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Executive Leadership

One Hope United is led by a President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO is informed by an executive team comprised of Chief Officers and Vice Presidents in operating divisions and Executive Directors of service lines. Together, the Executive Leadership Team guides Hope Members in the OHU Promise to drive excellence, accelerate impact and transform lives.  

Damon CEO

Damon Cates

President

Chief Executive Officer

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Sarah headshot photo

Sarah Tunning

Executive Vice President

Chief Operating Officer

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Ken CFO Advisor

Ken Wiersum

Executive Vice President

Chief Financial and Strategy Officer

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Eva Penar

Vice President

Government and External Affairs

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Reyan McFadden

Vice President

Human Resources

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Anslem Elumogo-Gardner

Vice President

Strategic Initiatives

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Elizabeth M. Hopkins

Vice President

Illinois

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Josie Bayona

Executive Director

Hope Houses

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Dennis Delgado

Dennis Delgado

Executive Director

Community-Based Family Support and Illinois Residential Services

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Juliana Harms

Juliana Harms

Executive Director

Illinois Clinical Services

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Felicia Patterson

Executive Director

Florida Services

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Damon CEO

Damon Cates, EdD

Dr. Damon Cates has been the President & CEO of One Hope United since 2024. The OHU Board of Directors asked Damon to serve as Interim President & CEO in 2023. A leader in fundraising with more than 25 years of experience, Damon previously had headed up OHU’s philanthropy and constituent engagement efforts. As President and CEO, Damon currently leads the development of OHU’s long- and short- term strategies, manages overall operations and resources, serves as OHU’s primary spokesperson and evaluates and tracks OHU’s success in reaching its goals. Damon’s accomplishments include his leadership in fundraising at both state and federal levels, cultivating stronger relationships with legislative leaders in Illinois, Florida, and nationally. He successfully guided the organization through its COA reaccreditation process, implemented initiatives to strengthen collaboration and teamwork, helped shape and share the OHU story and established the OHU Promise to set the vision and priorities for the near future.

Damon received a BA from Millikin University, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an EdD from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined One Hope United from the University of Chicago, where, for over 16 years of service, he led alumni relations and development programs for several of the University’s academic units, also serving as director of a multi-billion dollar university-wide fundraising campaign. In addition to UChicago, Damon has also held leadership fundraising positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University.

Damon is a sought-after speaker who regularly presents at conferences. He has published articles on enhancing constituent engagement and building organizational capacity. Damon was also appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to the Illinois Youth Budget Commission in 2023 and DCFS’ Child Welfare Advisory Committee in 2024.  

Sarah headshot photo

Sarah Tunning, LMHC

Sarah Tunning, LMHC, brings more than 25 years of experience in the child welfare sector as both a social worker and therapist. Before becoming Chief Operating Officer at One Hope United, she served in several key leadership roles, including Chief Program Officer, Executive Director of Florida, and Senior Vice President of Continuous Quality Improvement.

Sarah’s career began in foster care and investigations with the Florida Department of Children and Families. She later spent a decade directing mental health programs before returning to child welfare, where she continues to integrate her deep expertise in mental health and substance abuse into her leadership.

Throughout her career, Sarah has championed quality initiatives in mental health, from developing and redesigning curricula to teaching at the college level. She holds a Master of Mental Health Counseling from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of Social Work from Malone University in Canton, Ohio.

Ken CFO Advisor

Ken Wiersum, MBA

Ken Wiersum is a CFO Advisor, overseeing financial operations on an interim basis. Ken is a University of Chicago MBA and senior finance leader with over 30 years of progressive finance experience. Across a series of consulting and interim CFO assignments, Ken has implemented finance process improvements and fostered metrics-driven cultures that recognize the importance of accountability and operational clarity. Ken draws on financial management skills honed in senior finance roles (Controller, Chief Accounting Officer, and CFO) at such companies as Bank of America, The Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Zacks Investment Research, and Harris Investments to drive value for not-for-profit organizations in healthcare and in the behavioral healthcare arena. 
 
Over the past decade, Ken has served in interim CFO, full-time CFO, and CFO advisor roles at Illinois Health & Hospital Association, Hoyleton Youth and Family Services, and Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart School. In his engagements, Ken has reviewed and helped transform his clients’ Revenue Cycle Management function spanning client billing, payment processing, and A/R reconcilement across a complex mix of public and private payers. He has also helped drive improvements in A/P and expense management and financial/grant/government reporting. In addition to these areas Ken has employed his extensive experience in real estate and properties, driving mergers and acquisitions, performing cashflow analysis and liquidity management, facilitating grant compliance, and managing year-end audits. Through his many roles in not-for-profit organizations, Ken has developed the highly valued skill of developing relationships with state regulators, auditors, boards of directors, and grant funders.

Eva Penar

Eva Penar is an accomplished communications and marketing leader with extensive experience building brands, leading campaigns, and elevating civic engagement initiatives. Most recently, she served as Chief Content and Communications Officer at the Executives’ Club of Chicago, where she launched a new brand, website, podcast, and program template.

