Meet the Staff
Regina McDevitt, M.Ed.
Executive Director
Regina is the FJC’s Executive Director. She graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Master’s degree in Guidance and Education, the Executive Leadership Institute Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the University of Michigan School of Social Work and Ross School of Business, and Foresight Management Development Program. Regina holds an extensive list of awards and accomplishments including Recipient for Efforts to Reduce Family Violence Award 2002, The Coalition against Domestic and Community Violence Greater Chattanooga recipient of the Advocacy Leadership Award 2006, TennCare Access Network, Recipient of the National Visionary Award 2011, National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Recipient 2021Champions of and the Victims’ Rights Award.
Regina has lived in Chattanooga since college, and her personal goals are to remain grounded in her faith, and to continue to build a healthy work life balance. Professionally, she aspires to make an impact in the community and bring awareness and support about domestic violence, sexual assault and other forms of interpersonal violence. As a lifelong learner Regina, possess many skills and expertise. She is a part of Community Outreach; Volunteer Management; Program Development; Nonprofit management; Community Collaboration and Partnerships Grant writing; Strategic Planning; Customer Service; Peer Reviewer for the National Council of Accreditation; Leadership; Content expert in Issues of Domestic and Sexual Violence, Community Collaborations. She also prides herself in her skills of public speaking, leadership, and best practices.
In her personal time, Regina enjoys listening to music, reading, and spending time with family and friends. Regina states she chooses to work with survivors because “I believe in the power of Hope and feel that working to keep people, who have experienced abuse and violence safe, is important to creating a safe community. As a trauma survivor, knowing that someone was there to support my goals and to listen to my story free of judgment, created the basis for how I want to serve others.”
Contact Regina:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: (423) 643-7602
Email: RrMcDevitt@chattanooga.gov
Wendy Jenkins, LCS, CFSW, CCFP, CLC
Assistant Director of Clinical and Coordinated Services
Wendy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She currently serves as the Assistant Director of Clinical and Coordinated Services at Chattanooga/Hamilton County Family Justice Center. She obtained her B.S.W from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She obtained her MSW from Southern Adventist University. She is also a Certified Financial Social Worker (CFSW), Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional (CCFP), and a Certified Life Coach (CLC).
Wendy is a Chattanooga native and has a deep love and connection for this community. Wendy brings forth a variety of experiences as a Community Social Worker in the Chattanooga area and believes that no community can be complete without the strength and vitality of every voice. Wendy brings forth a wealth of practice and life experience and has been in several practice areas including; geriatric care, mental health, family education and support, homeless population, and survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and elder abuse. Wendy is exceptionally passionate about good care for the older adult community and strengthening the ties between the younger and older generations.
Wendy is equally passionate about helping women find their voice and empowering them to become the best that they can be. Wendy has provided therapeutic support to both individuals and groups in a variety of settings and particularly values providing education to help individuals and families move forward. She chose to work with survivors and particularly at the FJC, because she is excited about the mission and goals of the FJC and wants to work closely with all of the families and partners to help foster a stronger Chattanooga.
Contact Wendy:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: (423) 643-7609
Email: WJenkins@chattanooga.gov
Patti Childers, LBSW, CCFP, CMIP
Assistant Director of Outreach, Training, and Volunteers
Patti has been with the Chattanooga Hamilton County Family Justice Center for over 7 years and is the Assistant Director of Outreach, Training, and Volunteers. Patti is a Chattanooga native who graduated from Ooltewah High School, and went on to obtain her Bachelors of Social Work from UTC, and is a licensed Social Worker in the state of Tennessee. Patti is a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional (CCFP) and a Certified Mindfulness Informed Professional (CMIP) as of 2020. She utilizes her skills in project management and coordination of multidisciplinary groups to support survivor and service organizations. Through the coordination of these groups, Patti identifies, creates, and executes training for community agencies, law enforcement, FJC partners, civic organizations, schools and the faith community.
Building the recruitment and retention of volunteers is among one of her primary roles and is critical to the success of the FJC. Among Patti’s list of accomplishments is coordination and implantation of FJC conferences including the first two totally virtual conferences. Patti spoke at the 20th Annual Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence on Compassion Fatigue in 2022. Patti presents on Mindfulness and Compassion Fatigue to agencies locally and statewide. She serves on the TN Valley Regional Advisory Board for Nurture the Next.
Contact Patti:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: (423) 643-7603
Email: PChilders@chattanooga.gov
Deana Keys Lane
Coordinated Community Response Specialist
Deana has worked in the field of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and human trafficking for more than twelve years. She has presented to officers, judges, attorneys, school boards, committees, and our communities as well as having more than twelve years of media and public speaking experience to help raise awareness and education on the victimizations she is specialized in. Among the considerable list of accomplishments and awards, she has also received a letter of commendation from Tennessee Senator Corker for the work she has done with survivors. Deana was an integral part of strategic planning with the Family Justice Alliance which preceded the implementation of the family violence court, family justice center and was a part of the planning board for supervised visitation.
