Unified Solutions is proud of its highly-qualified and diverse team of staff, consultants, project partners, and mentors. Providing fresh insight and relevant, skills-based practices that can be applied immediately in the workplace, these respected professionals deliver valuable information and assistance to tribal community programs. They share their own personal and professional experiences from the heart and provide a level of support that reinforces the strength and dignity of tribal cultures.
Unified Solutions Technical Assistance Staff
Stanley L. Pryor
Executive Director
stan@unified-solutions.org
Stanley Pryor has more than 25 years experience in providing technical assistance and training to federal, state, and local governments; community-based organizations and advocacy groups in program development, needs assessment, community partnerships and planning. His faculty appointments include the Georgetown University, School of Medicine (Research Associate) and the Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Social Work (Assistant Professor). Since 1976 he has worked in the human services field with vulnerable populations including crime victims, people with disabilities, American Indian/Alaska Native groups, and young children. As a senior program manager for ICF International, he served as project director for the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) contract, managing the delivery of technical assistance and training to federal, state, local and tribal victim service providers and allied professionals across the Nation. Throughout his career Mr. Pryor has gained expertise in designing, developing and implementing adult learning training and technical assistance initiatives for the federal government (Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services), universities (e.g., Georgetown University, Virginia Commonwealth University), and state and local faith-based and community organizations. He managed the development of numerous training curricula and materials and Technical Assistance toolkits, including Strategic Planning Tool Kit for Victim Service Organizations, Victim Notification and Safety in Relation to Offender Reentry, The Essential Elements of State Child Care Administration, and Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect of Disabled Preschoolers.
As Project Director for OVC TTAC, his responsibilities included project management, coordination with OVC senior management, budget development, and coordination and delivery of training and technical assistance (TTA) to the field of victim services. He was the principle presenter for OVC at national conferences related to OVC TTAC, facilitated OVC national symposiums, the Victims of Crime Act Administrators and Tribal Victim Assistance working group, and the DOJ OVC/ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) federal working group on Anti-Trafficking task forces. He developed the training and technical assistance contractual system for OVC TTAC. This work included developing the infrastructure and written guidelines for the OVC technical assistance response to requests from both federal and non-profit agencies, the review and approval policies and procedures for the OVC scholarship, conference support and conduct guidelines for all OVC consultants. Additionally, he was a strategic OVC partner in the design and implementation the OVC training strategy; developing Technical Assistance blurbs for the OVC annual Report to Congress, and the re-design of the OVC National Victim Assistance Academy. Most recently he managed and facilitated a six month series of meetings for the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), bringing more the 16 Federal agencies together as a working group to determine the technical assistance and training needs of the 42 BJA funded Anti-Human Trafficking task forces. He managed the development of the final report to the General Accounting Office on the working group which provides the framework for future training and technical assistance to the task forces.
Dianne Barker-Harrold
Project Director
Cherokee
dianne@unified-solutions.org
A member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Barker-Harrold has lived her entire life in Northeastern Oklahoma. She attended Northeastern State University and graduated cum laude with a Bachelors in Social Work and Psychology with a double minor in Criminal Justice and Humanities. She obtained her Juris Doctor at the University Of Tulsa College Of Law. Since that time, she has served as a district attorney for eight years and was in private practice for 18 years. While in private practice, she served as tribal court judge for 13 Indian Tribes in Oklahoma. In 1994 she was elected District Attorney for the 27th Prosecutorial District of Oklahoma and served two, four-year terms in that capacity. In February 2003, she was appointed Attorney General for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees in Oklahoma and currently serves in that capacity.
Dianne Barker-Harrold has taught as an adjunct professor for 10 years at NSU in Tahlequah and currently teaches at Bacone College as an adjunct instructor in the area of business law. She has been a contract trainer for the Oklahoma Regional Community Policing Institute training law enforcement agencies throughout the State of Oklahoma in the areas of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking. She is co-owner and partner of Three Starr Consulting where she serves as a gaming consultant and she serves as a contract trainer for USTCDGI in Tucson, Arizona. Ms. Barker-Harrold is also a certified trainer for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. She is married to a law enforcement officer and has three daughters and six grandchildren. Her hobbies are gardening and cross stitching and crafts.
Melissa E. Riley
Project Director
Mescalero Apache Tribe
melissa@unified-solutions.org
Melissa is the former Faith-Based Program Manager for Unified Solutions. Since the onset of the Faith-Based Project, she has co-authored a 10 module training curriculum for Faith-Based Grantees and continues to develop culturally appropriate training materials for the Native and Alaska Native communities she works with. She continues to conduct research and provide training and technical assistance to Faith-Based Grantees. She is also assisting in the development of a Best Practices Video that will highlight the successes of the Faith-Based Project in Indian Country.