Previously, Eva was Director of Marketing and Communications at The Chicago Community Trust, where she developed branding and messaging for the landmark “We Are Chicago” $1 billion endowment campaign. She also helped design the On the Table ambassador program, which became a viral civic engagement initiative generating more than 17 million digital impressions, and partnered with the Sun-Times Foundation to establish the Community Match Program, providing visibility and funding to nonprofits across the region. Eva also led the branding for the Trust’s new headquarters in 2012, creating an immersive visitor experience that highlighted the Trust’s mission and impact. Earlier, she served as Manager of Public Relations, increasing visibility for the Trust and elevating the work of its grantees and donors.

Her earlier career includes roles as Marketing Manager for Time Out Chicago, where she helped launch the magazine in the Chicago market; five years at the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, where she supported a major expansion and high-profile exhibitions such as The Gelman Collection: Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and 20th Century Mexican Art; and communications roles with the Chicago Millennium Celebration under the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. Her work has earned recognition including a Chicago Emmy Award in 2004 for a Univision public-service announcement she coordinated.

Eva has been recognized as a “Super Connector” by Time Out Chicago (2009) and represented Chicago internationally at the Korea Foundation Summit (2019) and Young Atlanticist Summit during NATO Chicago (2012). She has held leadership roles with professional networks including CommA, NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network), and the NTEN Nonprofit Tech Club Chicago Chapter, and has contributed her expertise to cultural and community organizations such as the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Jackson Chance Foundation.

Fluent in Polish and Spanish, Eva brings both global perspective and deep local commitment to her work, consistently building connections that strengthen communities and amplify impact. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from University of Illinois Chicago and a certificate in Data Driven Marketing from Cornell University.

Reyan McFadden, MBA

As Vice President of Human Resources at One Hope United, Reyan McFadden leads the organization’s people strategy and oversees all aspects of HR operations, talent development, and organizational effectiveness. With more than a decade of progressive HR leadership experience, she has built a strong track record of driving transformation, improving workforce engagement, and aligning people practices with business goals.

Reyan has held key HR leadership roles across both nonprofit and corporate sectors. Her career has spanned responsibilities in employee relations, talent acquisition, compliance, payroll transitions, and organizational development, giving her a broad perspective on how to build effective, people-centered systems.

At One Hope United, Reyan is leading efforts to strengthen recruitment pipelines, reduce turnover, and create sustainable HR processes that ensure accuracy, equity, and compliance. She is particularly passionate about cultivating inclusive workplace cultures where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential.

Dedicated to both organizational success and individual growth, Reyan brings a collaborative, solution-focused leadership style that reflects her belief that people are at the heart of every strong organization. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.

Anslem Elumogo-Gardner, MBA

As Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Anslem Elumogo-Gardner is responsible for building the organizational foundation that drives strategic efforts and transformation at One Hope United. His work ensures that OHU’s mission not only grows in impact but does so sustainably—with systems that are both mission-driven and operationally sound.

With more than 15 years of executive leadership experience, Anslem has led strategy, operations, and finance across the nonprofit, arts, and business sectors. Prior to joining OHU, he served as Head of Strategy & Operations at AdvanceEDU, Chief of Staff at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and Vice President of Operations & Program Impact at Greater Southwest Development Corporation, one of Chicago’s largest community development organizations.

The majority of Anslem’s professional and volunteer life has been devoted to advancing communities and families—a commitment he describes as the work that “feeds his soul.” He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Eastern Connecticut State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, where he now serves on the DU Alumni Council.

Elizabeth M. Hopkins, MJ

Elizabeth M. Hopkins is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in regulatory compliance, quality improvement, and social service program management. Her career began in mental health services as a case manager and counselor, and she later served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), acting as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) for children in the Illinois court system. In addition, Elizabeth has held leadership roles across multiple social service organizations, consistently championing excellence and equity in care.

She previously served One Hope United in several impactful roles, including Director of Continuous Quality Improvement & Reporting, Manager of Special Projects, and Medicaid Coordinator. During her tenure, she led quality initiatives across more than 20 programs, developed agency-wide policies, created staff training curricula, and was honored with the 2018 Fully Contribute Value Award for her outstanding contributions. Elizabeth is widely recognized as a Medicaid expert, with a deep understanding of program compliance, service delivery, and funding mechanisms that support vulnerable populations.

Elizabeth also contributed to national standards of excellence as a former Council on Accreditation (COA) reviewer, helping ensure that human service organizations across the country meet rigorous benchmarks for quality and accountability.

Most recently, she expanded her expertise in the corporate sector as a Corporate Compliance Manager for a global durable medical equipment company. In this role, she gained valuable skills that directly benefit the social service environment, including:

  • Strategic risk identification and mitigation
  • Enterprise-level policy development based on regulatory best practices
  • Scalable training design using digital tools and learning management systems
  • Cross-functional collaboration with legal, HR, and operations teams
  • Data-driven communication strategies to enhance staff engagement and transparency

Elizabeth holds a Master of Jurisprudence (MJ) in Child and Family Law from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in Biopsychology, with a minor in French, from Saint Joseph’s College.