Deana is the mother of five phenomenal children and has four grandsons who not only hold her whole heart, but also keep her busy and grounded. She loves spending time with family and friends whether it’s hiking, walking around our beautiful city, or just having dinner in one of our delectable restaurants. Deana is in love with Hamilton County and Chattanooga and enjoys all our community has to offer.
Deana is a survivor who believes and is passionate about the power of empowerment, giving a voice to survivors, prevention, awareness, and education. Strategic planning for events, conferences, and committees, at the FJC, is just one of her many avocations, as well as supporting partnering agencies and managing the FJC social media. She believes in the Mission of the Chattanooga Hamilton County FJC which is evident in her commitment to educating our community and potential partners about the FJC, as well as inviting new agencies to partner in order to serve survivors in an all-inclusive holistic way in our community.
Contact Deana:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: (423) 643-7626
Email: dklane@chattanooga.gov
Timothy Machado
FJC Prevention Coordinator
Timothy is the FJC Prevention Coordinator at the Family Justice Center.
So far in his career, he has worked in various mental health settings within the Chattanooga community. After graduating with a Bachelors of Social Work degree at the University of Texas at Arlington, Timothy moved to Chattanooga to pursue his career and begin a new chapter in life. After graduating from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville in the Spring of 2022 with a Masters of Social Work, he became a Licensed Master Social Worker and started the process to obtain the Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker certification.
Having visited family members all over the US and the world, Timothy is happy to call Chattanooga home because of its welcoming atmosphere, lovely multicultural heritage, excellent food, and exciting outdoor activities. Timothy happily shares a home with his wife and two cats.
Timothy has a heart for bringing positive change for communities at large scales through social work. For him, being a part of the movement of Family Justice Centers that bring together organizations and communities to meet the needs of those experiencing domestic violence, human trafficking, and elder abuse is an incredible opportunity. In the FJC Prevention Coordinator role, he focuses on prevention and education work with men and youth to raise awareness around domestic violence and related topics.
When Timothy isn’t collaborating with others at the FJC, he’s usually working on DIY home projects, helping teach youth at his church with his wife, gaming with friends, or cooking and baking.
Contact Timothy
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: 423-643-7616
Email: tmachado@chattanooga.gov
Sonya Reaves, BSW, MA International Community Development
FJC Education Coordinator
Sonya is FJC’s first ever Education Coordinator. In her career she has worked as an international social worker, kindergarten through 2nd grade teacher & principal, and in community development. All of which help her to successfully build comprehensive training and educational programs for the larger Chattanooga community on issues that impact individuals and families.
She graduated with her B.S.W. from Southern Adventist University and a Master’s degree from Northwest University in International Community Development.She has worked in multiple countries creating and developing programs while also focusing on empowering her team and community for change. Because of her international work she speaks multiple languages, including Spanish and French. She is always the one asked to train the team, and nothing makes her happier than ensuring everyone understands the objectives and their roles. She is known for bringing ideas to life and thinking outside the box while meeting educational objectives.
Contact Sonya
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: 423-643-7636
Email: sreaves@chattanooga.gov
Edith Karen Godwin
Administrative Support Specialist
Karen is the FJC’s Administrative Support Specialist. She was trained in secretarial school at both Massey Draughon Business College and Edmondson Business College. Karen brings many years of administrative experience to FJC.
Karen was raised in Dunlap, TN, but has lived in Chattanooga since her business school years, and especially loves acting as a support system to organizations of domestic violence and elder abuse and mentoring victims of domestic violence. Working together toward goals of ending domestic violence and elder abuse are important because there are so few effective support systems.
In her personal time, Karen enjoys reading, gardening, cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Contact Karen:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: (423) 643-7618
Email: egodwin@chattanooga.gov
Donna Bowers, B.S., MSW
FJC Client Services Supervisor
Donna Bowers is the FJC Client Services Supervisor at the Family Justice Center.Donna returns to the FJC after a stint in the Juvenile Justice system.
She brings with her over 20+ years of experience of working with children, youth and families. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from East Tennessee State University with a minor in Social Work. She obtained her Masters of Social Work from the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga in the Spring of 2024 and plans on becoming a Licensed Master Social Worker. Donna was chosen NASW-TN Southeast Branch MSW of the Year for 2024.
Donna moved here to Chattanooga eight years ago from Upper East Tennessee. She enjoys the diversity that the city has to offer in addition to a wide variety of food options. Donna continues to call Chattanooga home because of the welcoming neighborhood that she calls home in the Brainerd community.
Donna believes that teamwork and collaboration are the cornerstones in the foundation to help communities and agencies meet the needs of those who experience domestic violence, elder abuse, and human trafficking. In the FJC Client Services Supervisor role, she hopes to make a difference in the lives of those she comes in contact with on a daily basis.
When Donna isn’t at the FJC, she can usually be found antiquing, at the race track, planter gardening, cooking and entertaining family. She has one son (Dunkan) and a soon to be daughter-in-law (Emma) as well as a grandpup named Juniper.
