New Moms Leadership

Melanie joined New Moms in 2013, and is passionate about ensuring that our approach is grounded in brain and behavioral science, so the families we serve are supported with high-quality services. As Chief Program Officer, she focuses on the development and growth of programs and projects at New Moms.

Her career draws on over 20 years of direct service experience. Melanie received her BA from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania; earned her MA from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration; and has an Infant Mental Health Certificate from Erikson Institute. Melanie was an Illinois Early Childhood Fellow from 2011-2013.

Lizveth joined New Moms in April 2020 after God heard her prayers, and guided her in finding an organization that shared her values and where she’d be able to use her talents to advance the mission. In her role as Chief Financial Officer, Lizveth directs the financial and associated business matters affecting New Moms. As a member of the executive team, she provides strategic financial leadership that both contributes to growth and ensures sound financial management.

Lizveth has over 20 years of experience in the public and private sector, worked on community-related issues, and has been involved in politics. Lizveth graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Literature, and she earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. Lizveth earned the John Cardinal O’Hara Society Fellowship, a civic and merit-based fellowship awarded to a few select students, every semester while at Notre Dame.

Bonnie is an accomplished professional whose career has been dedicated to supporting young families. Bonnie has been a part of the New Moms team since 2008—first at Parenthesis, and then at New Moms since 2016 when Parenthesis was acquired.

Bonnie’s passion for empowering communities began in the classroom as a first-grade teacher. Her commitment to improving the lives of young families led her to work in Early Childhood Intervention. But in the field of Resource Development, Bonnie discovered her sweet spot.

Known for her ability to connect individuals with New Moms’ mission, Bonnie brings joy to her role as Director of Individual Giving—creating meaningful relationships. Her gift lies in building bridges between the organization and its supporters, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose. With a career dedicated to improving the lives of young families, Bonnie brings her enthusiasm for connection to her role at New Moms.

Dana re-joined New Moms’ staff as Director of Learning and Innovation in 2019 after two years as a consultant to New Moms’ program team. In her current role, Dana gathers relevant research and promising approaches from the broader field of practice and facilitates program design improvement processes and innovations for New Moms’ services. She also shares out New Moms’ own learning and experiences with practitioners and partners nationwide.

Dana’s tenure at New Moms began in 2009 as a volunteer at our social enterprise, Bright Endeavors, subsequently serving in various roles in New Moms’ Workforce Development program and Bright Endeavors. Dana comes to New Moms with experience as a Program Officer for LISC’s Economic Development team, where she managed a Department of Labor Reentry project across six cities, and in marketing in the sustainable food and microfinance industries. Dana earned her BA from Northwestern University and lives and works in Washington, DC.

Tonja Harris joined New Moms as Director of Housing in 2024, bringing over 18 years of nonprofit leadership experience and a strong commitment to social justice. With expertise in housing stability, family empowerment, and community engagement, she oversees programs that provide young mothers and their families with access to safe, affordable housing. Tonja collaborates with internal teams and external partners to ensure program excellence and advance organizational strategy.

Prior to joining New Moms, Tonja served as Outreach and Development Manager at Ascension Health Housing and Health Alliance, where she successfully increased both private and public donations, boosted community engagement, led digital marketing strategies, and managed volunteer programs. She also oversaw staff development and operational initiatives to align with the organization’s mission.

Tonja earned her BA in Journalism from Columbia College Chicago in 2001 and her MA in Community Development from North Park University in 2005. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Applied Social Justice at Dominican University. A proud native of Chicago’s west side and a dedicated community activist in Maywood, IL, Tonja is passionate about fostering equity and opportunity for underserved communities.

Ellen is the founder of New Moms and rejoined the team in 2008 to serve as Director of Spiritual Formation. In her current role, she encourages staff and participants to seek wholeness in all of life, professional and personal. She created New Moms in 1983 after three years of working with young mothers in our community. She had noticed the rising rates of “kids having kids,” and felt compelled to offer support. She began by visiting moms at a hospital post-delivery, following up with home visits, emergency services, and offering “drop-in” groups from her church.

Ellen has a DDiv (hc) from North Park Theological Seminary. She is a trained spiritual director in private practice for over 20 years and an educator in the disciplines of formation and direction.

