Erik Vecere

Erik Vecere joined National Fatherhood Initiative in February 2002 and brought 11 years of professional experience in business management with him. In his current role as NFI’s Vice President of National Programming, Erik is responsible for the development and implementation of NFI’s Community-based, School-based, Healthcare, Military, and Capacity-building programs and initiatives across the country. Erik trains facilitators to lead various fatherhood programs and provides technical assistance to improve program quality and effectiveness. He also meets with local community and civic leaders to create a continual stream of programs and other resources to meet the needs of fathers and families nationally.

Erik received a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in May of 2006, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Robert Morris University, Moon Township, Pennsylvania in 1991 and an Associates Degree in Letters, Arts and Sciences from Pennsylvania State University, Altoona, Pennsylvania in 1989.

Greg Austen

Rev. E. Gregory Austen, Jr. (Greg) is the Director of Corrections Programming for the National Fatherhood Initiative. Greg’s background is that of a seasoned pastor and holds a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Studies from Philadelphia Biblical University.

As Director of Corrections Programming, Greg is responsible for new product development, sales , training, and technical assistance related to NFI’s Corrections programming. He is th e primary author of InsideOut Dad™ Christian, Men’s Ministry Remodeled™, Father Friendly Check-Up™ for Churches and the Christian-based overlay for the 24/7 Dad™ Christian-based Facilitator’s Kit. Greg speaks frequently and to diverse audiences on the topic of men’s ministry, and specifically on getting dads involved in spiritual transformation.

Greg lives in the Millville, NJ with his wife of twenty-one years, Pam, and his three children: Matthew who is sixteen, Tim who is fourteen, and Emily who is twelve. 

Ron Clark

Ron possesses over 10 years of local, state, and national experience coordinating services for fathers, fatherless males, and young unwed parents. Prior to National Fatherhood Initiative, he served as the Director of the Virginia Governor's Fatherhood Campaign for 7 years. He has also served as a State Program Administration Specialist for the Federal USDA WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Program, under the Virginia Department of Health. As Director of Training and Technical Assistance, Ron oversees and coordinates National Fatherhood Initiative’s nationwide delivery of technical assistance and training to family services agencies. His academic accomplishments include an M.A. in Public Policy and a MBA Executive Education Certificate. Ron is happily married and the proud father of two sons.

Rebecca Graham

Rebecca brings over 25 years of healthcare experience from pediatrics and research to National Fatherhood Initiative. Her concentration has been on patient and parent education, as well as nursing education. She has developed research training programs for nurses with a focus on the pediatric population. In her role as Director of Healthcare Programming for National Fatherhood Initiative, she encourages and promotes the use of National Fatherhood Initiative’s healthcare resources and services, offering ongoing technical assistance to organizations and agencies that use these resources. Rebecca received her undergraduate degree in Nursing from Carlow College and recieved her Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership from Geneva College in April 2006. She and her husband, Hugh, live in Pittsburgh, PA, and have two children, Christopher and Brittany.

Tim Red

Tim Red joined NFI after 30 years of military service with the last twenty in an Active Duty status. He served four years as the State Family Program Director for the Texas National Guard. At the end of his career he was mobilized and then deployed overseas in support of the Kosovo Peacekeeping mission for seventeen months.  Tim and his wife Paula have four kids: Travis, Nathan, Zach and Nikki. He enjoys watching his kids play baseball, tennis and soccer.

Michael Yudt

Michael joined National Fatherhood Initiative after graduating from Messiah College in May of 2003, where he majored in Politics and served as the Student Body President. He studied history and political theory at Oxford University in England for one semester during his junior year. In his previous role at NFI, Michael served as Director of Donor Relations, where he helped strengthen NFI’s base of individual supporters. In his current role as Director of National Programming, Michael works to equip organizations with NFI’s wide range of resources and programs, all of which are designed to help fathers develop the necessary confidence and skills in caring for their children. Michael and his wife Kelly were married in 2005 and reside in Frederick, Maryland. They are the proud parents of two boys, one born in April 2008 and the other in March 2010. During his free time, Michael enjoys running, hiking, camping and watching the Yankees.

Kayla Cates-Brown

Prior to joining The National Fatherhood Initiative, Kayla worked in the educational field as an assistant director for a child care center and as a pre-school teacher. At National Fatherhood Initiative, Kayla provides administrative support to National Fatherhood Initiative’s Programming Directors. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology from the University of North Texas. She enjoys reading, swimming, and traveling with her family. She and her husband live in Austin, TX and have two daughters.

Judy Sherman

Prior to coming to work with the National Fatherhood Initiative, Judy spent many years in non-profit, working with Junior Achievement of Central Indiana and the Future Problem Solving Program.  At NFI, Judy serves as an Executive Assistant to the Corrections Programming Department and works specifically with the InsideOut Dad curricula.  She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Kent State University, Kent, OH.  She and her husband Steven live in Carmel, IN and they have a daughter, son-in-law, and a two-year-old grandson. 

Ken Gosnell

Associate Vice President, Program and Training Support

Ken Gosnell is the Associate Vice President of Program and Training Support. In this role, Ken ensures that organizations across the country are effectively and efficiently supported and trained by NFI by coordinating with several departments. He oversees training efforts and programs and guides and manages NFI's corrections programming.

