Our Team

Working with STAC over the last few years made her more mindful of the fact that this is also happening on a local level. Her work with STAC for the Imagine Freedom Fundraiser in 2021 and the youth and caregiver toolkit helped increase her understanding of what a broad issue this is not just in a physical way, but online as well.

Nipa also is an accomplished visual storyteller using graphic design, illustration, motion graphics, scripting, videography, editing, and production. Before bringing her talents to SalterMitchell PR and to the STAC board, she worked in Los Angeles serving as one of the top designers for some of the world’s largest entertainment companies such as Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Disney, and 20th Century Fox. Not only has Nipa designed for global industries, but she has developed statewide campaigns for important issues such as mental health awareness, highway safety education, agriculture, education, and advocacy efforts. Her mission is to find the truth behind every idea and she has a passion for exploring new ways those ideas can resonate with the world. She hopes to use this experience to continue to work with STAC and increase awareness of human trafficking in the Big Bend region and to help people recognize the signs of human trafficking around them.

Melissa strives to educate and guide individuals, families and small businesses by taking a holistic view of their finances. She is a graduate of the College of Business at Florida State University and in 2010 graduated from the College of Financial Planning with the Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA® ). Melissa is a Leadership Tallahassee Class 29 Graduate, and a committed community volunteer. She is an expert on the importance of the financial sector being informed about human trafficking, and led an internal effort to train associates of Capital City Bank on how to recognize and respond to potential human trafficking in the banking world.

Here’s what she says: “Trafficking involves financial institutions – it’s all about money and greed. All financial institutions, banks, credit unions, paycheck or title lenders need to know how to identify someone who is being trafficked. Immediately with STAC’s help, Capital City Bank initiated the first bank training with our associates. Just from the one training STAC provided, a teller immediately recognized behavior by a depositor that indicated human trafficking. Now Capital City Bank offers STACPRO on our training site for new and current associates as part of their development program.”

Melissa is married with two beautiful daughters, 12 and 16, and a terrific stepson who is 26.

A native of Jasper, Florida, Susan graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A.E. degree in 1969. She taught for the Head Start Program in Jacksonville, Florida, and taught elementary school for five years. Susan served as the Food Editor of Tallahassee Magazine and managed her own catering business before opening Food Glorious Food in 1982. The restaurant has won many “Best of Tallahassee” awards, was named Best Outdoor Café in Florida, and won several Florida Trend Golden Spoon Awards, including Best Taste of the South. Susan’s recipes have been featured in Tallahassee Magazine, The New York Times, and Gourmet magazine.

Her civic leadership has included the president of the Tallahassee Junior Museum Guild, president of the National Council of Jewish Women, a member of the Junior League of Tallahassee, and board member of the Telephone Counseling and Referral Service, Refuge House, Big Bend Hospice Foundation, Producer’s Guild – Florida State University Film School, and Women for FSU. Susan was chairman of Big Bend Hospice’s largest annual fundraiser, Spring Fling, for 10 years and was the first recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the Holocaust Educational Resource Council.

In addition to the STAC Board, Susan serves as vice president of Reunion, Community Revitalization Project and Baking and Southern Hospitality School, on the Advisory Board for the Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Family, and Children at FSU, and on the board of the Tallahassee Symphony.
Susan and her husband, Stephen Turner, a Tallahassee attorney, have been married since 1971. Their children are Shawn and wife Sally, Serrin and wife Sharon, and Marisa and husband Jason Harkavy. They have three grandchildren: Oscar Turner and Reese and Oliver Harkavy.

She is a public relations professional dedicated to the art of communication and she is the Founder of Infinite Public Relations Firm, in Tallahassee, FL. With her passion for storytelling, Khia has spearheaded several successful public relations, social media, and strategic communications campaigns that have assisted various brands in their selected industries. Khia has carved out a unique path in the world of public relations and legal communications.

She is also a social justice advocate who offers trainings in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, in addition to being a licensed psychotherapist specializing in culturally-informed counseling/therapy and psychoeducation for women, couples, families, and members of marginalized groups. 