Melissa has several years of work experience with tribal communities in Arizona and New Mexico. She is a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe of New Mexico. Melissa has been able to use her own culture, tradition, work experience, and education to assist Native and Alaska Native communities to enhance and sustain community programs that work towards social justice and health promotion. Her work experience includes the field of social work, behavioral health, education, and medical services in rural and urban programs. She has successfully developed human service programs that target services for victims of crime and offenders by utilizing whole-health concepts from a traditional perspective.
Melissa also serves as the only Native American Adjunct Professor at a New Mexico State branch community college where she provides instruction on curriculum development and implementation for undergraduate students majoring in education, early childhood development and criminal justice. Melissa is a graduate of New Mexico State University (NMSU) at Las Cruces where she received her Master's degree in Education, specializing in Curriculum and Instruction and a minor in Counseling and Educational Psychology. She also received a Bachelor of Human and Community Services, with a double-minor in Criminal Justice and Community Health. She is now a doctoral student at NMSU pursuing a degree in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in Critical Pedagogies and Multicultural Education.
Gayle Thom
Project Director
gayle@unified-solutions.org
A 24-year veteran of the criminal justice field, Gayle Thom recently retired from the FBI during her 10th year as a victim specialist for the FBI Rapid Deployment and Evidence Response Teams. Ms. Thom was one of six Bureau personnel nationwide tapped for the FBI American Indian/Alaska Native Advisory Committee.
In October 2006, she received the highest award bestowed on FBI employees, The Director’s Award for Excellence, for her response to the tragic Red Lake Nation School shooting in Minnesota. She was honored with the National Crime Victims Rights Week Award in 2001 and in 2004 for outstanding dedication, service and contribution on behalf of crime victims in Indian Country.
For seven years, Ms. Thom was assigned to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, assisting victims of crime in Indian Country. Most recently, she was assigned to the Pine Ridge Reservation, where she received the Oglala Lakota Nation Dedicated Service Honor in May 2004 and again in 2009.
Ms. Thom was appointed to the Tribal Victim Assistance Advisory Committee in 2007 by Unified Solutions Tribal Community Development Group, Inc. She also serves on the Children’s Justice Act Advisory Committee, which wrote the Partnerships for Indian Communities Report in July 2008, for the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, through the Tribal Law and Policy Institute. An FBI-certified trainer, she has lectured and trained throughout the U.S. and in Canada in a variety of criminal justice capacities.
Jesucita Hernandez
Program Manager
Pasqua Yaqui
jesucita@unified-solutions.org
Jesucita Hernandez is a Program Manager for Unified Solutions Tribal Community Development Group, Inc. She is an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and Native Arizonan, where she grew up in the town of Guadalupe, Arizona. While pursuing her degree in Business Management and Marketing from the University of Phoenix, Jesucita worked for Tempe School District as a school liaison. There she learned more about the legal aspects of truancy and assisted the court with helping families in crisis situations. Realizing that she had a servant's heart in working for people and wanted to give back to her community and her people, she pursued a position in victim services with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's Walking in Balance Program.
In April of 2003, Miss Hernandez was hired as a family violence intervention outreach worker. She formed a crisis response team to eliminate the gaps between other agencies and the Pascua Yaqui Tribal agencies. This team assisted in finding other resources that were available to assist victims of crime. As time moved forward, Miss Hernandez was able to bring speakers and trainers to the team, as they educated team members and elevated their own knowledge and expertise. Jesucita was selected by the team to chair and facilitate the crisis response team, now known as the Guadalupe Intervention Support Advocacy Team, which continues to thrive today. This program continues to grow and provide increased funding for the Walking in Balance Victim Services, which was an OVC and OVW funded program begun at Pascua Yaqui in 1996. First as an advocate and then as program manager for the Walking in Balance Program, Jesucita continued to educate communities and provide victim advocacy for victims of domestic violence.
Jesucita acknowledges the Walking in Balance Program for providing her the opportunity to work directly with victims of crime and provide advocacy, support, and hope. She also credits Unified Solutions Executive Director Gina Gavaris for her guidance, counsel, and encouragement, and says that surrounding oneself with people of experience and knowledge will give you the wisdom and strength to continue to fight for any cause, but most importantly for people. Today she loves working with teens and serves as a youth minister for her church. Jesucita is also thankful for the opportunities made available to her through Unified Solutions and looks forward to working together for results that matter
Sherri Stearns
Office Coordinator
sherri@unified-solutions.org
Sherri Stearns is the Office Coordinator for Unified Solutions Tribal Community Development Group, Inc. Sherri has over 20-years of various experience working in the office environment, and in the advertising, marketing, and printing industries. Sherri is currently taking online classes through the University of Phoenix and will complete her Bachelor of Science in Business in Communications degree in June 2010.
