Speakers

Convener, Tamar, Arise · Producer, Women of Faith: Coping With Trauma

Filmmaker · Former Broadcast Reporter

Angela Terrell is a storyteller at heart and the visionary behind the documentary Women of Faith: Coping With Trauma, created so that survivors would have a faith-centered resource to begin healing at home. Her career in communications spans broadcast reporting, business development, and filmmaking, with stints in the newsrooms of CBS News and the Public Broadcasting Service and in public affairs at FEMA and the SBA. Tamar, Arise is the next step in her work: gathering Black women and girls into a safe space to name the truth about childhood sexual abuse and find the way to healing.

Double Board-Certified Pediatrician & Obesity Medicine Specialist

Founder, Generational Health Center · Adjunct Professor, GWU Milken Institute School of Public Health

A double board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, Dr. Hancock founded Generational Health Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where she practices whole-family, prevention-first care. An adjunct professor at the GWU Milken Institute School of Public Health and a trusted national voice on pediatric health equity, she helps families translate evidence into action — so every child has the chance to grow up healthy, supported, and seen.

Service Coordinator, The Coordinating Center · Author & Speaker

Certified Community Health Worker · 21+ Years in Case Management

Racine Smith Williams is a Maryland Certified Community Health Worker and service coordinator at The Coordinating Center, where for more than two decades she has provided complex case management for children and adults. An author and engaging workshop leader, she wrote the children's book Upside Down Is Right Side Up — now part of the Anne Arundel County Public Library System — and visits schools and organizations to help kids build resilience, friendship, and self-affirmation through creative activities and honest conversation.

Founder, Inspired Life · Speaker, Holistic Health Coach & Author

Author, Purposeful Parenting · Former Director, MOMSConnect Ministry, First Baptist Church of Glenarden

Tyra Lane-Kingsland is a speaker, women's ministry leader, health coach, and author committed to seeing women live well holistically. Through her speaking engagements, coaching programs, and books, she equips women to walk in radiant health of the mind, body, and spirit. Tyra holds a Health Minister Certification from Wesley Theological Seminary and is a Certified Natural Health Professional through Trinity School of Natural Health, and has been recognized as a Competent Communicator with Toastmasters International. An avid writer, she is a contributing writer for several Christian publications including iBelieve and Beloved Women. An attentive wife and mother of six, Tyra is on a passionate pursuit to see you LIVING FULLY!

Executive Director, DC Rape Crisis Center

Dr. Indira M. Henard, DSW, MSW, is a nationally recognized executive, advocate, and social worker who leads the DC Rape Crisis Center, one of the first rape crisis centers in the country. With more than two decades in the movement to end violence against women, she grounds her work in survivor-centered, trauma-informed care and an anti-oppression lens. Her experience spans direct service and public policy: she served as a Senate aide to then-Senator Barack Obama and held fellowships with Duke University's Ralph Bunche Institute, the Congressional Truman program, and Georgetown Law's Charles Hamilton Houston program. She has received the national Victim Impact Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and was a 2024 EXCEL Award honoree.

Childhood Studies Researcher · Clinical Professional

Circuit Court for Prince George's County

Dr. Janene Ryan is a researcher, clinical professional, and child welfare advocate who has worked with children for more than twenty years. From 2012 to 2024 she investigated child maltreatment for New Jersey's Division of Children and Families, and she is certified in Disaster Response Crisis Counseling. A Camden native who began college as a young mother, she earned a BA from Rutgers–Camden, an MS in Christian Counseling with a concentration in trauma therapy from Cairn University, and a PhD in Childhood Studies from Rutgers University–Camden. Her research centers on Adverse Childhood Experiences in Black communities, the child welfare and foster care systems, and the psychological impact of racialized trauma on Black children. She is the author of Meant for Good.

Founder & CEO, Liberated Expressions® · Executive Career Strategist

Career Counselor · Adjunct Professor · Podcast Host

Dr. Johnette Ruffner-Ceaser is a speaker, trainer, and career counselor who helps women acknowledge their light and pursue their callings with clarity, confidence, and credibility. After two layoffs, she turned disruption into destiny by founding Liberated Expressions, a firm devoted to the Professional Peace™ of mid- to senior-level women. Her earlier career included national education and policy-training leadership at the NAACP. She is the author of When the Bow Breaks, a children's book that teaches girls to love their natural beauty, and a contributing author of Quarantine Queens.

