Meet the Experts
Toni Johnson-Simpson, MSW
Executive Director
Friends of the Family benefits from Ms. Johnson-Simpson’s wealth of knowledge and experience, which includes more than 25 years of nonprofit management. Since 2005 Ms. Johnson-Simpson has served in the role of Executive Director, providing leadership, education and oversight to all aspects of the agency, working in conjunction with the Board of Directors and the community to provide continuous, comprehensive services to those in the community who have been impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault.
Katherine Flowers, MBA
Associate Executive Director
Katherine Flowers began her career with Denton County Friends of the Family in November 2002. Katherine has worked in a variety of positions including Crisis Line Coordinator, Outreach Services Coordinator, Quality Assurance Specialist and Director of Operations. Currently in her position as the Associate Executive Director, she manages a team of staff who provide for the day-to-day operation and finances of the organization.
Nicole Roberts, PhD
Executive Program Director
Dr. Roberts is a licensed psychologist. She has ten years of tenure with the agency. Her responsibilities include program management and development, overseeing crisis and clinical services to survivors, and direction of the graduate level counseling internship program.
Debra Mitchell-Ibe
Director of People and Culture
Debra has over 25 years’ experience working with families impacted by domestic violence. Her experience includes an array of direct service and leadership positions. The focus of Debra’s current role is taking a people-centric approach to developing, maintaining and implementing systems related to People and Culture throughout DCFOF. Debra is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Texas.
Brittony McNaughton,MA, LPC
Director of Operations
Brittony graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology in 2007. She has been involved with Denton County Friends of the Family since 2003 beginning as a volunteer and going on to serve as a counseling intern. She also worked as a staff counselor in the Battering Intervention and Prevention Program and Victim Outreach Services for several years before moving on to serve in an administrative leadership position in the public mental health field for eight years. Brittony welcomed the opportunity to return to DCFOF. Brittony serves as a member of the executive leadership team and is responsible for oversight of facilities operations, grants management, human resources, Battering Intervention and Prevention Program, and the agency thrift store.
David Almager, MS
Director of Battering Intervention and Prevention Program
David Almager joined DCFOF in the summer of 2017. He is a veteran in the field of family violence having served as a facilitator and program director in four separate state funded Domestic Violence programs. David has worked with both incarcerated and court ordered family violence offenders for over 25 years and was instrumental in the development of the Dallas County Felony Domestic Violence Court Program, specializing in the treatment of high-risk batterers. He has presented at local, state and national trainings in the area of battering intervention and prevention, group facilitation, high-risk offender treatment, and gender-based violence prevention. David holds a Master of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Counseling/Health) from West Texas A&M University.
Donna Bloom, JD
Director of Legal Services
Ms. Bloom has more than twenty-eight years of experience in the domestic violence field, having served as an executive director, community educator and client advocate and since 2008 as the Director of Legal Services where she provides civil legal services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Additionally, Ms. Bloom is seen as an expert in the field throughout the State of Texas and is a sought-after speaker and trainer on the complex issues associated with the intersection between domestic violence and child abuse and neglect.
Hillarye Hightower, MA
Director of Training and Outreach
Ms. Hightower is responsible for coordinating all training and education efforts of the agency. She has worked in the violence against women movement for 15 years, having worn many hats throughout that time. Hightower has consulted with the University of North Texas in Denton to provide training campus-wide and worked with the university to create and hire UNT’s first Victim Advocate in the Dean of Students Office. Hillarye earned her B.A. in Psychology from McMurry University and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from TWU.
Bonet Garcia, JD
Director of Advocacy
Bonet Garcia earned her law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston and her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from St. Edward’s University in Austin. As the Director of Advocacy Services, Ms. Garcia oversees the operation of the Agency’s Advocacy and Crisis services, which includes: crisis line, intakes, safety planning, legal assistance and education, medical and court accompaniment, protective order assistance, crime victims’ compensation application assistance, and facilitating referrals for legal representation, transitional housing, crisis shelters, and counseling services. She implements her criminal justice studies and legal knowledge to establish effective programming in order to respond to clients’ needs, while cultivating self-empowerment and awareness in people and in communities during all stages of crises.
Lori Nelson
Director of Community Engagement
Lori Nelson has been with the agency since September 2019 and has been in the victim services field since 2001. In her role at DCFOF, she strives to build meaningful relationships with organizations that might refer clients to DCFOF and those organizations to which DCFOF might refer clients, with an emphasis on the criminal justice system. Her vision is to create a multidisciplinary team approach, building on the philosophy of a coordinated community response to family violence. Lori is the facilitator of Denton County’s Domestic Violence High-Risk Team (DVHRT) with DCFOF, Denton PD, The Colony PD, the District Attorney’s Office, Probation, and other key parties.
Janna Bell
Director of Residential Services
Janna Bell recently returned to Friends of the Family as the Director of Residential Services. She began her career with us in 2013. She held many position in shelter including Crisis Intervention Specialist, Resident Advocate, and Crisis Line Coordinator. Janna has over ten years of experience working with survivors in emergency shelters. Janna oversees our two emergency shelters and our Transitional Housing program.
Heather Norris
Director of Marketing and Development
Heather Norris joined Denton County Friends of the Family in April 2023. With over 25 years of experience in building relationships and collaborating with community and corporate partners, she brings a rich background in development. Heather has a longstanding relationship with DCFOF, having previously served as a sponsor, volunteer, and board member. As the Director of Marketing and Development, Heather oversees the organization’s fundraising, development, annual events, and marketing efforts. She leads a dedicated team in managing community resource provision, educational initiatives, in-kind donations, and the organization’s social media presence. Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from West Virginia University.
