Meet the Team
Behind The NATRC
Our Staff and Steering Committee bring a diversity of experience and expertise to furthering the mission of the NATRC. We share a commitment to removing barriers to care for all people impacted by violence and systemic inequities.
NATRC Staff
Alicia Boccellari, Ph.D.
Alicia Boccellari, Ph.D.
Alicia Boccellari, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF) and the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG). She is also the Executive Director of the National Alliance of TRCs. Dr. Boccellari has spent her career creating, implementing, and overseeing new programs designed at removing barriers to care for underserved populations. She is one of the Founders of the UCSF Trauma Recovery Center (TRC) model of care. Dr. Boccellari has been working with local and State governments across the U.S. to transform victim’s services using the TRC model as a vehicle of change. She also oversees technical assistance to new TRCs to insure fidelity to the model. Dr. Boccellari has conducted longitudinal research and randomized clinical trials on a variety of topics including HIV-associated dementia, homelessness, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr. Boccellari’s primary clinical and research focus is designed at investigating innovative clinical interventions in the public sector, to see if these interventions can reduce barriers to care and improve clinical outcomes and quality of life for underserved communities. An overarching goal of this work is to not only contribute to evidence-based clinical practices, but to potentially influence public policy and to improve healthcare services for underserved populations, and those impacted by violence and systemic inequities.
Stacey Wiggall, LCSW
Stacey Wiggall
Stacey Wiggall is the Director of the TRC Technical Assistance Program for the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers. She is a co-author of the UCSF Trauma Recovery Center Manual: A Model for Removing Barriers to Care and Transforming Services for Survivors of Violent Crime. Stacey works with funders and new programs to successfully implement the TRC model, incorporating a comprehensive approach to mental health and wellness that recognizes the systemic inequities that perpetuate cycles of violence. She is a licensed clinical social worker in the State of California, holds a Master of Social Work from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Spanish from Lake Forest College.
Gabriella Lewis, ACSW
TRC Technical Assistance Program Specialist
Gabriella Lewis
Kathy Vang-Liu, MBA
Kathy Vang-Liu
Kathy Vang-Liu is the Manager for Technical Assistance Program and the Operations Manager at the Trauma Recovery Center. Mrs. Vang-Liu holds a master’s in business administration and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. Her areas of interest are advocating for the mental health services in underserved communities and to support new and assisting Trauma Recovery Centers who serve them. She strongly advocates and has a passion for social justice issues such as diversity in the workplace, equity for BIPOC, and inclusion to welcome all.
NATRC Steering Committee
Alyson Simmons
Alyson Simmons
Ms. Simmons is the Founder and Executive Director of the Central Iowa Trauma Recovery Center and the CEO of A. Simmons Consulting, LLC. Ms. Simmons has over twenty years’ experience in health care and contract administration, specializing in policy development, systems change, crisis management, fund development, cultural responsiveness training and implementation, and sustainability. She has advised and provided technical assistance to numerous private companies and government agencies including the Iowa Department of Human Services, Public Health, Corrections, Transportation, Commerce, Human Rights, and the IA Office of the Attorney General – Crime Victim Assistance Division. Ms. Simmons is also a past member of the Governor’s Health and Human Services Appropriations Team and Iowa’s Sexual Violence Prevention Committee. Throughout her career, Ms. Simmons worked independently and as a lead member of a grant writing team to secure over $55,000,000 to advance health care and social services for medically underserved Iowans. As Executive Director, Ms. Simmons oversees the organization’s administrative and strategic priorities. With compassionate accountability, she leads a dedicated team of mental health and trauma informed professionals to implement Iowa’s first trauma recovery center. Ms. Simmons is a state certified victim counselor and nationally credentialed survivor advocate specializing in program management and sexual assault services. She is deeply committed to elevating the standard of care for all survivors.
Amy Turk, LCSW
Amy Turk
Amy Turk, LCSW, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC), the only organization in Los Angeles focused exclusively on serving and empowering women experiencing homelessness. Amy has held leadership positions in the field of social work and homeless services since 2001. In partnership with Peace Over Violence, Amy oversees a Trauma Recovery Center housed in DWC’s array of housing and healthcare services. Amy holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Pepperdine University and a master’s in social work from California State University, Los Angeles.
Bita Ghafoori, Ph.D.
Bita Ghafoori
Dr. Bita Ghafoori is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) and the Founder and Director of the CSULB-based Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center (LBTRC). Her research and clinical work focuses on mental-health equity, mental-health services, and dissemination of evidence-based trauma treatments to culturally diverse groups. She has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, one book, and was the lead author on a policy paper on “Global Perspectives on The Trauma of Hate Based Violence” which was commissioned by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Dr. Ghafoori has given presentations to multiple groups internationally on her research and clinical work.
