Our Team
Safe Families for Children is both volunteer-driven and professionally-supported, with our dedicated volunteers leading our community efforts while our professional team provides essential support and structure.
State Director of Ohio
National Director of Leadership and Culture
Alana and her husband, Myrick, and their three children live in Cleveland. They were a part of the launch team for the Northeast Ohio chapter forming in 2014, following engaging in the Safe Families movement for 5 years in Chicago prior. Alana is passionate about families in the city thriving and staying together. The Dennis family loves being engaged as a Host Family.
Alana is a Board-Certified Music Therapist and Child Life Specialist, having worked many years with children with special needs and those that experienced trauma. She holds a BM in Voice and Music Therapy from Ohio University, a MS in Child Development from Erikson Institute, a Graduate Certificate in Child/Adolescent Psychology and Traumatology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, as well as multiple certificates in Biblical Counseling through CCEF/Westminster Seminary.
Cecilia Wallis
Chapter Director
Cecilia holds a degree in Social Work and is passionate about serving families with empathy, intention, and respect for their unique stories. Her work is shaped by both personal and professional experiences, including time spent at a children’s home overseas, where she developed a deeper understanding of the complex factors that can lead to family separation.
This experience led to service as an AmeriCorps VISTA where she was introduced to SFFC in 2019. Since then, she has served in a variety of roles within the ministry, taking on the Chapter Director role in 2023. Her work is grounded in a deep belief that all families deserve to be surrounded by care, dignity, and meaningful support systems, especially in seasons of challenge.
D’liyah Payne
Family Coach Supervisor
D’liyah lives in Dayton, Ohio and attends school at Xavier University in Cincinnati where she is a first-year Social Work student. During her high school years (2021-2025), she served as class president, graduated third in her class, and was an active member of the National Honor Society. She also participated in the College Credit Plus program while working throughout high school, demonstrating strong commitment, time management, and leadership skills.
She is known by those around her as a role model who leads with compassion, responsibility, and purpose. With a deep passion for helping and advocating for others, she is driven to support individuals and families in safe, stable, and empowering environments. From a young age, she knew her calling was to serve and uplift others, and she finds fulfillment in seeing people overcome challenges and achieve their goals.
Leadership Council
Members of the community who build connections with our partners, support outreach events, and provide input on the growth and sustainability of Safe Families for Children of Southwest Ohio.
Megan Zarnitz
Megan is a mission centered Independently Licensed Social Worker with a passion for creating trauma informed programs, championing families and that we all deserve to be able to create a thriving life. Megan has had the privilege of working alongside Safe Families in her professional capacity and is excited to have joined the Southwest Chapter’s Leadership Council in 2024. Megan, her husband and their two kiddos call Cincinnati home. They are deeply grateful for their family and village who walk alongside them and want to help ensure that all parents and kiddos have access to their own community of support.
Nolita Lewis
Nolita Lewis is currently the executive leader at GE Aerospace. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Science Engineering from Tuskegee University, and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. She is an active membership in employee resource groups at GE Aerospace, leads the Holiday Hope Drive that provides toys to kids in need during the holiday season, and volunteers at Lincoln Heights Elementary School tutoring reading and math to kindergarten students. She is also an active member of New Prospect Baptist church and serves in youth church and the church operations ministry.
She is a Christ follower, wife and mother and enjoys reading, cooking and completing puzzles in her spare time.
Brooke Young
After growing up in southeastern Indiana, Brooke became a registered nurse and began a decade-long career in cardiothoracic surgery at a Cincinnati area hospital. A patient, who she cared for during this time, broke her heart for the needs of isolated people going through crisis and the children involved. This started the journey to find the best way for her family to serve this population. As time moved on, she changed her career path to focus on working from home in the healthcare quality data field, allowing her to focus more on family and volunteer efforts.
In 2021, after hearing about Safe Families for Children through her church, Brooke and her family became a host family. They were blessed to host several children ranging from 3 days to 12 years old. She and her family have now stepped back from the host family role to focus on their newly adopted 3-year-old daughter. However, Brooke believes in the importance of this ministry and wants to continue her involvement. She is honored to now be a part of the Safe Families for Children Southwest Ohio Leadership Council.
Our Volunteers
Our volunteers are the driving force behind the Safe Families movement. It takes many people working in various capacities to support families who are going through difficult circumstances. These dedicated volunteers live out our core values of radical hospitality, disruptive generosity, and intentional compassion. Volunteers serve a variety of roles from hosting children for a temporary period of time to wrapping support around families to providing services such as transportation, parent mentoring, respite care, and supplying tangible items such as diapers, car seats, household items, and meals.