Founder & Chief Clinical Officer, Clinical and Forensic Associates

Founder, Ayana J. McAllister Legacy Foundation

Dr. Tyreese R. McAllister, LPC, CSOTP, CCTP, is a nationally recognized trauma-informed clinician with more than 30 years in emergency mental health and crisis intervention. She trains thousands of Metropolitan Police officers in Washington, DC, and serves first responders, educators, and communities through her practice. After losing her daughter Ayana to gun violence in 2017, she founded a legacy foundation devoted to violence prevention, youth empowerment, and restorative healing. The author of five books on stigma, trauma, grief, and loss, she received the 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.

Founder, Sacred Rhythms Ministry

Featured in Women of Faith: Coping With Trauma

Sherrell Moore-Tucker is a Christian wellness teacher and the founder of Sacred Rhythms Ministry, which creates sacred spaces where believers can slow down, reconnect with God, and be renewed. With more than a decade in wellness ministry, she is trained in Christian and biblical meditation, trauma-informed movement, and mindful resilience for trauma recovery, and is a certified health minister. An Army veteran, she holds an M.S. from Central Michigan University and is pursuing a Master of Divinity in chaplaincy at Wesley Theological Seminary. Her guided prayers and meditations reach thousands through YouTube and Insight Timer.

Founder & CEO, Virtuous Living · Integrative Nutrition Health Coach

Featured in Women of Faith: Coping With Trauma

Nichole Thomas is a board-certified integrative nutrition health coach, healing strategist, author, and speaker, and the founder of Virtuous Living. She is passionate about women's health, strong families, and helping women care for body and soul as part of their walk with Christ. A featured voice in the documentary Women of Faith: Coping With Trauma, she shares candidly about leading in ministry through a crisis of faith — and finding her way back to healing. She has spoken at women's conferences and healing retreats across the region.

Author, Speaker & Certified Life Coach

Featured in Women of Faith: Coping With Trauma

Ivy Fuller Williams is an author, speaker, and certified life coach who helps women move past trauma to live an authentic life. A passionate supporter of sexual assault survivors, she empowers others to go beyond their past and walk boldly into their future. She holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in Family Ministry from Barclay College, and is a 2019 Prince George's County Forty Under 40 honoree. Ivy has been featured on Great Day Washington and WUSA9, and is the author of the children's book Hannah's Visit with Nana.

Behavioral Healthcare Executive · Author & Speaker

Featured in Women of Faith: Coping With Trauma

Alicia Dalton is a behavioral healthcare executive, author, and speaker with 20 years of experience in the field, including service as a substance abuse counselor and leadership roles in health departments and outpatient mental health clinics. Her passion is promoting quality healthcare for the under-served. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wayne State University and an M.A. in Healthcare Administration from Siena Heights University. In the film, she shares how faith carried her through trauma to the other side — to "joy, unspeakable joy."

Deputy State's Attorney for Charles County, Maryland

25+ Years as a Career Prosecutor

Karen Piper Mitchell is a veteran prosecutor with more than 25 years of dedicated public service in Maryland courts, guided by a deep commitment to justice, fairness, and community safety. After clerking for Judge Sherrie L. Krauser in the Prince George's County Circuit Court, she began her career as an Assistant State's Attorney for Charles County, and in 2011 became the first woman appointed Deputy State's Attorney there. She now manages the daily operations of an office of more than 60 attorneys and staff, bringing extensive trial experience across cases including homicide, violent crime, sexual offenses, and juvenile matters, and she trains prosecutors and law enforcement statewide. A Duke University alumna and Georgetown Law graduate, she is a steadfast advocate for putting victims first.

Founder & COO, Marilyn Lacy Ministries

Featured in Women of Faith: Coping With Trauma

Marilyn Lacy is an author, speaker, and advocate who turned her own survival of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence into a ministry of healing for others. Born and raised in Baltimore City and a widow raising eight children, she is the founder and COO of Marilyn Lacy Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit that ministers to and advocates for survivors of abuse, and the owner of Restored by Marilyn. She serves Prince George's County as a court liaison for survivors, a volunteer with the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center, and a reentry group facilitator for women returning from prison. A graduate of Denver Seminary's Urban Initiative Lay Ministry Program, she is pursuing a Master of Divinity there. In the film, she shares how God carried her from feeling empty and without hope to a life of purpose.