As a graduate of both FAMU and FSU, Cicely has been living, working and serving in Tallahassee for more than 25 years. In addition to being a member of the STAC Board, Cicely also serves on the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and is a charter member of the Greater Tallahassee section of the National Council of Negro Women. Her commitment to the community is evident in how she engages with others to empower the people – especially women, girls and other historically disadvantaged groups. 

He graduated from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he received his bachelor’s degree in biology. After his enrollment in Jacksonville Theological Seminary, he achieved his master’s degree and is now pursuing his doctorate in theology.  Retired as regional specialist with the Florida Education Association for 25 years, he was president of the Gadsden Education Foundation in Quincy, Florida, where he would oversee and guide decision-making efforts to award educational assistance grants to teachers. He is the founder of Revive to Rebuild Ministries, serves on the Gadsden Pregnancy Center Board, the Executive Committee Gadsden County Baptist Association, and the Nomination Committee Florida Baptist.

Prior to establishing ASA, Ms. Smith was a founding partner at EPP health care consulting and, prior to that, served as the Director for the Human Resources Group at the National Governor’s Association (NGA) for a decade.  During her time at the NGA, Ms. Smith represented the nation’s Governors before various Administrations and the Congress on issues related to health care, education, workforce development and welfare programs.  Towards the end of her career at NGA, Ms. Smith developed significant expertise in the financing and policy of Medicaid; on behalf of the states, she wrote the law on Disproportionate Share Hospital and Provider Taxes, the only piece of free-standing Medicaid legislation in the program’s history.

Prior to her tenure with the NGA, Ms. Smith served in a variety of positions with the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, including Medicaid Director, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary for Program Planning and Development.

Ms. Smith is a lawyer by training and received her J.D. from The Florida State University. She did her undergraduate and graduate work in English Literature.

Ms. Smith is now living in Tallahassee, Florida. While living in New Mexico, she chaired the Board of Futures for Children, an organization devoted to increasing school success and graduation for Native American children.  She also served on the Board of Healing Voices/Personal Stories, a group dedicated to making documentary films about women who have survived domestic abuse.  Ms. Smith was also Vice President of the Board of Creativity for Peace, a NGO serving young Israeli and Palestinian woman determined to make peace within and across their communities.  

Since returning to Tallahassee, Ms. Smith has become a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer and has worked with two children who became successfully adopted.  She also services on the Board of Temple Israel where she chairs the Security Committee and on the Board of The Village Square where she co-chairs the God Squad.

Daniela Donoso works as a Staff Attorney with the Family and Immigration Rights Center, helping unaccompanied youth navigate the complex immigration process. Previously, Donoso served as the Program Wide Immigration Attorney at Legal Services of North Florida, LSNF, where in her capacity as the Equal Justice Works Fellow, designed her fellowship to be a comprehensive immigration advocacy program in North Florida to serve immigrants who are low income
and/or crime victims and establish immigration protocols, procedures, and resources for LSNF staff and community partners. Daniela, a past DACA recipient, knows what it is like to have your life shifted by fear and uncertainty because of the broken immigration system. Her personal and professional experience working with marginalized communities has instilled an altruistic spirit that makes her uniquely suited for this Fellowship. Donoso received her law degree from Florida State University College of Law and became a Florida barred attorney in April of 2021. Donoso received ger bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Florida
State University. She spent her undergraduate and graduate time working for the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, gaining mentors and experience in immigration and anti-trafficking advocacy.

Lorie was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida and moved to Tallahassee to attend college. Lorie has worked for over 25 years in Maternal-Child and Women’s Health and has a passion for caring for women and children. She was always fascinated with childbirth and after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Florida State University in 1994 she worked on the labor and delivery unit of Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. In 1998 she earned a Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Florida and became a certified nurse midwife (CNM). Lorie has been a clinical preceptor to Florida State University and University of Florida nursing and midwifery students. Lorie relocated briefly to Clearwater, Florida, and worked as a CNM at Morton Plant hospital. During her time at Morton Plant, Lorie served as a clinical preceptor for University of South Florida medical residents during their obstetrical rotations. Lorie has worked in a variety of settings from rural hospitals to urban care centers. During clinical practice Lorie personally delivered over 1200 babies and assisted in the birth of many more.

