Staff

Pat joined Family PASS in June 2015 to help Family PASS expand its capacity to help more families in need. Pat served 16 years as Executive Director of a DC nonprofit and 5 years as President of its national organization. Prior to joining the nonprofit world, she was a business and financial reporter for Newsweek, The Financial Times and Reuters. She has lived and worked in Washington, New York, Tokyo and London, raising her children as Global Nomads.  Joining Family PASS brings her work history first circle from her first job as a social worker in the South Bronx in the 1960s.

Homelessness is not just the loss of a home, it is the loss of neighbors, schools, friends, a loss of security for children, a loss of dignity. The impact, especially on children, is severe and lifelong. We are fortunate to have a strong, caring and supportive community to help families recover their lives.

Debi joined Family PASS in January 2020.  She is a social worker with 10 years of experience in child welfare and foster care in DC and Maryland.  She also served as a school social worker with Fairfax County Public Schools on the Early Childhood Assessment Team.  Debi has extensive experience working with vulnerable children and families and she is passionate about helping them to achieve positive outcomes and advance their opportunities for future successes.

Debi is active in her community and has been involved in various volunteer activities.  She is presently serving on the Board of Directors for her homeowners’ association and for Woodlawn Little League.  Debi earned her B.S. in Psychology from Virginia Tech and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan.  Debi resides in Alexandria with her husband Marshall.  They have two children and a dog named Tommy.

Adverse childhood experiences such as homelessness can have lasting impacts on a person’s emotional well-being and physical health. The work that we do, helping families to sustain stable housing, recover from a financial crisis, and become more self-sufficient, can reduce the long-term effects that trauma can have on children. Stronger families make stronger communities.

Ryan earned his B. S. in Family Studies from the University of Maryland at College Park.  Ryan prior to joining Family PASS, Ryan served as Regional Family Readiness Coordinator for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Community Support Coordinator for the Commonwealth of Virginia for Army OneSource. Ryan chose a career to help those in need after being a volunteer mentor to adolescent males while at the University of Maryland. He is currently working toward his Master’s degree. Ryan lives in Leesburg Virginia with his wife, Traci, who is a teacher for the Loudoun County Public Schools. They have two sons (Zach and Aidan) and a daughter (Emily) in college and a rescue pit bull named Bella.

Unfortunately, homelessness can happen to anyone. Working with Family PASS gives me the opportunity to help families get a fresh start and the chance at a brighter future.

Dena joined Family PASS in May 2019 after graduating from the University of Virginia with a dual degree in Sociology and Computer Science. During her undergraduate program, she worked at the Foothills Child Advocacy Center, which focuses on children who have been abused, providing supervision and activities with children during observation hours, documenting incoming cases and providing feedback on forensic interviews. Dena also served as a Teaching Assistant at Buford Middle School and as a Patient Services representative at INOVA Fairfax Hospital.

Dena is highly trained for providing relief and support on difficult and intense cases with children and families, including children on the spectrum and is well-versed in statistical analysis and various coding techniques which will help Family PASS establish better statistical analysis of client successes.

At UVA Dena was actively involved in university groups including the Middle Eastern Leadership Club, Arab Student Organization, Autism Alliance, Community Service, Women in STEM, Palestinian Students Alliance, and IM Sand Volleyball.

Dena graduated from the Islamic Saudi Academy in Fairfax as Valedictorian of her class, received her IB Diploma, a Dual Diploma in English and Arabic, was inducted into the National Honor Society, and served as Executive President of Student Government as well as Captain of the volleyball team.

It’s easy to take for granted the privileges one has. For those experiencing the loss of a home and the security attached to it, the devastation that follows can leave families feeling helpless and hopeless. By acting as a network of support and providing the resources needed to rebuild that sense of safety, Family PASS works to effectuate change within families and build stronger communities. Family PASS gives me the privilege of empowering and advocating for motivated families who are looking to begin their journey towards constructive change and stability.

Melissa joined Family PASS in its earliest years and fulfills many roles in her position, working with case managers to track client successes, working with the Volunteer Coordinator, and reaching out through social media to keep supporters up to date on Family PASS activities. Melissa received her B.S. in Chemistry from Radford University.

Working at Family PASS is an amazing experience. I can make a difference by helping homeless families in my community achieve stability.

Wendie has served as an accounting assistant for Family PASS since 2009.