Our Team

Safe Families for Children is both volunteer-driven and professionally-supported, with our dedicated volunteers leading our community efforts while our professional team provides essential support and structure.

Alana Dennis

State Director of Ohio

National Director of Leadership and Culture

Alana and her husband, Myrick, and their three children live in Cleveland. They were a part of the launch team for the Northeast Ohio chapter forming in 2014, following engaging in the Safe Families movement for 5 years in Chicago prior. Alana is passionate about families in the city thriving and staying together. The Dennis family loves being engaged as a Host Family.

Alana is a Board-Certified Music Therapist and Child Life Specialist, having worked many years with children with special needs and those that experienced trauma. She holds a BM in Voice and Music Therapy from Ohio University, a MS in Child Development from Erikson Institute, a Graduate Certificate in Child/Adolescent Psychology and Traumatology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, as well as multiple certificates in Biblical Counseling through CCEF/Westminster Seminary.

Jessie Manning

Chapter Director

Jessie Manning holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Science in Reading Education. Her professional career began in classrooms in the DC Metro Area as an Educator teaching grades K-3. After becoming a certified Reading Specialist, she moved into the role of Instructional Support Coach supporting small groups of students and staff. Her family moved first to Texas in 2014, then to Cleveland in 2016, where she worked full-time at home with her four young children.

She and her husband, Jason, and their four children have been volunteering as a Host Family and Family Friend since 2016. Her skills in building connections with both children and families led her to join the staff of Safe Families for Children in 2020. She first served as the Family Coach Supervisor and now as the Chapter Director. The intersection of her calling to love as Christ loves and serve her community, drives the work she does with Safe Families for Children.

Amy Higham

Family Coach Supervisor

Amy and her husband Jay have raised 5 children and served in full time youth and Family ministry for the past 30 years in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They moved to Cleveland in 2025. Amy earned a Bachelors in Psychology with a minor in Social Work from the University of Maryland Baltimore. Along with working full-time raising their children, she has held various part-time positions in school and childcare settings. Most recently she served teens with disabilities and their families as the Young Life Capernaum Coordinator of the Ohio Valley and Mountain State Region of West Virginia.

Amy believes that families are the cornerstone of the community and is passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus by encouraging and supporting families of all sizes and from all communities. Her role as Family Coach Supervisor will allow her education, faith and many real-life experiences, to support families in Northeast Ohio.

Leadership Council

Members of the community who build connections with our partners, support outreach events, and provide input on the growth and sustainability of Safe Families for Northeast Ohio.

Denique “Neeky” Dennis-Young

Neeky is passionate about walking alongside children and families – offering support, care, and community when it’s needed most. She is a social worker by training and is currently a Senior Consultant at a community and economic development consultancy.

She lives in Cleveland Heights with her husband and together they serve as a Host Family with Safe Families for Children. Opening their home to families in need has been a meaningful way for them to put their faith into action; creating a space of safety, encouragement, and care during times of crisis.

She is honored to serve on the Leadership Council for Safe Families for Children and to support a mission that reflects her belief that families thrive when they are surrounded by compassionate community and that no one should have to face hardship alone.

Jenn Mesko

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jenn moved to Cleveland in 2005 to attend Case Western Reserve School of Law. She has accumulated vast experience as a partner at Tucker Ellis in class actions spanning a variety of areas, including insurance, data breach, securities fraud, consumer claims, and warranty and product liability litigation. In her spare time, Jenn enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters, running with her Rhodesian Ridgeback, and competing in triathlons. She provides valuable advice and connections in the community to Safe Families.

Petar Nenadov

Petar and his family are long-time residents of the Akron-Medina area. He received his Master of Divinity from Ashland Theological Seminar and serves as a pastor at Lakeside Christian Church in Akron, Ohio since 2009. His church has partnered with Safe Families since 2019 and values the work Safe Families does in reflecting the love of our heavenly Father as described in Psalm 146 – lifting up those who are bowed down, watching over the sojourners, and upholding the widow and the fatherless. Petar has helped Safe Families grow in the Greater Cleveland area through his pastoral network connections.

JoLyn Yasaki

Originally from Pennsylvania, JoLyn moved to Cleveland in 2011. Her professional career began as a paralegal. In 2017, she and her husband Shaun opened Noble Beast Brewing Co. (a fantastic brewery and restaurant!) – combining their expertise and passions of brewing knowledge and financial management. JoLyn serves as the Director of Operations at Noble Beast. She brings this skill set to Safe Families in her guidance on growth and development. She and her family live in Ohio City and love exploring the city and all of its breweries! “The ruin of a nation begins in the home of its people” is an African Proverb that propels her work with Safe Families. She sees Safe Families offering a way to strengthen and support families, and therefore the community at-large.

Our volunteers are the driving force behind the Safe Families movement. It takes many people working in various capacities to support families who are going through difficult circumstances. These dedicated volunteers live out our core values of radical hospitality, disruptive generosity, and intentional compassion. Volunteers serve a variety of roles from hosting children for a temporary period of time to wrapping support around a family in intentional friendship to helping provide tangible items.