Lorie now works in Public Health as Health Educator at Florida Department of Health’s Women’s, Infants and Children’s Supplementary Nutrition (WIC) program in Gadsden County Florida. The WIC program is a federally funded nutrition program providing healthy foods, nutrition education and breastfeeding education and support to low-income mothers and babies. Lorie is also Program Manager for Gadsden County Florida Healthy Babies program and serves on the Health Equity Program Council focusing on reducing health disparities and high morbidity and mortality rates. Lorie become very involved in human services as a spokesperson against violence towards women and children and has been trained as a sexual violence and crisis counselor. Lorie often speaks at local workshops about women’s health and maternal-child health issues.

In 2001, she traveled to Bangladesh as a part of a U.S. State Department mission that included a site visit to a trafficking rescue shelter in Dhaka. This trip inspired her work to take action to end human trafficking. From 2002 to the present, she has directed numerous local and statewide anti-trafficking projects, lectured extensively on the topics of violence against women and human trafficking and contributed to many national and international publications and curricula.

In addition to her anti-trafficking work, Robin’s areas of expertise include domestic and sexual violence law and policy. She has served on and held leadership positions on local, state, and national boards and commissions.

Robin served as the Executive Director for Florida’s first Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence and on the National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women. She holds both law and master’s degrees from Florida State University and a B.A. from American University in Washington, D.C. where she graduated summa cum laude.

She is a skilled researcher and interviewer, has expertise working in non-profit agencies, and provides training and education on human trafficking to communities around the state and the globe including both NGO’s and governmental agencies.

He is responsible for analyzing and maximizing all digital media public relations campaigns, corporate marketing objectives and web-based organizational branding initiatives for our clients such as the National Association of Dental Laboratories, National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors – Florida, Florida Redevelopment Association, Florida Dental Association, American Planning Association – Florida, Florida School Board Association, Florida Energy Pipeline Association, Florida Municipal Energy Association, Florida League of Cities and non-profit organizations like the United Way and the American Cancer Society. Michael has 21 years of experience in staff management, public relations, business development and integrated digital marketing.

Jamie Rosseland is a consultant in the field of anti-trafficking work with expertise in the program development and implementation for victims and survivors of sexual exploitation, trauma-competent and survivor-centered digital marketing and outreach strategies, and most recently, working on policy guides and research projects. She has been active in local government and statewide level policy advocacy. Through sharing her lived experiences and unique perspective, Jamie is committed to change the cultural view of the sex trade, addressing systems that drive demand, and confronting gender inequality.

Jamie has experience providing mentorship, court advocacy, and care coordination to youth impacted by sexual exploitation as part of the Open Doors Outreach Network with the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center. She has presented at countless community events, statewide summits, and national conferences. Currently, Jamie serves on the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s State Advisory Group. She is a Social Science Scholar at Florida State University, where she is working on earning her undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary social science.

In 2018, Jamie won the Survivor Advocate of the Year award presented by the Florida Attorney General for her outstanding work with exploited youth. In 2021, the United Nations published the Delta 8.7 Justice Policy Guide, which Jamie contributed to as a working group member. Additionally, Jamie recently guest appeared on the New York Times podcast, The Argument, addressing the intersection of anti-trafficking work and pro-sex work technologies.

Anna holds a degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations from Florida State University. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, she enjoys helping clients craft and amplify their voices across various platforms. Anna specializes in creating and executing dynamic social media campaigns that resonate with target audiences, utilizing the latest trends and analytics to maximize engagement and reach. 

Her expertise extends to email marketing and traditional advertising, ensuring a cohesive and effective strategy on local, state and national levels. Anna is dedicated to driving results and building strong, authentic connections between brands and their audiences through innovative and strategic social media marketing. She is particularly passionate about working with non-profits, helping them leverage social media to raise awareness, engage supporters and make a positive impact in their communities.