Anne rejoined New Moms in 2009 as our Director of Performance Management. She is passionate about making sure our moms and kids know that God’s love extends to everyone. In her role as Senior Director of Performance Management, Anne supervises our contracts team and analyzes and reports on all of our program outcomes. She has served senior leadership positions in social services since 1991 when she started the first community-based case management program for people living with AIDS in New York City. She first worked at New Moms as Program Director from 1996 to 2000. Anne completed her MS in Social Work at Columbia University and has been licensed as an LCSW.

Gail joined New Moms in 2016. In her position as Director of Family Support, she oversees our team of specialized coaches and recruitment at New Moms. Gail began her career working with families and young children in 1990 and has served as program director in a number of nonprofit organizations since 1996. She joined Parenthesis Family Center as its Program Supervisor in 2014 and became a part of New Moms when it acquired Parenthesis in 2016.

She holds a BA in Child and Family Studies with an emphasis in Child Development from Northern Illinois University and a MA in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University Chicago. Gail is also involved in many community groups including the Oak Park Homelessness Coalition; the Community Mental Health Board’s Multicultural Behavioral Health Advocacy Commission and Care Coordination/Collaborating with Schools Committee; and the Collaboration for Early Childhood’s Home Visiting Task Force. She received a 2017 CHOICE Community Partner Award from UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago for her commitment to creating life without limits.

Mallory joined New Moms in 2019. In her position as Director of Human Resources, she oversees talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, labor law compliance, and onboarding. With over 10 years of experience in supervision and nonprofit management, she is passionate about employee retention and determining which factors play a role in increasing job satisfaction. Mallory believes building strong supervisors and investing in their professional development will directly impact the turnover rates of front line team members, and increase the quality of services for participants.

Mallory received her BSW from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, and her MSW from Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2014-2015, Mallory completed a year-long research study that identified the leading factors impacting employee job satisfaction.

In October 2024, Anne joined New Moms as their first Director of Policy, leading efforts to create lasting changes in how society supports young families. Her role focuses on managing the complex relationships and processes needed for systemic change. She provides strategic guidance on public policy development, maintaining critical public funding sources, and advocates for policy solutions that align with New Moms’ mission and goals.

Anne serves as a crucial bridge between various stakeholders, connecting policymakers with the real experiences of program participants, organizational leadership, and expert staff members. Her extensive background includes advocacy work at federal and state levels, focusing on key issues such as economic mobility, child welfare, behavioral health, early childhood development, violence prevention, and human services sector improvements.

Before her role at New Moms, Anne served as Director of Government Affairs and Special Assistant to the President at Metropolitan Family Services. She brings her expertise as a social worker to this position, having earned her BSW from Gordon College and her MA from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. This combination of practical experience and academic training enables her to advocate effectively for meaningful policy changes.

Nika joined New Moms in 2024.  As the Director of Social Enterprise for Bright Endeavors, Nika focuses on product development, marketing, and sales of the goods produced by New Mom’s candle making job training program. Nika comes to Bright Endeavors with extensive services and product sales experience, having founded and operated several service and product based companies in Chicago before joining her first social enterprise organization.  With 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship and business development, Nika seeks out innovative ways to grow Bright Endeavors, foster partnerships, and introduce new customers to our brand. Nika earned her BFA with a focus on Material Studies from the Art Institute of Chicago, and has completed business development programs such as Northwestern University Kellogg Executive Education ASCEND Small Business Development and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.

Katie Wise joined New Moms in 2018. In her role as Director of Family Support, Katie leads the home visiting and doula programs. Her team supports young moms in reaching their own unique parenting, employment, and educational goals.

Katie brings 20 years of experience in social service, non-profit and life coaching. She holds her Bachelor’s degree in human services from St. Mary’s College of Minnesota, and her master’s degree in Counseling from DePaul University.

Aasta joined New Moms in 2023. As Director of Clinical Services, she oversees the organization’s mental wellness services, clinical consultation and training, and Medicaid compliance procedures.

Aasta has spent the past 20 years working in non-profit and private sector program management and social services. Her clinical experience includes psychotherapy and intensive case management with individuals impacted by poverty, severe and persistent mental illness, institutionalization, and sexual violence. Aasta has provided leadership to Assertive Community Treatment and Olmstead Consent Decree programs in the state of Illinois and managed the administrative implementation of USAID public health programs internationally. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa.

Aasta received her BA in International Studies from Kenyon College and her MSW from the Smith College School for Social Work.