Brenda Glass, MSSA, LISW-S
Brenda Glass
Brenda Glass, MSSA, LISW-S, is the founder and executive director of the Brenda Glass Trauma Center. Ms. Glass leads the Trauma Center staff in the delivery of all services.Ms. Glass specializes in trauma, cultural inclusivity, and innovative recovery practices for healing and thriving after trauma from violent crimes. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, she graduated from Ursuline College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and obtained her Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Social Administration where her focus of study was Adult Mental Health. Ms. Glass is an advocate for all those who need a voice. She speaks out for justice through her membership with the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. She is a member of the Cuyahoga County Regional HIV Ryan White Planning Council and is co-chair on the Membership, Retention, and Marketing sub-committee. Ms. Glass also is a member of the steering committee for the National Association of Trauma Recovery Centers which joins providers across the United States to develop standard practices to address the complex nature of trauma among people of color.
Dawn Lochbaum
Dawn Lochbaum
Dawn has worked for OSF Healthcare System in leadership since 2006. She has been involved in many Quality and Safety committees and has helped to create a safer environment for patients as well as staff. She has helped to create many policies and procedures that are currently still in use within OSF Healthcare System and has been helpful in assisting other hospitals create a psychiatry consult service within their own hospitals.
Since April of 2018, Dawn has been the Manager for two multi-disciplinary teams of Master Level Therapists, Case Managers, RNs, Psychiatrists and Support Staff. Responsible for managing OSF Strive, a grant funded Trauma Recovery Center. Responsible for application, planning, design, development and implementation on new grant funded department and responsible for managing a 24 hour-7 day a week department that serves the Emergency Department and Inpatient Medical Units within a level one trauma center. Proficient in change management, coordinating and collaborating with the community and experience in both budgeting as well as statistical analysis.
Dawn is currently a steering committee member for the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers.
Prior to her work at OSF Healthcare System, Dawn worked at Children’s Home Association of Illinois in multiple different positions, the most recent within the Foster Care Program. Dawn also taught multiple semesters at Illinois Central College in the Psychology department.
Kenneth Yeager, Ph.D.
Kenneth Yeager, Ph.D., MSW, LISW
Kenneth Yeager, PhD, MSW, LISW, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ohio State. Dr. Yeager, who is the David E. Schuller, MD, Professor for Patient Compassion, also serves as director of his department’s Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program, and as director of quality and safety at Ohio State Harding Hospital.
The STAR Program comprises a team of experts who identify, educate and treat trauma survivors and those who support them. To ensure that their approaches to treatment are leading-edge, program members conduct interdisciplinary research on the causes, biological and behavioral markers, prevention and treatment of psychological trauma, and then use their findings to improve therapies. They also inform the STAR Brief Emotional Support Team (BEST) Program, so that customized training for first responders, clinical staff and community organizations will reflect the latest developments in the field.
Among Dr. Yeager’s research interests are psychological trauma, crisis intervention, crime victims and substance-use disorders. Under his leadership, STAR research initiatives have included: efficacy of behavioral and biological markers in a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit; a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; a survey of burnout and compassion fatigue among medical center staff; and determining whether social media use among adolescents can help suicidal teens access care—to name a few.
A member of Ohio State’s faculty since 1995, Dr. Yeager previously has served as treating clinician for the Department of Athletics Program for Substances of Abuse, and as clinical director of Talbot Addiction Medicine, located at Talbot Hall at Ohio State East Hospital. He also has been a treating physician for the National Football League Players Association Program for Substances of Abuse for nearly two decades. He earned his MSW and his PhD in social work at Ohio State.
Kim Miiller, Ph.D.
Kim Miiller
Kim Miiller, PsyD is the Director of Trauma Recovery & Resilience for Advocate Aurora Health in Illinois. Dr. Miller is currently the Director over two Trauma Recovery Centers in the Chicagoland area, serving eight counties. In addition to her work with the Trauma Recovery Centers, she is leading an initiative that is focused on changing the culture in the hospitals and ambulatory care for Advocate Aurora Health by providing evidence based trainings to 30% or more of the team members and physicians. Dr. Miiller has experience in clinical research, project management, inpatient and outpatient clinical work as well as over ten years in management. She found her passion when being given the opportunity to start one of the first two Trauma Recovery Centers in Illinois and is dedicated to helping survivors of trauma by continuing to promote the work of the Trauma Recovery Center model.
Stephen Massey, MS
Stephen Massey
Stephen Massey is currently the Chief Operations Officer of the Citilookout Trauma Recovery Center where he has been entrusted to develop the program design for the crime victim’s advocacy program. 8 years ago, he developed the program design for “Journey to Freedom” a Domestic Violence Intervention program at has served those in Clark and surrounding counties for many years. Stephen Massey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in mental health counseling. He has a professional coaching graduate degree. Some of the areas of specialty include addiction’s coaching, client advocacy, and trauma recovery. Mr. Massey has worked in the social service sector in Springfield since the 1990s; throughout this period, developing many skills and an extensive network of support. Throughout this period, he has been doing coaching, counseling, advocacy, facilitating and human service work. Also, he has experience working among the community’s many nonprofit and social service agencies; he is grateful for the amazing relationships with many church leaders here in Springfield.
His goal is to serve his community with the skills developed over the years through Awakenings, LLC; at this time, he is running as a nonprofit through the Nehemiah Foundation.