Staff
Terry Brooks, Executive Director
Terry Brooks assumed the position of Executive Director at Kentucky Youth Advocates in April, 2005, after having worked in public education for some thirty years. During his career as an educator, Brooks served as a teacher, principal and chief deputy superintendent in a variety of districts throughout Kentucky.
Along with his career in public schools, Brooks has served as an adjunct professor at Harvard’s Principal Center and Kennedy School, Vanderbilt’s Leadership Center, the University of Louisville, and Bellarmine University.
After earning his doctorate at the University of Louisville, Brooks accepted the appointment of Senior Associate for Reform at the Boston-based Community Training and Assistance Center. In this position, Brooks led a team consisting of educators, business leaders, and health and human service professionals with a focus on turn-around projects in a variety of American communities, including Cleveland (OH), Jackson (MS), and Newark (NJ). Those projects focused on health, welfare, economic development and education initiatives.
Kathryn Carter, Tax & Budget Policy Analyst
Kathryn Carter joined KYA as a Tax and Budget Policy Analyst in June 2009. A native of Iowa, Kathryn received degrees in English and Politics from Earlham College in Indiana, and her Masters in Public Affairs, with concentrations in Public Finance and Policy Analysis, from Indiana University in Bloomington. Since joining KYA, Kathryn helped develop the Kentucky Economic Watch, a thrice-monthly release of key economic indicators, and has co-written several reports outlining the current state budget situation and Kentucky’s structural deficit.
Paul Colwell, Policy Analyst
Paul Colwell serves as a Policy Analyst at Kentucky Youth Advocates, where he works on the KIDS COUNT project and other data-driven projects. Prior to joining KYA, he interned with Child Trends, a national nonprofit nonpartisan research center. Mr. Colwell earned a Bachelors of Science in Political Science with a Minor in Biological Science from the University of Kentucky and a Masters of Public Administration from Western Kentucky University.
Jim Decker, Deputy Director
Jim Decker joined the KYA staff in May of 2006. His career experience includes thirty years of employment with Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY. During that tenure, Jim served in a variety of roles including teacher, counselor, principal, research coordinator and personnel director. Following his retirement from JCPS in December of 1997, he served on the faculty of the School of Education at both Bellarmine University and the University of Louisville. Jim has also worked with school districts as a consultant in the area of budget development and implementation. His academic degrees are a B. A. in Secondary Math Education from Bellarmine University and an M.A. degree in Educational Counseling from Western Kentucky University.
Tara Grieshop-Goodwin, Deputy Director
Tara Grieshop serves as Deputy Director and KIDS COUNT Coordinator at Kentucky Youth Advocates, where she produces an annual county-by-county data book on child well-being in Kentucky. Prior to her work at Kentucky Youth Advocates, Ms. Grieshop coordinated data collection for a project working to identify mental health problems, substance abuse, domestic violence, and learning problems among TANF recipients and parents suspected of child abuse or neglect. Ms. Grieshop received her Master of Public Affairs degree from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.
Dale Ike, Finance Associate
Dale Ike joined the KYA staff in April 2004 and oversees all aspects of finance, budgeting and financial reporting. He has over 20 years of accounting experience in both the public and private sectors, holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Birmingham-Southern College and a CPA license from the state of Tennessee. Prior to KYA, Dale was the finance manager for a non-profit counseling center in southern Indiana.
Lacey McNary, Deputy Director
Lacey McNary joined the staff at Kentucky Youth Advocates in 2002 and currently serves as Deputy Director. Lacey is responsible for the health and early childhood portfolios. Her social work background includes being a member of the Americorps program and serving as a case manager in the juvenile justice system in Colorado. Lacey received her undergraduate degree in social work from Ball State University and her graduate degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. She lives in Louisville with her husband and two children.
Whitney Neal, Communications Associate
Whitney Neal joined KYA in January 2009 as a Communications Intern, and now serves as a Communications Associate. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Whitney received her Bachelors in Communications, with a minor in Art Studio, from University of Kentucky in 2009.
Andrea Plummer, Policy Analyst
Andrea Plummer joined Kentucky Youth Advocates as a Health Policy Analyst in August 2009. Prior to this, Andrea worked on child related policy issues, specifically concerning health care access, during her work at Missouri Budget Project in 2009. She analyzed Missouri’s State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and promoted policy recommendations for simplification of the enrollment process. She monitored related pending legislation and advocated for state public policy change, including issue based coalition building and outreach to raise public awareness. A native of Missouri, Andrea received her Bachelors in Music from John Brown University and her Masters of Social Work from Saint Louis University.
Amy Swann, Policy Analyst
Amy Swann joined KYA in January 2009 as a Policy Analyst. Amy does research, writing, and data analysis on juvenile justice issues and for the KIDS COUNT project. Prior to joining KYA, she provided case management services to homeless individuals and families, stranded travelers, and to women with severe mental illness serving out of prison. A native of Louisville, KY, Amy attended Spalding University for her Bachelors of Science in Social Work and the University of Louisville for her Masters of Science in Social Work.
Patricia Tennen, Communications Director
Patricia Tennen joined Kentucky Youth Advocates in August 2007. She oversees communication efforts and fund development. Prior to joining KYA, she worked as an outreach coordinator for Indiana University’s international program centers. A native of Harlan County, Patricia earned a BA from Goshen College and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University. She lives in Louisville with her husband and daughter.
DeWayne Westmoreland, Deputy Director
DeWayne Westmoreland joined KYA in August 2006 upon retirement from Jefferson County Public Schools after 30+ years of service ranging from sociology teacher to developing and providing professional development for teachers and administrators. DeWayne provides expertise on various issues and their impact on case advocacy related to education, juvenile justice, and child welfare and is passionate about the potential impact of policy and practice on social issues such as disproportionality and disparity. DeWayne has a B.A. in psychology and sociology from Morehead State University as well as a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Louisville.