Below you can find some more information regarding our full and part-time staff along with their respective contact information:
Kim Newell, MS.
Executive Director
Contact Email: KGNewell@aol.com
Kim has been with The Shafer Center since 1991. Before she started with us, she got her master’s degree in counseling psychology from USM in 1986. Kim is an integral part of The Shafer Center and helps keep our agency running.
Vicky has been with The Shafer Center for over 20 years. She graduated with her master’s in social work from USM in 2002 and began at The Shafer Center that same year. She is the supervisor for the staffed counselors and our victim coordinator.
Vicky Franks, LCSW
Victim Service Coordinator/Clinical Supervisor
Contact Email: theshafercenter@aol.com
Lisa Mann, LMSW
Victim Service Coordinator/Clinical Supervisor
Lisa got her bachelor’s in social work in 2000 and returned to get her Masters in social work in 2014, both obtained at USM. She started at the Shafer Center in 2000 and stayed for ten years before transitioning to another job. She didn’t stay away too long, though, because she came in 2019, where she became an integral part of the Homicide Survivors division of our agency, seeing individual clients and running support groups for homicide and sexual assault survivors. Lisa is currently under clinical supervision.
Contact Email: lisasmann801@gmail.com
Ashton Thompson, MS, NCC, LPC
Therapist/Prevention Educator
Ashton has been with the Shafer Center since 2014. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in criminal justice from USM, as well as a degree in counseling psychology from William Carey University. Ashton is one of our therapists that is here to support you in your time of healing.
Contact Email: Ashton.r.thompsom@gmail.com
Ashelie Blankenship, LMSW
Therapist/Prevention Educator/Rural Outreach Therapist/Volunteer Coordinator
Ashelie started with the Shafer Center in 2023 as an intern. They received their bachelor's degree in social work at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2014 and completed their Master's degree in social work at Capella University in 2023. Ashelie helps ensure The Shafer Center's services are equitably accessed to underserved populations in the eleven counties that is served, provides therapeutic services to sexual assault victims, and helps with prevention education. Ashelie is also responsible for recruiting and managing our volunteers. Ashelie is currently under clinical supervision.
Contact Email:
Preferring to go by Cat, she began her journey at The Shafer Center as a bachelor-level intern while attending USM. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in 2024, she became employed as an Outreach Advocate and continued serving survivors through direct support and community outreach. She later continued her education at Eastern Kentucky University, where she completed her Master of Social Work degree in 2025. Outside of her professional role, she is a mother to a beautiful baby girl named Berkley. When she is not working with the Shafer Center, she is busy running a children’s boutique, Little Magnolia Smocking Co, that specializes in fun and unique designs.
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Contact Email:
Catherine Taylor, BSW, MSW
Outreach Advocate/Therapist
Meet Our Staff
Amarely Salinas, BSW
Rural Victim Advocate
Amarely started her career at the Shafer Center for Crisis Intervention as a BSW intern in 2026, where she later moved into the role of Rural Victim Advocate. Amarely currently serves 5 counties in this position: Perry, Greene, Wayne, Jasper, and Jones.
Contact Email: amarely.l.salinas@gmail.com
Landen Moran, BS
Rural Victim Advocate
Landen graduated from the Univerity of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor's of science in Sociology and is currently working towards obtaining his Master's in Social Work. Landen began at the Shafer Center in 2026 as a rural victim advocate. Landen currently serves 5 counties in this position: Marion, Jefferson Davis, Covington, Smith, and Jones.
Contact Email: Landenmoran9205@gmail.com
Outreach Advocate
Contact Email: cdtaylor2001@gmail.com