Our Leadership
Meg Rogers
Executive Director
Meg Rogers is a resident of Cherokee County, Georgia and has been working on behalf of victims of domestic violence since 1993. First as a volunteer Board Member of the Cherokee Family Violence Center, then as its Executive Director and as a member of various state organizations advocating for social change and batterer accountability. Meg previously served on the Georgia Commission on Family Violence where she chaired the Family Violence Intervention Program Certification committee, the Legislative Committee and served on its Executive Committee. She is also the past Chair of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a 42 shelter member organization and past Chair of the Blue Ridge Judicial Domestic Violence Task Force. Meg was a recipient of the 2003 Gender Justice Award of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
Tommie DeGonzague has been employed at Cherokee Family Violence Center (CFVC) since 2005. Prior to her position at CFVC, Tommie served as the Director of the Family Violence/ Sexual Assault Program at the YWCA of Northwest Georgia. She has over twenty years of experience providing advocacy to victims of family violence. Tommie currently holds the position of Legal Program Director. She is a qualified expert witness in the area of family violence, cycle of violence, power and control wheel and victim trauma. Tommie is an active member of the Cherokee County Domestic Violence Task Force and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Task Force. She received the Col. Robert S. “Bob” Stubbs, II Distinguished Service Award from the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit Bar Association in 2018. This award was in recognition of her outstanding service in support of the judicial system Tommie attended the State University of New York at Albany obtaining her Masters of Social Work degree. She is dedicated to her family, she is an avid fan of the New York Giants and works to enact system change while advocating for victims of family violence.
Tommie DeGonzague
Legal Program Director
Norma Mendoza
Multicultural Program Director
Norma Mendoza is the Multicultural Program Director. She creates and implements supportive services for immigrant victims of domestic and oversees the Statewide Spanish Domestic Violence Hotline. Norma graduated from Law School in Mexico and has a master’s degree in European Studies from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain. Norma worked for 12 years for the Mexican Government; seven of them with Mexican immigrant victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual abuse; family, criminal, immigration and civil law and matters related to Mexico or US legal systems; she developed domestic violence awareness events, programs, trainings, flyers and informational material and for five years she worked on International Public Law and Cultural Affairs. Norma wrote the article “Domestic Violence from the Hispanic Community’s Perspective” for the Georgia Family Violence Resource Newsletter (Volume 3, Issue 3, Third Quarter 2015), publication of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program with funding from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
Dr. Karen DiBella is the Program Director for our Transitional Housing, Children’s Services, and our Emergency Shelter. Karen holds several degrees including a Doctor of Education, Curriculum, and Instruction with a concentration in Reading as well as a Master of Education with a concentration in Reading from Florida Gulf Coast University. In addition, she has an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University. Karen has extensive experience in the classroom as both a grade-level teacher and university professor. Her scholarly research has been published in several journals, including The Journal of Education & Social Policy and The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention, among others. Dr. DiBella joined us in 2019. Her passion for young people and constant pursuit of knowledge are clear to all who meet her. Karen’s in-depth knowledge of children and how they learn is a tremendous asset to CFVC and the children we serve!
Dr. Karen DiBella
Transitional Housing, Children's Services, and Emergency Shelter Program Director
Our Staff
Legal and Community Services
Tommie Degonzague, Program Director [email protected]
Beth Wilson, Senior Legal Advocate [email protected]
Anika Crosby, Legal Services Advocate [email protected]
Candace Cranmer, Community Advocate [email protected]
Multicultural Services
Norma Mendoza, Program Director [email protected]
Kenia Chinchilla, Multicultural Advocate [email protected]
Lorena Ponce-Reyes, Multicultural Advocate [email protected]
Susana Barrios, Multicultural Advocate [email protected]
Emergency Shelter
Karen DiBella, Program Director [email protected]
Irma Lucas Barahoma, Co-Manager [email protected]
Maria Alfaro, Co-Manager [email protected]
Administrative Team
Meg Rogers, Executive Director [email protected]
Cathy Neville, Office Manager [email protected]
Kathie Amspacher, Grants Manager [email protected]
Stephanie Villasenor, Outreach &Volunteers [email protected]
Transitional Housing & Children’s Services
Karen DiBella, Program Director [email protected]
Michelle Coleman, Housing Specialist [email protected]
Madison Bodenhamer, Housing & Family Advocate [email protected]
Kari Haning, Housing & Family Advocate [email protected]
Reyna Estrella, Children & Family Advocate [email protected]
Alicia Escobar-Lopez, Children & Family Advocate [email protected]