At SOME, Talent, Culture and Leadership are Deliberate

Tracey Peranich has served as the Executive Office Coordinator since 2020 and was promoted to Chief of Staff in 2023.  She has been a part of the SOME family for over 11 years, first as a grant writer and later as the president’s assistant. She serves as the initial point of contact for the President for our friends in the community and business partners.  She also provides a bridge for smooth communication between the President and SOME’s leadership and internal departments and manages the President’s busy schedule. Tracey serves as the administrator for SOME’s Board of Directors and Corporate Advisory Board, coordinating meetings and keeping Board members informed of activities at SOME.  She has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. She and her husband and three children live in Washington, DC.

Nechama has led the public policy, cause advocacy, and government-relations work  of SOME for most of the past 17 years. Nechama came to anti-poverty work from her background in anti-poverty and anti-family-violence law. She was the Executive Director of the National Center on Women & Family Law in New York City, a Staff Attorney and Registered Lobbyist at the Virginia Poverty Law Center in Richmond, Virginia, and a leader of several domestic-violence initiatives in New York State. She has organized state-wide and national trainings and successfully applied for several  national grants. She was also an Executive Editor at Matthew Bender & Co. and is the author or editor of more than 80 publications. Nechama enjoys friendships, the fine arts, and the performing arts. She is a person motivated by faith to reduce poverty and suffering.

Daryl Wright, who led the Emergency Services Department for several years, is leading SOME’s community outreach department as the Senior Vice President of Community Outreach. His shared passion for community and service of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations spreads over three decades.  During his career he has managed programs in the arts, the foster care system, medical and mental health services, and educational financing.  A native Washingtonian, his educational background includes a B.A. in Finance from South Carolina State University, and certifications from the Investment Training Institute. He currently serves on the Board of the Better Way Program Recovery Support Services and the HOPE Foundation Reentry Network.  Daryl is the proud grandfather of two.

Steven Marcus overseas SOME’s efforts with individual supporters and families through direct mail, online giving, major gifts, and planned giving. He joined SOME in September 2019 excited to align his professional talents with his passion to help people and communities in Washington, DC, where he has resided since 2007. Steve has more than 20 years of experience raising critical financial resources for a few different social causes that advanced children and youth, international development and humanitarian relief, conservation, and education and legal scholarship. Steve received his JD from New York Law School with honors and a BA in history and philosophy from Rutgers University.

Caitlin Orth serves as SOME’s Senior Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer, a position she has held since August 2021. As a champion for SOME’s mission, Orth leads SOME’s public affairs and external outreach teams, including cause-related marketing, communications and corporate relations. She cultivates new external partnerships for SOME and manages the organization’s ongoing relationships with corporate partners, institutional supporters and social investors. Prior to SOME, she served as the Grants Manager for the Philip L. Graham Fund from 2011-2021. The Fund is a private charitable foundation housed at the Graham Holdings Company (formerly The Washington Post Company). Orth holds a M.A. in Educational Leadership and Administration from The George Washington University and graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Anthropology and Gender Studies from the College of the Holy Cross. She is a Catalogue for Philanthropy: DC nonprofit reviewer and is a Board Member at the Greater DC Diaper Bank. She is a proud wife and mom of two young children.

Noelle Motley is proud to serve as SOME’s VP of Marketing and Communications, leading all strategic marketing, communications, advertising, media, and public relations efforts. Her driven personality and enterprising mindset have propelled her to become an award-winning Fortune 25 publicist and marketing communications practitioner.

Early in her career, Noelle joined the Kroger Co. and McDonald’s Corp., becoming the first Black, region-wide public relations manager and the youngest person to hold the position in both companies. In these roles, she oversaw publicity, marketing, and crisis communications for over 100 grocery and restaurant locations.

A cum laude graduate of Howard University, Noelle is an award-winning producer of Notes from the Backpack, an education and parenting podcast from National PTA. She led the initial launch and managed all internal and external marketing communication aspects. She is well-versed in project management, strategic partnerships, marketing communications, sponsorship activations, negotiations, content creation, creative direction, media relations, and developing strategic campaigns focused on inclusive storytelling.

Noelle is a steadfast believer in the power of community-led change. Due to her dedicated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) advocacy work, community leaders handpicked Noelle to serve on the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk and as a Trustee for the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first and youngest Black leader to hold these distinguished honors.

Archie Williams is a licensed graduate professional counselor (LGPC) with nearly 20 years of experience serving in the fields of housing, social services, and education. He currently oversees SOME Family Housing programs which serves to provide formerly homeless families with quality housing, supportive services, and a holistic approach that empowers individuals and families towards achieving sustainable independence. Archie has previously served at SOME in the roles of Vice President, Senior Director, Program Director, and Education Coordinator within Family Housing. He holds a M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University, a M.A.T. in Special Education from Trinity Washington University, and a B.S. in Psychology from Morgan State University. 

Carolyn leads benefits, compensation, wellness, and compliance. Carolyn is a member of SOME’s safety committee, chair of the employee recognition nomination committee, and a member of the diversity committee. Carolyn is also a member of the financial advisor committee for retirement planning. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Management. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) with a Professional Human Resources (SHRM-CP) certification. She holds a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). Carolyn is certified as a DC retirement plan sponsor. Carolyn was recognized as SOME’s Employee of the year in 2011. She also received The Griffin Service Award for Service Excellence with SOME in 2014. In her early career before working in Human Resources, Carolyn served for five years in SOME’s family services department as Family Service Case Manager, Program Manager, and Director. Carolyn is a proud mother and wife and enjoys mentoring, poetry, and music of all genres. 

