Who We Are

Tracy is the soul of TEF. She is the main outreach organizer, case manager to clients in need, develops trust with clients by spending quality one-on-one time with each of them; learning their stories, where they come from, and where they wish to go. Being a recovering alcoholic and experiencing homelessness herself, she has qualifications that make her a true leader at TEF. Tracy is our main spokesperson with local county authorities (Dekalb and Chamblee Police Departments, other non-profit cross-collaboration).

Every waking minute outside of her job is poured into TEF. She founded TEF in 2018 but her heart has always been for those in need. Her networking skills to obtain resources is excellent, but what she truly shines at is loving our clients “where they are” and developing trust to move them further into recovery and a “good life.”

Marie manages many aspects of The Elizabeth Foundation programs including coordinating donations/meals, enlisting volunteers, client engagement, outreach, and temporary-to-permanent housing. Marie and her husband Mike’s philosophy is a desire to be the hands and feet of God by serving those in need.

Marie has learned many things watching Tracy’s interactions with those in need. Some of the more important points are building strong ties with clients, spending time with clients, and developing trust which creates a win-win environment for a path to success.

Allen is the past chair of The Elizabeth Foundation’s Board. He continues to coordinate resources for clients, including harm reduction, counseling, resources for mental health issues. He supervises TEF’s interns and helps build relationships with other agencies to further The Elizabeth Foundation’s goals. He bonds with our clients on a personal level based on his social worker background.

Allen works as a primary therapist at Southeast Addiction Center in Norcross, GA, and sees individual clients through his private practice in Decatur. He is also a musician, playing in various bands around Atlanta.

With 20+ years in the U.S. Air Force, Bob brings a great discipline to the Foundation. As Secretary, he is responsible for all things administrative of board management to ensure each meeting is smooth and productive. Bob is also very active as a Foundation volunteer and serves each week in program outreach. Organizing donation drives with his church and local non-profits, Bob is a great asset to our team.

Currently faculty in the medical school at Emory University, Sarah previously spent several years as a social worker in hospice and palliative care. Her research focuses on identifying, understanding, and improving the experiences of people facing structural inequities at end of life. She is especially interested in research efforts to address the serious illness needs of people who live on the street. Sarah began volunteering with The Elizabeth Foundation’s weekly outreach program, providing food and hygiene supplies, and supporting harm reduction efforts. Truly moved by the dedication of The Elizabeth Foundation’s volunteers and the organization’s recognition that simply showing up for people can save lives, Sarah has kept coming back.

John manages weekly outreach of harm reduction supplies to provide for clients, research new opportunities for agency partnerships, and conducts research for new resources for The Elizabeth Foundation. John is a devoted intern at The Elizabeth Foundation and is working on his degree in social work. He is excellent at building relationships with The Elizabeth Foundation clients, learning their stories and providing basic harm reduction supplies on a weekly basis.

Sydney currently serves as a Certified Peer Specialist at Grady Hospital, where she helps patients seeking support for substance use disorders. She holds a B.A from Berry College and has been involved in the greater harm reduction community for the past six years. A new asset to the The Elizabeth Foundation, she coordinates weekly syringe exchanges alongside John and assists in programmatic development. She is extremely passionate about harm reduction, drug education, and overdose prevention.

Pete started his career in HIV and substance use in the late 1980s, working within the developing ‘Mersey Model of Harm Reduction’ in Liverpool, UK. As a Specialist Practitioner in HIV & AIDS, Pete has worked as a Senior Lecturer in Public Health, and National Director for the UKs leading HIV/AIDS Non profit. Pete has developed and delivered services in Europe, Asia and Africa, working extensively with local and national governments and international donors. Before moving to Georgia, Pete managed the largest HIV/STI and harm reduction service in the State of Oregon and managed programs to support unhoused and homeless populations in Vancouver, Washington.

Ella holds a Master of Public Health from Emory University, specializing in behavioral, social, and health education sciences with a certificate in data science. With deep experience in harm reduction, Ella founded and led the Harm Reduction Education and Risk Reduction Organization (HERO). She is deeply committed to overdose prevention and previously served as an Overdose Prevention Specialist with OnPoint NYC, where she reversed more than 200 overdoses. Ella is passionate about combining data analytics, public health, and compassionate care to advance equity and community wellness.

Carson is a PhD student at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. His research focuses on destigmatizing and decriminalizing mental illness and improving access to healthcare among people experiencing homelessness. With The Elizabeth Foundation, he is working on several projects to explore mental health among people experiencing homelessness and to give them a platform for self-advocacy and empowerment through the arts and storytelling.

Carson is connected to multiple organizations serving unhoused people across the city and is passionate about community-centered grassroots organizing to generate political will. His favorite part of outreach is building relationships with clients and listening to their stories.

With over 8 years of experience in health research and project coordination, Pam has contributed to advancing health equity through her work with various government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Pam has long held a passion for the intersection of policy, health and analytics aiming to amplify the voices of the lived experience of underserved community members. With the Elizabeth Foundation she supports outreach and research efforts as well as fosters the development and maintenance of strategic partnerships. Professionally, Pam strives to provide compassionate and comprehensive research analytics for monitoring and surveillance of diseases within populations receiving public assistance including those experiencing house instability and homelessness. She believes community advocacy is commitment to lifelong learning and working collaboratively to find people-centered solutions that prioritize affordability and community health.

Bram is currently a law student at Georgia State University who plans to serve as a public defender upon graduation. Before joining the Elizabeth Foundation, Bram worked as a researcher for the City of Utica, New York, studying best practices to address chronic homelessness. After completing that project, Bram spent two years working with and researching lower-barrier service providers to develop his senior thesis on how to build trust with chronically unhoused communities. Upon graduating from Hamilton College, Bram moved back home to Atlanta and was excited to find a street outreach program that put many of the principles he had studied into practice.