Agency Leadership
Kim Reese – Vice President of Operations
VP of Operations, Kimberly Reese’s business acumen instills trust in all of our fund contributors, while accomplishing Oasis Center’s mission of helping youth succeed. Kimberly’s 15 years of financial experience encompasses operational and financial management. Before her current officer position, she served as the Oasis Center’s Financial Services Director for 8 solid years. She holds a BBA with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Memphis and a Masters in Public Administration from Tennessee State University.
Mark Dunkerley – Vice President of Development
mdunkerley@oasiscenter.org
Mark was first drawn to Oasis as a volunteer and was immediately blown away by the agency’s work and the staff’s creative spirit. Shortly after beginning as a volunteer, he started a small craft beer company, Jubilee, that donates half of its profit to Oasis. After several months of promoting Oasis as a volunteer, Mark jumped at the opportunity to join the staff in August of 2010. Prior to his involvement with Oasis, Mark spent eight years doing sports marketing and development for college athletics. A native Nashvillian, he did his undergrad at Vanderbilt and received an MBA from the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State. Mark is a big fan of barbecue and is writing a book on his travels across the country in search of the best barbecue. So far it’s the Bar-B-Q Shop in Memphis, followed by LC’s in Kansas City.
Judy Freudenthal – Senior Director of Youth Engagement and Action
Dr. Judy Freudenthal is a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 25 years experience working with youth and families, and directs Oasis Center’s prevention services. She attended Metro Nashville Public Schools, and received her doctorate in Human Development Counseling from Vanderbilt University. Judy is a well-respected trainer in her field. Under her leadership, Oasis Center has received many distinctions, including the Model Prevention Program in Tennessee by the Southeastern Center for the Application of Prevention Technology and the Innovation Program of the Year (“Oasis Across Ages”) by the Tennessee Association of Homes for the Aging. Judy herself was named the 2002 Prevention Professional of the Year for Middle Tennessee by the Tennessee Department of Health. She serves on numerous community and statewide committees, and is on the Board of Nashville Prevention Partnership and Homework Hotline. Dr. Judy also is a Vanderbilt Adjunct Professor, teaching multiculturalism and diversity to graduate counseling students.
Cheryl Neville-Mendez – Senior Director of Clinical and Residential Services
Cheryl Neville Mendez is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years experience working with youth and families as a teacher, coach, counselor, administrator, and consultant. Her experience spans from pre-schoolers to adults with an emphasis in adolescents, family therapy and group work. Cheryl is recognized for her leadership in innovative programming and curriculum development with juvenile justice involved youth and foster care families. She has worked in residential, outpatient and home-based settings, and is a sought after trainer and group facilitator in such varied areas as advancing youth development, anger management, alcohol and drug prevention, teen court, domestic violence prevention and intervention, and family preservation.
Deniece Ferguson – Director of Youth Action
Deniece Ferguson, M.S., prides herself on being a servant leader and currently serves in
the role of Director of Youth Action. She joined the Oasis family in May 2005 as the Program Director of AmeriCorps and has since helped strengthen the youth-adult partnerships through a social justice lens. In addition to her program development role, she is an adept experiential trainer in youth development and community engagement. Prior to Oasis, Deniece served as an advocate for marginalized communities in various roles (family therapist, child and family advocate, arts education trainer, and program manager). She resides at the intersection of race, class, and gender.
Michelle Hall – Director of Transitional Living
Michelle Hall, BSSW, has been working with youth for 11 plus years as they transition from youth to adulthood. She received her degree from Trevecca Nazarene University where she studied Social Work, Human Relations and Communications. Michelle specializes in working with youth in residential settings. She has worked with youth and families experiencing crisis in the Emergency Shelter, youth as they aged out of foster care, and youth who have experienced homelessness. Since 2004, she has served as director of Transitional Living Services. Currently, Michelle is focused on working with youth as they use their experience of injustice to develop their leadership skills and make change in their communities.
Shanda Hampton- Director of Human Resources
Shanda Hampton has called Oasis home for over 15 years. After receiving her BA in Psychology from Western Kentucky University, Shanda came to Oasis Center as a relief counselor at the emergency youth shelter. She continued to work at the shelter for 8 years and served as the Shelter Coordinator before transitioning to the administrative side of the agency in Human Resources. 2 years ago, Shanda took on her current role as the Director of Human Resources. She continues to be amazed every day by her extraordinary co-workers, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for Oasis Center.
Tammy Roth – Director of Crisis Services
Tammy Roth is a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 10 years of clinical
experience as well as 15 years of corporate organizational development experience. She earned two master’s degrees from Vanderbilt both focused on human development. Her clinical experience includes in-home counseling with Youth Villages, addiction counseling at Renewal House and out-patient counseling at Oasis Center. She also opened the Holistic Growth Center and spent 6 years in private practice focusing on alternative healing methods.