Belinda Johnson has been dedicated to developing quality support services that are mission-driven at SOME for over 19 years. She is responsible for program development and the daily operations of all Single Adult Housing at SOME. Before becoming the Chief Program Office for Single Adult Housing, Belinda served as a Service Coordinator, Program Manager, and Senior Director of Single Adult Housing at SOME. Belinda holds a B.A. degree in Communications from North Carolina Central University.

Bettina Straight brings over 20 years of experience to her role at SOME, with expertise in leadership training, diversity, equity, and inclusion, organizational development, and coaching. Bettina applies a “heart leader” approach to her work, looking for opportunities for connection, understanding, and change.  In her role as Chief inclusion Officer and SVP of Talent, Leadership, and Culture, Bettina works to cultivate an inclusive work environment for SOME employees, which then extends to an inclusive culture for our clients and residents. As a member of the LGBTQAI+ community and ally to other underrepresented groups, Bettina engages people in the challenging work of self-reflection, aiming toward a greater level of compassion and advocacy for those we serve.

Troy Swanda leads the operational direction, growth, strategic planning and fiscal health of the organization. He has over 23 years of experience working in social service-related nonprofit organizations including 20 years with SOME. Previously, Troy served as the Chief Housing Development Officer where he directed all aspects of developing supportive-service affordable housing including due diligence, financing, feasibility, architectural work, construction and program development. He has a degree in Finance and a Master of Business Administration.

Michelle Barnaby is a Certified Public Accountant, with over 20 years of extensive accounting, finance and tax experience working with nonprofit developers, charities, foundations, and associations, including 5 years with SOME, Inc (SOME).   She became the Chief Financial Officer of SOME  in 2020 and has served as SOME’s Controller. At SOME, Michelle is responsible for managing the organization’s finances, information technology and overall strategic financial vision, for all their mission driven activities surrounding housing, emergency, and rebuilding services. Previously, Michelle spent more than 10 years in public accounting at a top ten national firm performing audit, assurance and tax services for various nonprofit and for-profit

Don DuChateau leads the generation of SOME’s $26M+ annual fundraising revenue through contributions, major gifts, grants, and special events. He cultivates new and existing relationships to build SOME’s visibility, impact, and financial resources in the D.C. region and beyond. In 2022, he will lead SOME’s three-year, $55 million capital campaign for campus renovations and improvements. DuChateau joined SOME in August 2020 and he has 30+ years of fundraising expertise, having most recently served as the Chief Development Officer for the Children’s Home Society of Florida. He holds a B.S. in Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Stephanie Brown leads the Continuing Quality Improvement Department. Stephanie specializes in collecting information and transforming information to data to drive business decisions. Stephanie is an enthusiastic servant leader, who builds and leads high performing teams. Stephanie believes that learning is a continual process that should never end and laughing is truly the best medicine. Stephanie uses her project management skills to mentor young professionals, and volunteer for human service organizations. Stephanie is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and has earned advanced degrees in Social Work, Diversity and Inclusion and Project Management. She has over 25 years’ experience with social service, healthcare, and non-profit agencies.

Berinna Doggett is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience working with vulnerable populations.  Her experience in health care, integrated services and mental health have spanned several cities and types of settings.  As the Chief Clinical Officer, she oversees SOME’s Health and Social Services Programing including the Dining Hall, Volunteer Services, mental health, addiction treatment, medical and dental services and is responsible for agency-wide clinical practices. Prior to joining SOME in 2018, she served as the Director of Operations for First Home Care Therapeutic Services. Berinna holds a Master’s Degree in Social Service Administration and Social Work from Case Western Reserve University and is a Treu-Mart Fellow of Nonprofit Management as well as a member of NASW.  Berinna’s commitment to service includes membership on her Temple Board, volunteering with several organizations in the DC area and playing taxi driver to her two young children.

Rachel Nicholas has worked with homeless and vulnerable families for nearly 20 years, in both a direct service and managerial capacity. She has extensive experience with family strengthening, parenting skills, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence and homelessness. She joined SOME in 2008. Prior to becoming Chief Program Officer, Rachel served as a Program Manager and Director of Family Services. She serves on the Resident Services Committee at the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Lafayette College and has finished all coursework towards a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health. 

Tracey Turner is a certified HR professional with over 25 years of responsible and progressive experience in leadership and operations management. She has substantial experience in executive-level management, strategic human resource planning, training and employee development, and employee relations. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Howard University in Washington, DC. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) with a Professional Human Resources (SCHRM-SCP) designation/certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). As Chief Human Resources Officer, Tracey is responsible for providing strategic guidance and leadership for all aspects of the human resource function and establishing a vision and direction for the full complement of core human capital initiatives and services.

Katara Coates is a licensed addiction counselor with 16 years of successful compassionate client engagement, program development, and leadership including 10 years at SOME.  Most recently, Katara served in the role of VP of Single Adult Housing, with a focus on Addiction and Recovery Services. In 2021, Katara became the Chief Administrative Officer overseeing the Asset, Property, and Facilities departments. In her new role, Katara supports SOME’s mission and vision, implementing a standard of excellence in collaboration, property sustentation, fiscal stewardship, and servant leadership. She has a degree in B.A in Sociology and a Master of Science in Education, Mental Health Counseling.