Contact Donna:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: 423-643-7606
Email: dbowers1@chattanooga.gov
Kelsi Bush
Court Navigator
Kelsi is Court Navigator at the Family Justice Center. She graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She plans to obtain her Master’s degree in clinical social work, become a licensed clinical social worker, and then professionally practice therapy and counseling. Her mission is to empower survivors by listening, understanding, and providing help through stability, dependability, and access to resources to increase hope and livelihood. She enjoys her role as a navigator because her passion is advocating for clients.
Kelsi is a native of Tullahoma, Tennessee, and completed her freshman year of college at the University of Alabama before transferring to UTC and moving to Chattanooga in 2015. She fell in love with the city and has a desire to better the lives of individuals in the community. Professionally, she wants to make an impact in the community by providing support and awareness to domestic violence and sexual assault. A goal of hers is to focus on the intersection of trauma, victimization, and mental health. Personally, her goal is to have a healthy work-life balance and to travel as often as possible.
Kelsi has previous experience working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and she brings that experience along with her personal skills and attributes to the FJC team. She possesses many skills and expertise such as active listening, empathy, crisis intervention, safety planning, volunteer management, psychological research and practices, video and photo editing, social media content creation/promotion/engagement, problem-solving, collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, and multi-tasking. She is certified in QPR Suicide Prevention. She values loyalty, empathy, understanding, reliability, optimism, respect, equality, collaboration, knowledge, growth, and perseverance. She seeks to embody those values in every aspect of her life and hopes to empower others with their personal values too. In her free time, Kelsi likes spending time with family and friends, hiking, reading, listening to music, watching sports, and studying and practicing astrology and psychology.
Contact Kelsi:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: 423-643-7621
Email: kbush@chattanooga.gov
Lydia Salva, AGS, BA.
Navigator
Lydia serves as a Navigator (with bilingual/cultural advocacy skills) at the Family Justice Center. Lydia has lived in the Chattanooga area for the past 40 years, she is of Latino ancestry and holds an Associate Degree from Chattanooga State Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Economics from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Lydia has traveled with organized teams to the Caribbean, Central and South America to provide resources and hopes to those communities.
Additionally, Lydia has traveled to several countries in Europe and the Far East to learn about art, life, and different cultures.
Lydia has worked in the domestic violence field for 14 years which has been both challenging and enriching as she has learned some very valuable lessons in life because of the trust and generosity of the people she has served in our community.
Contact Lydia:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: 423-643-7600
Email: lisalva@chattanooga.gov
Quincy Walker, BA.
Survivor Support Specialist
Quincy is the Survivor Support Specialist at the Family Justice Center. He graduated from Fayetteville State University with a BA degree in Sociology. He knew he would have a career ever since he was defending and speaking up for his high school peers from being bullied. Born and raised in Chattanooga, he saw an increase in gang violence and victims of domestic violence. He’s spent years helping gang affiliated teens get out of gang life by showing them another way to live and teaching them skills that would help them be successful young men. He also advocated for them in court to get them off probation and keep them out of jail. Mr. Walker is also a Crisis Assessment Specialist and Suicide Lifeline Counselor that works with clients who struggle with thoughts of suicide daily.
With his 20+ years of experience in helping others, he will bring his empathy, compassion, active listening, and crisis intervention experience to help victims of domestic violence one client at a time. “I want to show these victims that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I want to give them back the hope that they have potentially given up on. I want to overall see them have a better life.
In his spare time, Quincy loves spending time with his family and traveling. He loves collecting vinyl albums and listening to music while he relaxes by playing his video games. He also does community service with his fraternity.
Contact Quincy:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: 423-643-7637
Email: qwalker@chattanooga.gov
Emma Wagner, B.S., CA
FJC Navigator
Emma serves as a navigator for the Family Justice Center, and is a survivor herself. She earned an Associate’s Degree at Chattanooga State Community College in Paralegal Studies, and a Bachelor’s of Science at University of Tennessee – Chattanooga in Political Science and Public Service, with a concentration in public policy. She is currently earning her Master’s in Public Administration. She is a certified and credentialed Victim Advocate through NALC/NOVA.
Emma is passionate about trauma’s impact on public health, and dedicates time to volunteering in harm reduction efforts both on the local and national scale. She believes that Chattanooga is made safer when we build strong communities together, and that work begins at home. She is also a PBA CUT IT OUT trainer, available to teach beauty professionals how to spot signs of intimate partner violence and human trafficking, and how to address it.
In her personal time, Emma enjoys music festivals, collecting and tending to her houseplants, reading, researching for academic projects, social activism, and being an active member in her faith community. She has one daughter, who is a skilled artist and writer. Emma never leaves the house without her phone, her service dog, Knox, and hope in her heart.
Contact Emma:
City of Chattanooga Family Justice Center
5705 Uptain Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Phone: 423-643-7633
Email: erwagner@chattanooga.gov