Speaker Biographies

Jess Scott and Makayla Garcia are experienced practitioners of the circle process, having led circles on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College and in their work at The Circle: A Community Center for All. Our organizations partnered in establishing The Circle to provide a meal and services for food- and housing-insecure residents in Clarksburg. 

Makayla Garcia is a housing and community engagement professional with dedication to advancing equitable access to health care and housing. Her role at the Resilience Collaborative of the United Way of Harrison and Doddridge Counties involves case management and leading The Circle, a community that connects individuals to social services, supportive relationships, and daily meals. Makayla is a Housing Justice Fellow with the National Low Income Housing Coalition and a member of the Youth Advisory Board for the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness. Makayla is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College, with a degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice. Makayla’s work is rooted in collaboration, lived experience-informed practices, and commitment to strengthening pathways to sustainability, stability, and belonging in the lives of her clients.

Dr. Jess Scott is Professor of Gender Studies at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She holds graduate degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of Cape Town. Dr. Scott’s research focuses on LGBTQI movements in the American South and South Africa. Their book on this subject, Home Is Where Your Politics Are, was published by Rutgers University Press in 2024. Dr. Scott has been published in The Journal of Appalachian Studies, The International Feminist Journal of Politics, and multiple edited volumes. In addition to conference presentations in the United States, Dr. Scott has presented her work in Thailand, South Africa, Ghana, Mexico, Spain, Romania, and France. Dr. Scott is organist at First United Methodist Church in Clarksburg, WV.

RaKim “RahK” Lash is the Vice President of Healthy Manhood Initiatives for A Call to Men, training and educating men and boys to embrace and promote a healthy, respectful manhood on a global scale. RahK was first introduced to the organization in 2011 as a participant of the “Men Ending Violence Conference” in Asheville, NC. In 2016, he was invited to join the organization as a Trainer, and in 2023 he stepped into the role of Director of Healthy Manhood Initiatives.

RahK started his career in higher education in Arkansas. Within student affairs, he transitioned

from Housing & Residence Life to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and then Student Leadership & Engagement. During his time at Ithaca College, he championed student success through

progressive responsibilities and roles in Multicultural Affairs and the Center for Inclusion,

Diversity, Equity, and Social Change (IDEAS). As the inaugural Director of the MLK Scholars

program at New York University, he worked collaboratively to engage, educate, and empower

students through leadership development, academic excellence, research, and civic

engagement. In the classroom, RahK’s scholarship is rooted in leadership, the Civil Rights

Movement, and the King Family Legacy. As a leader, he believes impact can never be sacrificed for anticipation. He currently resides in the Charlotte area of North Carolina and is a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. RahK is a writer, poet, DJ, cosplayer, kitbasher, gamer, artist, and enjoys all things comic-book/superhero-related.

Susan Washinger is the Prevention Director for Respect Together’s National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). She earned her Master’s in Health Education from Penn State University in 2003. Her 25+ year professional career has involved managing various public health education and human development programs, particularly around sexual health education, social and emotional learning, and positive youth development. Early in her career, while at the Pennsylvania Coalition to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, she was instrumental in promoting science-based practices across the Commonwealth through a Cooperative Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Later, while at Temple University Harrisburg, she led the formation of the Institute on Adolescent Sexual Health which provides continuing education for professionals.  As a consultant with the PA Department of Health and Temple University Harrisburg, Susan assesses the state-wide implementation of the Teen Outreach Program® for fidelity to the evidence-based model.  Susan currently coordinates NSVRC’s prevention efforts which includes resource development, training and technical assistance to Rape Prevention Education (RPE), and collaborative peer-learning opportunities for RPE professionals.

Karla Vierthaler is Advocacy and Resources Director for National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), a division of Respect Together. She supports the provision of training, technical assistance and resources to the nation on a wide range of sexual violence prevention and intervention topics. She has been an advocate in the in the movement to end sexual violence for over twenty seven years. Ms. Vierthaler previously worked for the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect, where she developed resources and provided training on the impact of sexual violence in various communities, including adults in later life, people with disabilities, and others. When the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards were released in 2012, she worked extensively with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and local rape crisis programs on implementation efforts. She was also a certified Department of Justice PREA Auditor for ten years. 

Alexa Harris is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker and the Prevention Coordinator for the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services (WVFRIS), working primarily in sexual violence prevention for children in grades K-12. She previously worked as a mental health therapist at a Level II residential facility, creating person-centered treatment plans and conducting individual, group, and family therapy with clients aged 12-21, and as a service coordinator with West Virginia Birth to Three. In addition to a Master of Social Work, Alexa has a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from West Virginia University. She is passionate about using evidence-based resources to prevent sexual violence and create environments in which all children are safe and healthy and have the opportunity to thrive.

Melody Osborne has dedicated over twenty-five years of her career working with children and families. Since 2013 she has served as the Region VI Coordinator for the state-wide West Virginia Adolescent Health Initiative, serving Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel Counties as a prevention educator and advocate of positive youth development. In this position, Melody is responsible for cultivating community-level environmental, systems and policy change impacting priority adolescent health outcomes. During her time as the Region VI AHIC, she has developed, administered, evaluated, and assisted in the sustainability of projects and programs that have benefited young people in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Melody is an alumnus of the University of La Verne, and presently holds a Bachelor of Science in Child Development. Evidence-Based Training Certifications: Darkness to Light: Stewards of Children; Green Dot Violence Prevention Program; One Circle Curriculum; A Framework for Understanding Poverty; Search Institute: Essentials of Developmental Asset Building; Teen Mental Health First Aid. 

Tracy Shroyer-Carlyle, MSW, MPA currently serves as a Co-Executive Director of the West Virginia Foundation for Rape information and Services (FRIS). She received a Bachelor of Psychology from West Virginia Wesleyan, and her Master of Social Work and Master of Public Administration from West Virginia University. Tracy has over 20 years of experience in the management of advocacy organizations, including serving as the director of a child advocacy center, deputy director of a community action organization, Director of Special Projects with the WV Child Advocacy Network, and as a District Administrator of a Guardian ad Litem Program in North Carolina. Tracy is passionate about ensuring that victims of sexual assault of all ages receive the care, services and justice they need to heal.