Josie Bayona, Psy. S.

Joselyn “Josie” Bayona has been with One Hope United since 2019, first overseeing One Hope United’s Family Support Services Program in Palm Beach County and then becoming the Director of Programs, in 2020, overseeing our Residential Line of service known as Hope Houses. In early 2024, she was promoted to Senior Director of Programs as the Residential line of services continued to expand with 9 homes throughout the state.

She brings over 30 years of knowledge and a wealth of experience working with at-risk youth. Beginning her career in the Substance Abuse Field, in her hometown of New Jersey, she helped develop and implement an Early Intervention and Intensive Outpatient Program during her 10 years working at an Adolescent Substance Abuse Outpatient Program. In moving to Florida, she continued her work with teens involved in the Juvenile Justice System, specifically as the Program Director for Pace Center for Girls in Palm Beach and with the Palm Beach County School District for 14 years. During her time working with the Juvenile Justice Program, she became involved with the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board where she was able to collaborate with other community stakeholders focused on improving the quality of life for at-risk teens. 

Josie is also a School Psychologist and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Seton Hall University, a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Montclair State University, a Master’s Degree and Psy. S. In School Psychology from Nova Southeastern University.

Dennis Delgado

Dennis Delgado, LPC, NCC

Dennis Delgado, LPC, NCC has served One Hope United in various capacities over the past 10 years and has 15 years of experience in child welfare/community services. He began his career working in Youth Outreach Programs while simultaneously employed as a psychiatric technician assisting children and adolescents with their mental health needs. In his tenure with One Hope United, Dennis has transitioned to several leadership roles including Director of Programs and Senior Vice President of Community Based Family Services (CBFS). He currently leads CBFS state-wide programming, consisting of Intact Family Services, Foster Care, Behavioral Health and Youth Outreach.

As a first-generation minority of the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, Dennis is an advocate of the Latinx movement and social justice reform. He also is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Juliana Harms

Juliana Harms, LCSW, ACSW, C-ACYFSW

Juliana Harms, LCSW, ACSW, C-ACYFSW, received her BS in Human Development/Family Ecology and MSW from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and began work with survivors of violent crimes as the Victim-Witness Coordinator in the Livingston County State’s Attorney’s Office from 1986 to 1988. 

Juliana joined the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in 1988. During this tenure, she served as a Child Welfare Specialist, Investigative Specialist, LAN Liaison, Investigative/Paired Team Supervisor and Intact Family Services Manager. She joined the IDCFS Clinical Division in 2008 as a Clinical Services Coordinator and subsequently served as the Administrator of Specialty Services which included programs addressing Domestic Violence, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, HIV/AIDS, Substance Use and Recovery and the LGBTQI+ community. Juliana then transitioned to Administrator of Social Work Practice, managing Regional and Specialty Clinical; she concurrently served as an Area Administrator for investigations and casework. She was the Associate Deputy of Behavioral Health until her retirement from IDCFS in 2021. During her time with IDCFS, she was an active advocate for LGBTQI+ youth in care and still is today.

Juliana was an Adjunct Instructor for the Illinois State University School of Social Work until 2021. She has also served as a guest lecturer at Illinois Wesleyan University and Heartland Community College. 

Juliana has helped coordinate training on child welfare issues for local law enforcement agencies, attorneys, and other social service agencies. She was active in organizations such as the 11th Judicial Circuit Family Violence Coordinating Council, Partners for Community, and the McLean County Child Protection Network (Children’s Advocacy Center). 

Juliana and colleagues presented at the 2011 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Conference on international adoptions; she also was a presenter at the 2012 NFPA conference. The presentation “I Have Something to Tell You: Managing Those Big Disclosures” evolved into a November 2012 article for Fostering Families Today.

Juliana has also presented in numerous settings regarding supporting LGBTQI+ youth, including private agencies throughout the state, youth correctional centers, CASA teams, Court Services teams, LGBTQ I+ Workshops, AICI training and the 2014 Cook County LGBT Homeless Youth Summit. In May 2015, she was a national webinar panelist for “Supporting Permanency for LGBT Youth in Foster Care”, sponsored by the Children’s Bureau. Juliana has been a trainer for specialty projects for IDCFS and coordinated efforts regarding child welfare use of the IM+ CANS. 

Juliana continues to coach child welfare workers and administrators regarding best practices for serving youth in care.

Felicia

Felicia Patterson, MSW, LCSW

Felicia Patterson has over twenty years’ experience in Child Welfare and Early Childhood Education. She is well versed in varying facets of child welfare from case management and group home care to Foster Care Placement and Specialized Therapeutic Foster care. Felicia has devoted her career to bringing healing to individuals struggling with trauma or intensive life stressors. She is passionate about working with teams to strengthen the family dynamic in support of children, youth and parents.    
 
Although a native New Yorker, she has lived in Florida for over two decades. Felicia earned a master’s degree in social work administration from Florida State University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Florida.