Britney Barker has served as the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center’s Executive Director since July of 2016. She is responsible for ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and standards, overseeing all daily operations, fiscal responsibility and management, fundraising, staff supervision, public accountability, and communication and transparency with the board of directors, as well as state and national associations. Britney holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She has worked in CAC’s for 14 years, first at a CAC in a neighboring county. In that time she has served  in a variety of capacities including Forensic Interviewer, Family Advocate, Program Director, and MDT Coordinator. These positions have uniquely prepared Britney for her role as Executive Director. Britney has dedicated her entire professional career to helping children and families the CAC serves. When she’s not working she enjoys spending time at home with her husband, daughter, cows, dogs & cat.

Dana Reynolds is the Program Director for the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center. Dana oversees the Forensic Interview and Family Advocacy programs at the CAC, conducts forensic interviews and is also responsible for reporting,  data oversight and for ensuring the efficiency and quality of these critical services. Dana holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Texas A&M University-Commerce. She began her career as a Child Protective Services Investigator in 2004 and has been the field of social work for the last 16 years. Dana joined the Grayson County CAC in 2014 as a Family Advocate and Forensic Interviewer before moving to her current position. Dana enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter.

Sarah McKendree is the Multi-Disciplinary Coordinator at the Grayson County CAC. She has been in this position since 2016, and is responsible for team coordination among all partner agencies. Sarah schedules interviews, facilitates our bi-weekly Case Review, reviews statewide intake, develops and maintains partner relationships and ensures a coordinated MDT response to all child abuse cases.Sarah received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.  Prior to joining us at the Grayson County CAC she worked as  an investigator for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. She is a certified educator in both Texas and Oklahoma. While obtaining her college degree she worked at North Texas Youth Connection, a local non-profit emergency shelter for at-risk youth. She has a love of children, and enjoys being a part of a team that helps bring justice to abused children and their families. Sarah was born and raised in Grayson County where she currently resides with her husband, their child, and their Labrador retriever, Clyde.

Lacy is the Administrative Assistant for the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center. She is responsible for providing administrative support, assisting with statewide intake review, and creating a welcoming environment for clients.

Melisa Harris is the Forensic Interviewer for the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center.  She is responsible for forensically interviewing child victims in a developmentally appropriate, legally sound manner. She has conducted over 1000 forensic interviews and provided child protection services to children and families for more than 20 years. Melisa was a welcome addition to our staff in October of 2018. Melisa holds a bachelor’s in Sociology, a master’s degree in Native American Leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and a master’s in Early Intervention and Childhood Development, also from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Melisa is extremely experienced with the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) model, having participated in numerous MDT’s and coalitions throughout the United States, and provides training at national and state levels on topics such as forensic interviewing, the importance of MDT’s, historical trauma, ICWA, and cultural considerations in working with minority populations, as well as training on recognizing child abuse and neglect. Melisa serves on the Board of Directors for Native American Children’s Alliance and is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation. She was born and raised in Southern Oklahoma. She brings a unique perspective to child abuse and maltreatment within tribal communities, having experienced “the system” as a youth in foster care, as well as a social worker, and a foster parent. Melisa enjoys traveling, painting, and drawing in her free time.

Denise Strekel is a Family Advocate for the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center. She is responsible for providing ongoing support to the non-offending family members of child victims, by providing crisis intervention, connection to community resources, case coordination with the MDT team, and assisting the family throughout the criminal justice process. Denise holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Akron. She is passionate about the work that she does and the families that she has served in the decade she has worked at the Grayson County CAC. In her free time Denise enjoys spending time with her family, cheering on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and playing tennis.

Laura Fox is the Lead Clinical Therapist for the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center. She is responsible for providing evidence-based, trauma-focused therapy to children and their non-offending caregivers as well as providing supervision and guidance to clinical therapists at the Grayson County CAC. Laura holds a Master of Education in Counseling from the University of North Texas Counselor Education Program, a program ranked number one in Texas and among the top fifteen in the nation. Laura has over fifteen years of experience seeing adults, teens, tweens and children. She specializes in treating trauma and holds national certifications in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). She holds over eleven hundred continuing education unit hours on topics relating to children, adolescents, adults, and families. In her free time Laura enjoys spending time with her family.

Colleen Blakeley is a Clinical Therapist for the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center. Colleen is responsible for providing evidence based, trauma-focused therapy to children and their non-offending caregivers. In addition to being a Licensed Professional Counselor, Colleen is also a Registered Play Therapist, and is Nationally Certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).  She holds a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Texas A & M University-Commerce. Before joining  the Grayson County CAC in October of 2018, she worked with children, adolescents, and adults at a sister CAC, and spent time counseling victims of domestic violence, patients in a psychiatric hospital, and a counseling clinic in a large school district. When she’s not helping children and families at work, Colleen enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and two spoiled fur babies.

Sonya Wright-Kling is the Mental Health Intake and Child Sex Trafficking Coordinator for the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center. She is responsible for executing and monitoring child sex trafficking protocols for the Child Sex Trafficking Response Team in Grayson and Fannin Counties. She maintains communication and collaboration with and between all members of the Child Sex Trafficking Response Team and performs screenings for children at risk of trafficking. She provides direct client services to victims of child abuse and neglect and their families and performs screenings with caregivers and clients to assess appropriateness for our clinical program. Sonya has more than 20 years of experience working with children and families. Prior to joining the CAC, Sonya was a children’s learning center director for over 16 years, worked in children’s ministry for 5 years, and most recently was a Child Protective Services Investigator with the Department of Family and Protective Services. Sonya grew up across the Red River in Duncan, Oklahoma. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Baylor University and a Master’s degree in Behavioral Science- Psychology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. When she is not working, Sonya enjoys spending time with family and friends and cheering on her Baylor Bears.

Karen Bounds is the staff Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center. Previously filled by only contract nurses, Karen came on staff to help address the ongoing issue of access to expert medical care for children who’ve experienced sexual abuse. Stay tuned for more about Karen!