Staff
Jackie Dermody
Executive Director
Jackie Dermody is the Executive Director of Family Advocates, Inc., established in 1990. Family Advocates is a non-profit agency that oversees three programs including the state mandated Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, Court Ordered Supervised Visitation and the Community Youth Advocates Program. She is responsible for developing effective resources for the financial health and growth of the organization, building relationships in the community to enhance the mission of the agency; leading and empowering a dynamic team of professionals focused on supporting families in the community, and overseeing day to day operations including programming, budgeting, and grant writing.
Prior to assuming this role in early 2022, she was employed with the United States Senate as a field representative; developed and operated a non-profit agency focused on workforce retention; along with her husband owned and operated a manufacturing company in La Porte for seven years prior to selling the business in 2011. Upon graduation from college, she began her career in La Porte Circuit Court as Juvenile Probation Officer for seven years before transitioning to Adult Probation where she supervised the court’s sex and violent offenders for 15 years. While she has worn many hats, it is through these opportunities that she has developed a passion for providing support and guidance to individuals, facing a wide variety of barriers, by connecting them to community resources that provide the opportunity for a stable, healthy, and productive life.
Jackie received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology from Indiana State in 1989. She currently serves on the Northwest Health Board of Directors and the La Porte County Fetal Infant Mortality Review Team.
April Greetham
CASA Director
April started at Family Advocates as the CASA Program Director of LaPorte County in 2018. Her passion lies in advocating for the children we serve. She oversees the cases of over two hundred children in our county. She graduated from Purdue University with a B.A. in Sociology.
April went on to work with children and families as a case manager for children with behavioral issues at Madison Center until 2010. She served her country for two years in the Army National Guard.
She and her husband had a son in 2011 and April made the decision to become a stay-at-home mom and enjoyed 4 ½ years watching her son grow. She felt the need to serve, once again, and began working with the elderly and disabled community working to ensure that they received all the resources to help them stay in their homes.
Taking on the director position with CASA, April has been able to embrace her passion for social justice and helping her community become a better place. She continues to
make quality time with her son and husband by camping, hiking, biking, and doing many other outdoor activities.
Marlene Hunter
Assistant CASA Director
Lynn Stombaugh
Staff CASA
Meghan Daly
Harmony House - Assistant Program Director
Kristy Hahn
Community Outreach & Volunteer Services
Kristy is dedicated to fostering strong community connections, recruiting and supporting volunteers, and building impactful partnerships to better serve youth and families.
A lifelong resident of La Porte County, she developed a passion for community involvement through her work with the La Porte County Jaycees and as Chair of the Deserving Children’s Shopping Tour.
As a graduate of the 38th class of Leadership La Porte County, Kristy has taken on numerous roles to benefit her community. She currently serves on the Leadership La Porte County Board, the Nest Community Shelter Board, and the Deserving Children’s Roof Sit Committee. She is also a past member of the La Porte County Small Animal Shelter Board and enjoys volunteering with her family for the Play for Jake Foundation.
At Family Advocates, Kristy combines her love of community with her passion for helping those in need.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, running, and watching her son play baseball.
Amanda Lower
Program Director of School-based Mentoring
Amanda Lower is the Program Coordinator for the Slicer Champions Mentoring Program, a role she has held since 2020. Before this, she was a stay-at-home mom, a position she considers the most meaningful of her life. Amanda holds a degree in Healthcare Management and is currently pursuing a Social Work degree at Ball State University, which she is set to complete soon.
She has been married to her husband, Rob, for over 20 years, and together they have four children. As a Marine Corps family, they spent years traveling across the country, where Amanda found her passion for advocating and working with others, especially youth. She has always been deeply involved in her community, giving back through various roles and volunteer efforts.
In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending quality moments with her family and friends. She loves being outdoors, soaking up the sunshine, reading, playing games, and traveling.
Gina Jackson
Assistant Director of School-based Mentoring
Gina Jackson is the La Porte High School site liaison for Slicer Champions. She has been with the program since January 2021. Her main focus is to help the students she serves to know how great they are and believe it. Her hope is that by teaching them valuable life skills, along with her encouragement, she can help guide them through to their next steps in life. Gina graduated from IUSB with a degree in Secondary Education with a focus in Spanish education.
Working with youth has always been a passion of hers. She taught high school Spanish for twelve years, and also worked online with students overseas to teach them English for four years before working with Slicer Champions.
Gina is married to her husband, Dustin, and together they have three beautiful children. When she isn’t working or running her kids to all of their extra curricular activities, she enjoys hiking and being outdoors, going to concerts, and cooking.
Alisha Baughman
Slicer Champions - Kesling Campus Liaison
Alisha Baughman is the Kesling Campus Site Liaison for the Slicer Champions Program. She has been working at the Kesling Campus in various positions for the past 3 years and has worked in the LaPorte Community School Corporation for more than 7 years. Alisha has also been a mentor with the Slicer Champions Program for 4 years. She believes it is crucial for all students to have a consistent and supportive adult in their lives. Alisha has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Indiana University South Bend.
Alisha is married with two teenage daughters. She has a dog, two rabbits, a turtle, a fish, and two horses. She is an active committee member for the LaPorte County 4H Horse and Pony club. When she is not cheering on one of her daughters at a horse show or volleyball competition, she enjoys camping and being outdoors.