Board of Directors

Gabriella Simenehe, Mother of Tamika Huston

Gabriella primarily serves the Foundation by providing outreach to parents and other family members and friends who are in the midst of a missing person crisis. Drawing upon her own personal experience, she will help provide counsel to others who now find themselves in a similar situation to what she experienced while her own daughter remained missing for over 15 months.

Hope Blackley, Crime Victims’ Ombudsman for the State of South Carolina

Hope began working as a victims’ advocate with the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Spartanburg County in 1997. Her outstanding efforts led to her current post when she was appointed by Governor Mark Sanford in October 2004. The Crime Victims' Ombudsman provides a variety of services including: referring crime victims to appropriate agencies; providing liaison services; and reviewing and resolving complaints against elements of the criminal and juvenile justice systems or victim assistance programs. Hope primarily assists the Foundation by providing guidance and resources for victims of crime.

Debbie Asrate, Public Relations Executive

Debbie is a public relations professional based in New York City. Her background also includes working as a producer for a major cable network. She primarily focuses her efforts on helping to secure media attention for missing persons at the request of family members who contact the Foundation for assistance.

Samantha Steinberg, Forensic Artist

A formally trained illustrator and graphic artist who honed her skills by training at the FBI Academy, Samantha works for a major metropolitan police department drawing composites of criminal suspects as well as doing reconstructive drawings of human remains in order to help identify victims of crime. She will primarily focus her efforts on assisting law enforcement who are working on the Foundation’s cases by drawing composites or reconstructive illustrations in the event the local agencies do not have the resources to do so.

Megan Brisbane, Aunt of Tamika Huston

Megan is a registered nurse working in Nashville, Tennessee. She primarily focuses her efforts on ensuring the Foundation’s website is maintained, answering emails and letters directed to the Foundation and monitoring message boards for information.