Our Team

Lorie Brisbin

Correctional Program Specialist

Board Member

Lorie Brisbin works in Washington, DC as a Correctional Program Specialist at the National Institute of Corrections. She is a recognized authority in the area of sexual violence with expertise in both victim and offender perspectives. Prior to her work in DC, Lorie served the Idaho Department of Corrections. Currently her work in the Post-Conviction Victim Service Providers Initiative informs the victim focused work of Building Hope Today where she is both presenter and Board member.

Danny Clark

Prosecuting Attorney

Board Member

Danny Clark is the Prosecuting Attorney of Bonneville County, Idaho. A resident of Idaho Falls, Clark served as deputy prosecutor and chief deputy prior to his election as Prosecuting Attorney. Danny’s ties to Building Hope Today began when he used the Morgan Case ‘grooming as evidence’ practices in a criminal sexual abuse case (Idaho v. Dunn). Now Clark serves on the Board and as a presenter, equipping prosecutors and investigators with effective tools to hold offenders accountable.

Jean Fisher

COO of Faces of Hope

Board Member

Jean Fisher is the Chief Operating Officer of Faces of Hope, the Ada County Victim Center in Boise, ID, specializing in sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence and child protection. In leading Faces of Hope, Jean convenes the countywide Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) investigating sex crimes and caring for victims of sexual abuse. A seasoned attorney in her own right Fisher has successfully prosecuted hundreds of sex abuse, domestic violence, rape and murder cases. She presents nationally on prosecution ethics and serves as present and Board member of Building Hope Today.

https://www.facesofhopevictimcenter.org/

Steven Marten

Writer

Team Member

Steven Marten helps Building Hope Today tell its story. He is a writer, ghostwriter and story developer for publishers and producers, working on productions in Los Angeles, Nashville, Paris, Shanghai, Jerusalem and more. With a heart for kids—especially those in recovery—Marten’s clients have included Dreamworks Animation, Glenåt Editions, Laika Studios and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Steven is pleased to bring Matt Morgan’s story to light.

Pat McKenna

Police Detective, RET.

Board Member

Pat McKenna served 27 years as a police officer, serving as a detective for many of those years. Pat specialized in crimes against children and crime scene analysis investigation. He has extensive knowledge and experience in forensic interviewing in sexual abuse crimes. Pat has also served in K-9 training, SWAT Team and on-scene negotiator. He and Matt Morgan were childhood friends, and now he serves on the Building Hope Today Board.

Lydia Newlin

Minnesota Department of Corrections Victims Services Manager

Board Member

Lydia Newlin is the Minnesota Department of Corrections Victims Services Manager. She oversees all processes related to victim notification and post conviction victim advocacy. She also manages the Minnesota Circles of Support and Accountability and the developed the Domestic Violence Initiative to screen offenders and identify victims. She has served on the board of the Sex Crimes Investigator’s Association, is a sought after national presenter as well as Building Hope Today board member and presenter.

Tom Tueller

Counselor

Team Member

Tom Tueller is the founder of Tueller Counseling Services. His career began in Child Protective Services and he has continued to care for victims of violence and sexual violence within his practice. Tom is an expert in matters of sexual grooming, its stages and investigative practices. He frequently serves as an expert witness in child sex abuse cases. Tom joins the Building Hope Today training sessions to incorporate his expertise in the Multi-Disciplinary Team’s practices in both investigation and prosecution.

Alethea Cox

Social Media Administrator

Team Member

Alethea Cox comes to us with decades of professional experience in corporate infrastructure and growth along with nonprofit background. She brings years of experience with fortune 500 companies holding responsibilities as EVP of sales and COO. Her professional experiences have been found invaluable in helping Building Hope Today get entrenched into making a difference in our community. As a young child Alethea experienced unfortunate acts that resulted into years of a second perpetrators violation. This sequence of events placed Alethea into the Foster Care System. With her trauma riddled past she was determined to find a path of healing and helping others. She has a career in helping others move forward in life with putting goals into plans and establishing breakthrough belief systems to enhance skill sets. She has spent years learning aspects that help empower others to life changing results. Alethea uses her professional background, stage presence, and passion as a public speaker giving voice to the many who don’t have one. In finding a divine connection with Building Hope Today she can further her reach in helping others that have experienced unfortunate acts.

LaVarr McBride

Penn State Criminal Justice Professor

Team Member

LaVarr McBride has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in psychology. He also has a master’s degree in Sociology/Economics. LaVarr McBride is currently an Assistant Teaching Professor at Pennsylvania State University, where he has been teaching since his retirement from the Federal Government. He has worked in many different areas of state and federal law enforcement, including the Administrative Office of the United States Courts in Washington, DC. He is an expert in working with trauma associated with violent crime specifically in homicide and sexual assault/abuse cases. Mr. McBride has consulted and advised at several mass shootings. He published his 2nd book in March 2020 called, “Standing in the Dark: Struggle and Hope for Victims of Violent Crime.” He worked as a consultant with the Pentagon, with the Office of Military Commissions working on terrorism cases in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Erica Kallin

Canyon County Deputy Prosecutor

Team Member

Erica Kallin serves as Deputy Prosecutor in Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She has handled an array of crime prosecutions within the Prosecutor’s Office, including juvenile and child protection cases, as well as felonies, including homicides. For the past 12 years, she has been prosecuting child abuse and sexual abuse cases. Erica received the Governor’s Task Force on Children at Risk “Prosecutor Award of Excellence”, the Idaho Sex Offender Watch “William E. Borah Minister of Justice” award and was recognized as Idaho Woman of the Year nominee. She presents national in the area of child sexual and physical abuse and head trauma. She holds a BA and J.D. from the University of Montana.

Haylee Peacock

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent

Team Member

Haylee Peacock has been a Special Agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for 7 years. SA Peacock began her assignment at the GBI Region 7 Office in Thomson, Ga in July 2012 where she worked various criminal cases including death investigations, child abuse and molestations, and sexual assaults. She is a child abuse specialist and a ChildFirst Forensic Interviewer. Haylee is assigned to the Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. SA Peacock works in an undercover capacity in proactive cases involving the solicitation of minors and also reactively in cases involving the possession and transmission of child pornography and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. She has a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Georgia and currently teaches Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Interdiction for the Protection of Children to local and state law enforcement officers.

Anne Leonard Tierney

Licensed Professional CounseloR

Team Member

Anne Leonard Tierney is a Licensed Professional Counselor working with children and families affected by child sexual abuse. Anne was Program Coordinator for CARES (Child Advocacy Center) and is a CARES Clinician, conducting forensic interviews and working as a Family Advocate. Anne is a trained instructor of the NICHD forensic interview guidelines and provides training to law enforcement, prosecutors, and child protective services workers on interview guidelines. She works with the U.S. Army to provide trainings for military police and social workers responding to allegations of abuse. Anne served as statewide Chapter Coordinator for the Idaho Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers. She helped multidisciplinary teams and child advocacy centers develop interagency protocols, while providing training and peer review for MDTs working with victims of child abuse and their families. Tierney holds a Bachelors in Psychology from Carroll College and a Masters in Counseling in mental health from Idaho State University.