Ken has written extensively on leadership issues and personal development and continues to write for several business and personal development magazines. Before coming to the National Fatherhood Initiative Ken worked with the National Institutes of Health and In 2004, Ken was one of only three selections made for the prestigious NIH Leadership Program – an executive level training program.  While serving in this program, he was able to work with the NIH offices of Change Management and Strategic Planning; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Office of Workforce Effectiveness and the National Cancer Institute Office of Workforce Planning and Employee Development.

Ken lives with his wife Shonda and their three children in the DC metro area.

Roseanne Martin

Roseanne graduated from Grove City College where she earned a B.S. in International Business and was active in her sorority as well as many other campus organizations. She is the daughter of deaf parents and the eldest of 4 girls. Prior to joining NFI, Roseanne served in a financial capacity for four years and was an Adviser Marketing Representative for American Funds. As Programming Support Consultant, Roseanne provides customer service and helpful support to facilitators and organizations across the country.

Elaine Barber

As National Fatherhood Initiative's Director of Events and Logistics, Elaine plans logistics for National Fatherhood Initiative's special events including: The Military Fatherhood Awards™ Ceremony, exhibits, workshops, webinars, and training institutes. Elaine started at NFI in September of 2000.  Before joining National Fatherhood Initiative, Elaine was a Catering/Convention Services (CS) Manager for the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. She served as a CS manager at the Hyatt for the 3rd Annual National Summit on Fatherhood in 2000. She is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree. She and her husband, Stephen, live in Atlanta, GA with their son.

Evelyn Hines

Evelyn Hines manages administrative and program support activities for National Fatherhood Initiative's Programming Directors. She majored in Journalism and Advertising at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA. She and her husband, Donald, have three children, Jason, Jesse, and Jacob.

Ave Mulhern

Ave Mulhern currently serves as director of the National Responsible Fatherhood Capacity Building Initiative (NRFCBI), a five-year initiative funded by the Office of Family Assistance at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Working closely with several project consultants and other NFI staff, Ave serves as a point person to deliver technical assistance and other forms of support to local community-based and faith-based organizations, each of which administers fatherhood programs to their communities. Through annual sub-awards to local organizations, the project seeks to improve the organizational, program, and leadership capacity of each site—and to improve each organizations connections with local officials, media personnel, and other potential advocates in the areas where they are working.

Ave joins the National Fatherhood Initiative after a long and successful career with Verizon. Her work experience included management roles in Finance and Marketing as well as Training Specialist for Workforce Development. Ave and her husband Joe have been married since 1975 and live in Willow Grove, PA. They have two children, Meghan and Joseph.

Jillian Stephenson

Jillian graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and received a B.A. in Communication with a Public Relations and Advertising concentration. As the Executive Coordinator for the NRFCBI, Jillian provides administrative support to the Director and plans all trainings associated with the NRFCBI.  Prior to her current position, she served as NFI's Events Coordinator where she assisted in the planning and execution of all NFI events.  Jillian lives in Frederick, MD with her husband James. 

Lisa Tate

Ms. Tate brings an extensive history of working with children and families in the community service arena to her current position at National Fatherhood Initiative. Prior to joining National Fatherhood Initiative, she worked for Opportunities Alternatives and Resources (OAR) of Fairfax Inc., where she facilitated a revolving 10-week Responsible Fatherhood Workshop to male inmates at the Fairfax County Jail in Northern VA. She also served as co-chair of the Fairfax Fatherhood Collaborative and has appeared as a guest on a local VA television show entitled “It Takes a Village”.  Ms. Tate obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in Child and Family Community Services from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green Ohio.  Lisa currently resides in Northern Virginia.

Nigel Vann

Mr. Vann has over 20 years of experience working with many programs for fathers and families in the United States and England, providing a wide range of technical assistance and training for staff of programs working on fatherhood and family relationship issues.  He is currently the Senior Director of Training and Technical Assistance for the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse.  Most recently he has served as adviser to the PAIRS Foundation Healthy Marriage project in South Florida and has led efforts to establish a Fathers and Families Resource Center in Silver City, NM.  He managed Maryland's Absent Parents Employment Program (1988-90); served as a Program Officer for Public/Private Ventures' Young Unwed Fathers Pilot Project (1991-95); led the development of a Baltimore Regional Practitioners Network for Fathers and Families (1996); was the National Partnership for Community Leadership's Director of  Partnership Development (1996 - 2004) and Director of Training (2002-2004); and managed the Healthy Marriage and Family Formation project in Florida (2004 - 2006).  Originally from England, Nigel now lives in Silver City, New Mexico with his wife Denise.  His son Jesse is in his 20s and off exploring the world.

Laurie Enceneat

Laurie Enceneat joined NFI March 1, 2010 and serves as the Executive Assistant for the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse.  A graduate of the State University of New York College at Geneseo, Laurie has worked with non-profit organizations for the majority of her career.  Before joining NFI, she served as Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Carroll Publishing Company in Washington, DC.  Laurie has a son, Tyler, and is an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America and various civic organizations.