Born in New Jersey, Sherri lived in many places growing-up such as Germany, California, South Dakota, and Ohio. Sherri currently lives in Casa Grande, Arizona with her husband Alex who is Lakota and an enrolled member of the Sioux tribe from Ft. Peck in Poplar, Montana.
Sherri and Alex originally met in New Jersey where they both lived and played together as children. With life taking each of them in separate directions, Alex and Sherri bumped into each other in April of 2001 on the Amtrak while Alex was traveling from Arizona to New York to visit friends and Sherri was returning to Ohio from Silver City, New Mexico where she was visiting her grandmother. Alex and Sherri married about six months later.
Alex and Sherri have three dogs, six cats, and two thoroughbred horses currently residing at home with them. They enjoy traveling to Ft. Peck to visit family, and attend the annual Poplar Indian Days over Labor Day weekend. She enjoys her days spent with the Ft. Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal Community and appreciates the time spent with family and friends. Having great respect for Tribal Elders, listening to stories told by Dad Manny, and learning about traditions from Mom Aleta, are two of Sherri’s favorite things.
Sherri is very excited to work with and learn from the Unified Solutions family. She believes that anything is possible when people work together. She also believes that communication is vital and a key to success. Sherri looks forward to learning more about each grantee program and the amazing work they are doing to assist victims of crime with their tribal communities.
Devennie Wauneka
Research & Publication Specialist
Navajo
devennie@unified-solutions.org
Devennie Wauneka is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, born and raised in Ft. Defiance, Arizona. Her parents, Ronni and Sam Wauneka, are both dedicated to helping the Navajo community through law enforcement and elderly care. Devennie grew up hearing stories passed down through generations from her grandmother, aunts, and parents. This empowered her to create, study, and preserve stories. Devennie left home at the age of 14 to attend Native American Preparatory School in Rowe, New Mexico to further her studies in the written and spoken word. She joined the Poetry Slam team and was Editor of the Yearbook, attending various writing-thinking workshops during the summers.
In 2001, she was accepted to Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York where she studied English and Non-Fiction. Being one of few Native Americans, she was able to create her own curriculum to further analyze Native American and African American texts. Along the way, she had the pleasure of studying Italian Literature in Florence, Italy and traveled throughout Europe. Devennie graduated from Sarah Lawrence in 2006 receiving a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Literature and a minor in Creative Non-Fiction.
Her experience also included an internship at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Indian in New York, where she worked in the Film and Video Center helping set up for the Native American Film Festival. After moving from the East Coast, she traveled the southwestern states, reconnecting with grandparents, family members, and the surrounding homelands.
Sophine H. Thompson
Research & Publication Specialist
Navajo
sophine@unified-solutions.org
Sophine H. Thompson, a Unified Solutions Research and Publications Specialist, is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Tohatchi, New Mexico. Sophine graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2003, receiving a B.A. in University Studies, and hopes to return to graduate school to receive a degree in Social Work or another Human Services related field.
Sophine’s professional experience includes working for the Navajo Nation Washington Office in Washington, D.C., ACKCO, Inc. (American Indian professional services), and as the VISTA Supervisor for the National Society for American Indian Elderly in Phoenix, Ariz.
Her parents are Irvin Thompson and the late, Louella M. Dennison-Thompson. Sophine says her sisters, late brothers and extended family members were also important influences in her life, and she much appreciates her family’s support throughout the years. She strives to be a positive role model to youth and to honor her Elders. Sophine drinks eight cups of water daily, is a devoted power-walker, and a fan of laughter. She is dedicated to seeking positive outcomes, promoting healthy living, and meeting the needs of people in Indian Country.
Linda Palmer
Business Manager
linda@unified-solutions.org
Linda Palmer has been a consultant with Unified Solutions since February 2006. After working in the administrative field for over 20 years, Linda established her own business providing bookkeeping and other confidential office services to clients from her Tucson home. Linda interacts with our accountants and auditors and handles day-to-day financial services for Unified Solutions. She also coordinates travel for our employees and consultants.
Besides working with non-profits, Linda’s clients include people in the medical field, publishers, craftsmen, retail merchants and other consultants.
