Our Team
Our team has diverse skills and backgrounds but the same passion – helping Saranam families succeed.
Tracy Weaver
Saranam has benefitted from Tracy’s leadership and vision since its inception in 2004. She oversees all program activities, our strategy, fundraising, and our Westside expansion project. Tracy has decades of experience working with homeless populations and is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a master’s degree in counseling psychology. Tracy enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and laughing with her three daughters.
Contact Tracy
Joell Ackerman
Joell is responsible for the overall operations and processes at Saranam. She has a varied background in corporate, military and nonprofit work and more than a decade of experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque. When not working she can be found in her home studio making pottery and listening to assorted podcasts. She and her spouse are avid pickleball players and spend summers pickleballing with friends and family.
Dianne Campbell
Dianne is responsible for fundraising at Saranam. She’s dedicated her career to fundraising for organizations whose missions align with her commitment to educational empowerment, children and families. Dianne values the diversity and culture in New Mexico and has never met a stranger. She enjoys walks in the bosque with her husband, son, and two Airedales.
Contact Dianne
Jennifer Mullen
Jennifer helps Saranam families meet their goals and learn new strategies to manage daily challenges while ensuring they have what they need for their households and education. During her career Jennifer has worked with adoptive families and counseled emotionally disturbed adolescents. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in counseling from Webster University.
Contact Jennifer
Amy Carpenter
Amy helps families identify and achieve their educational goals. She works with the instructors and staff to provide a structured program designed to help the residents realize their potential as parents, students, and life-long learners. During her career, she has served as a public school teacher, curriculum director, grant director and a principal. She has an Education Specialist degree in K-12 Administration from Michigan State University. Amy loves the diversity and culture of New Mexico and is an avid collector of southwestern art.
Ellen Shepherd
Ellen tracks client data and Saranam’s measures of success to demonstrate the effectiveness of our program. She has a bachelor’s in computer science, an MBA in information systems, and more than twenty years of experience in software development, software testing, and project management.
Contact Ellen
Clarissa Urbina
Clarissa works closely with families as our case manager, helping them set and achieve goals that will enable them to become independent and successful. She is a certified Circle of Security facilitator, is trained in Trauma Informed Care and has a bachelor's degree from UNM. In her spare time she loves spending time with her daughter, listening to various podcasts and learning new ways of thinking.
Kim Breinholt
Kim plans engaging family and life skills activities for the Saranam families and maintains the Weil Family Center. She has a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University and has worked with children and teens in many capacities during the last 25 years. Kim loves reading, working in her yard, Broadway Musicals, and traveling with her family.
Contact Kim
Jennifer Clear
Jen started at Saranam as a volunteer and her passion for the work led her role as our Housing Coordinator. She ensures each family has a safe, furnished, decorated home. She oversees our donation warehouse and manages supply distribution to our families. Jen worked for 20 years as a corporate trainer, instructional designer and manager of learning and development before retiring in 2014 to start a family.
Contact Jen
Olga Shapovalova
Before moving to the United States from Ukraine, Olga was a professor of metallography at the State Metallurgical Academy of the Ukraine. She was a senior process engineer at Intel for 15 years and worked at the New Mexico Material Laboratory for one year before retiring in 2016. Olga joined Saranam as an Intel Encore Fellow to develop systems for building organizational infrastructure. Today, she manages tasks that help our organization run efficiently.
Contact Olga
Julie Green
Julie has been Saranam’s bookkeeper since 2005. In that time, she has seen many success stories unfold and is so excited to see these families thriving in the community she’s called home for 20 years. Julie holds a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Arizona and enjoys knitting, the outdoors, and spending time with her family.
Contact Julie
Sunny Holmes
Sunny coordinates marketing and volunteer activities at Saranam. She has a master’s degree in political science from UNM and has spent over a decade in the New Mexico nonprofit sector working in fundraising, community outreach and more to help the people of her home state. She loves to use her skills to tell the Saranam story and engage the community in support of our families.
Contact Sunny
Dede Walden
As Saranam’s facilities manager, Dede makes sure that our campuses are in working order and providing the best possible experience for everyone who walks through our doors. Dede's interest in Saranam flourished when she started volunteering and serving on the Property Committee. She is thrilled to put her more than 20 years of experience in office and retail management to action in an organization that allows her to lead with her heart. She enjoys creating memories by living her life to the fullest.
Stephanie Pankratz
Stephanie plans life skills classes and activities for Saranam families on the west side. She has a bachelor's degree in history from Brigham Young University. Over the last 30 years, she has raised a family and worked with children, teenagers, and adults by volunteering through the public schools and community organizations. She fills her spare time with home projects, reading, teaching adult literacy, and planning the next time she can be together with family.
Brittany Evans
As Saranam’s Office Manager, Brittany ensures daily operations run smoothly, supporting staff, families, and the organization’s mission to end homelessness. Her connection to Saranam is deeply personal—she was once a child in the program herself. That experience fuels her passion for creating stability and opportunity for families on their journey to self-sufficiency.
With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and years of customer service experience, Brittany brings strong organizational and communication skills to her role. Before joining Saranam, she worked as a Box Office Associate for the Virginia Symphony. Outside of work, she enjoys dancing, gardening, reading, and going on adventures with her husband and two children.
Mary Beth Woiccak
Mary Beth supports the development and marketing teams. She helps share Saranam's mission and stories, as well as supports community events and engagement. She has over two decades of administration and project management experience with a BFA from University at Buffalo. If she’s not painting in the studio she’s outside exploring the southwestern landscape.
Jessica Hicks
Jessica Hicks brings a wealth of experience and insight to her work with a strong academic background in the social sciences including three years of lived experience on the streets of Albuquerque, and more than six years of professional experience as an advocate and case manager. Jessica carries a bachelor's degree in social work from New Mexico Highlands University as well as Associate's level degrees in psychology and sociology with a concentration in substance abuse counseling. Jessica also draws from her journey as a proud alumna of Saranam to assist and encourage families to prioritize education and learning in general to obtain stability. In her personal time, Jessica enjoys being in nature with her children and husband and watching documentaries.
Saranam 2024 Board of Directors
We’re proud to have a group of accomplished community leaders guiding our work.
Christine Long – Chair
Disciplinary Board of the New Mexico Supreme Court
Mary Ellen Coon – Vice Chair
Retired
Ken Breinholt – Treasurer
Choice Logistics
Aaron Thompson – Secretary
Guild Mortage
Brenda Cordova-Busick
ADC LTD NM
Frank Fine
Retired
Louis Griego
Sandia National Laboratories
Dan Lyons
Bradbury Stamm Construction
Leighann Plummer
Gherardi and Moore
Robin Ribble-Harder
Harder Custom Builders Ltd.
Janie Rowe
Coldwell Banker Legacy
Charlotte Schoenmann
Advanced Technology Consulting Group
Walter Stern
Modrall Sperling Law
Rev. Andy Stoker *
Senior Pastor, Central United Methodist Church
Linda Weil
Real Estate
*ex-officio member