org
706-613-1922 x6
Athens-Oconee CASA Advocacy Coordinator
Arden Bakarich came to Children First Inc. as a Bachelor of Social Work for the CASA program. After participating in the Fall 2017 CASA training she was able to take on the additional role of volunteer. Both roles came with a unique set of challenges, but provided her invaluable experience as a social worker and now as an advocacy coordinator. Arden obtained her BSW from the University of Georgia and hopes to one day return to school to pursue a MSW.
When Arden is not in the office you can find her at home unsuccessfully trying to leash train her cat, Lizard, or spending time with her one of her five siblings.
Contact Arden:
arden@athensoconeecasa.org
706-613-1922 x6
Lauren Hill
Family Time Community Visitation Center Program Coordinator
Born and raised in Athens, GA, Lauren Hill gives back to her community as the family time program coordinator. Lauren supervises visits, transports families, coaches parents and maintains the program’s day-to-day functioning. Her passion for the child welfare field comes from her own personal experiences.
Outside of the office, Lauren is pursuing a degree in business at Athens Technical College. She can be found spending time with her three daughters, Lyrah, Saraya and Christianna, and husband of four years, Cedrick Hill. Lauren also enjoys crafting, swimming and going on thrill rides at amusement parks.
Contact Lauren:
lauren@childrenfirst-inc.org
706-613-1922 x8
Family Time Community Visitation Center Program Coordinator
Born and raised in Athens, GA, Lauren Hill gives back to her community as the family time program coordinator. Lauren supervises visits, transports families, coaches parents and maintains the program’s day-to-day functioning. Her passion for the child welfare field comes from her own personal experiences.
Outside of the office, Lauren is pursuing a degree in business at Athens Technical College. She can be found spending time with her three daughters, Lyrah, Saraya and Christianna, and husband of four years, Cedrick Hill. Lauren also enjoys crafting, swimming and going on thrill rides at amusement parks.
Contact Lauren:
lauren@childrenfirst-inc.org
706-613-1922 x8
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Brandi Fillingim
Family Time Community Visitation Center Program Assistant After hearing a lecture about the role of compassion in helping professions, Brandi knew that she wanted to pursue a career that allowed her to serve her community. This led her to The University of Georgia where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and came to Children First Inc. as an intern with the Family Time Visitation Program. Her experiences during this time allowed her to define her role as a social worker and fueled her passion for child welfare. As the family time program case manager, Brandi supervises visits, transports children, coaches parents, and advocates for the needs of families. When Brandi is not in the office you can find her at the local animal shelter trying to adopt every single dog, watching football, or at home laughing with her family and friends. Contact Brandi: brandi@childrenfirst-inc.org 706-613-1922 x9 |
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Audey Lee
SafeCare Home Visiting Home Visitor Audey has always been passionate about youth rights and has grown grown a passion for helping families. Before joining Children First, Audey worked with Jackson County DFCS and Rose of Athens Theatre. With a MSW and MNPO from the University of Georgia, Audey role as the SafeCare home visitor involves visiting families and teaching parenting skills. Audey also has a BFA in theater performance furthering her interest in performance arts, arts and crafts as well as gardening! Contact Audey: audey@childrenfirst-inc.org 706-613-1922 x3
Rob Turner
SPARC Program Coordinator Originally from Cochran, GA, Rob moved to Athens, GA in 2007. Rob found his way into child welfare while taking a year off from school and reading an article about a local social worker. He then enrolled in the bachelors of social work program at the University of Georgia and decided that the realm of child welfare is where he could make his impact. After two years as an CPS investigator, Rob now works as the Sparc program coordinator in which he provides legitimation services to illegitimate fathers, assists in gaining visitation for noncustodial parents and markets the program in the community. Rob is also an avid collector of vinyl records and enjoys cooking. When not in the office, Rob can also be found playing the banjo. Contact Rob: sparc@childrenfirst-inc.org 706-613-1922 x7 |