OHU is led by a Chief Executive Officer & President. The CEO is informed by an executive team comprised of Chief Officers 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.
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.
Nicole Dunham is an accomplished Human Resources professional with over 23 years’ experience in for profit and nonprofit sectors in roles ranging from Chief Human Resources and Compliance officer to Vice President of Human Resources. Her expertise ranges from recruitment and retention to performance/talent management to organizational culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and beyond.
Nicole holds a BA in Organizational Communications/Marketing and an MS in Human Resource Development from Indiana State University. She has also earned an MA in Organizational Leadership at Lewis University, a Graduate Certification in Training and Development at Roosevelt University and is a SHRM Certified Professional.
Sarah Tunning, LMHC has over 20 years’ experience in the child welfare sector as a social worker and therapist. Before her role as Chief Program Officer, she served as Executive Director of Florida and Senior Vice President for Continuous Quality Improvement for One Hope United. Sarah also worked in foster care and investigations for the Florida Department of Children and Families and spent a decade directing mental health programs. Sarah ultimately returned to child welfare where she continues to use her years of experience in the mental health and substance abuse fields in the quality department.
Throughout her career, Sarah has led several quality initiatives within mental health, from developing and revamping curriculum to instructing college courses. She holds a Master’s Degree in Mental Health from University of South Florida and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Malone University in Canton, Ohio.
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, 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.
Kenny Shackelford has over 16 years’ experience in early childhood education. He has held various roles at early learning centers, including those of teacher, educational coordinator, assistant director, director and regional manager.
Kenny is well-versed in NAEYC accreditation, Teaching Strategy Gold implementation, child day care licensing, ECE credentialing, acquisition of new centers, and continually improving professional development of staff all within the lens of the continued struggles the early childhood industry is facing across the nation. He holds a BS in Family Consumer Science and a MS in Early Childhood Administration with an emphasis on supervision and leadership.
