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First Step's staff is our greatest asset. Our multidisciplined team boasts an impressive set of professional credentials & experience, with a level of caring & compassion second to none.
Services include legal advocacy, residential shelter, outreach counseling, men's and women's support groups, Operation Starshine, psycho-educational classes, as well as other related services. The direct delivery staff is supported by a professional administrative staff responsible for coordinating and soliciting donations, staffing annual fundraisers, publicity, and financials. |
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Administration and Governance |
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Terri L. Mercer – B.S. Ed., R.T.C., Executive Director Email: tmercer@firststepweb.org Terri Mercer co-facilitates the PASSAGES class and leads the First Step team by providing the overall direction and leadership of the agency. She resolves personnel issues and acts as the official spokesperson for the agency. She also develops and administers all program activities of the agency in accordance with agency policy. |
| Mercer holds a Bachelors degree in Education from the University of Findlay and was Reality Therapy Certified in 1992 by the Institute for Reality Therapy, Los Angeles, CA. She is well known in the state of Ohio as a practitioner, teacher, and innovator of programs and services in the field of domestic violence. She has had more than 20 years of experience in consulting and teaching in the areas of family dynamics, parenting, child development, mental retardation, teenage pregnancy, and interpersonal development. Mercer has been active at the state level on domestic violence, having served as an officer and board member of ACTION OHIO, a member of the Ohio Women’s Budget Coalition, and as a member of the Institute of Reality Therapy. She has been responsible for the initial and continuing development of the PASSAGES psycho-educational program that has received acknowledgement from the Institute for Reality Therapy as an innovative and effective method to address the needs of victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. | |
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Jennifer Schindler – Administrative Assistant Email: jschindler@firststepweb.org Jennifer Schindler performs a variety of administrative and staff support duties for the executive director including office management, fiscal management, and customer relations. Some of her responsibilities consist of managing and maintaining agency administrative information and personnel information. She also assists and directs visitors to the proper professionals, takes crisis calls, resolves administrative problems and inquiries, composes, edits, and proofreads correspondence and reports, and prepares a wide range of other administrative documents. |
| Jennifer studied business administration and manual/automated accounting at EHOVE Ghrist Adult Career Center in Milan, Ohio. She accomplished a Certificate of Completion in Administration and Accounting with a 96.9% overall grade average in 2001. In addition she also received 16 individual certifications in office administration, fiscal management, and accounting. | |
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Esuga Abaya - M.B.A. , Community Resource Coordinator Email: eabaya@firststepweb.org Esuga Abaya serves as the public relations coordinator and community networking liaison for First Step. He holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and provides public relations insight and direction for the agency by coordinating marketing efforts and communicating with the press and media as well as maintaining agency media resources such as the newsletter and website. He is also involved in promoting First Step's fundraising projects. |
Esuga has studied international business and marketing and has worked with multinational corporations in helping them market their products. At First Step he works closely with the executive director to develop and coordinate promotion of First Step services to the public. Esuga co-facillitates First Step's Passages psycho-educational program along with Executive Director Terri Mercer. Esuga also serves as a liason between First Step and other social service agencies, law enforcement, and community partners to ensure an effective continuum of care for domestic violence victims and their families. As community liaison part of his function is to recruit volunteers, heighten community awareness, and develop partnerships with community leaders to ensure that First Step services best meet our clients' needs. |
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Advocacy |
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LuAnn Berry – B.S., Victim Advocate Email: lberry@firststepweb.org Luann berry provides crisis intervention and individual court advocacy through assisting with filing protection orders and court accompaniment. She also provides domestic violence education, referrals, safety planning, and support for victims and their families. |
| LuAnn will be facilitating the development of a new program to assist First Step clients and their families with improvement of life and employment skills to help them better secure their futures through education and career development. She is a member of the Leadership Sandusky County Board and serves as their Alumni Association Chairperson and their Past Board Chairperson. In addition, LuAnn is a member of the Seneca and Sandusky County Workforce Investment Act Committee for Marketing and Business Relations. She is a graduate of Franklin University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration and also holds a Certificate for Halthcare Providers in Chemical Assessment from Terra State Community College. | |
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Kellee Shontz – M.A., R.A., Victim Advocate Email: kshontz@firststepweb.org Kellee Shontz serves as an advocate for victims residing in Sandusky County. As an advocate, she provides crisis intervention, domestic violence information, support, referrals, safety planning, court accompaniment, case management, and risk assessment. She offers individual attention to victims and their children as they explore options, make decisions about their relationships, and navigate through the legal system. |
| Kellee graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2004 with bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. She worked as a Victim Advocate for Municipal and Juvenile courts through the Seneca County Prosecutor’s Office for approximately two years. She joined the First Step Staff in August of 2006. She is also the secretary for the Sandusky County Homeless Coalition Board. In August of 2006, Kellee began her Masters Program at Tiffin University in Tiffin Ohio. She is majoring in Criminal Justice with a specification in Forensic Psychology. She will be graduating with her Masters in September of 2007. | |
Residential Services |
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Mary Jacquot, A.S. Ed. — Shelter Services Coordinator Email: mjacquot@firststepweb.org Mary Jacquot graduated from Terra Community College with an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. As the Agency Monitor, Mary’s primary duties consist of providing crisis intervention, aiding with the needs of the residential clients and providing assistance with childcare. Her other duties include operating the office reception area, filing and maintaining agency information. Mary became a member of the First Step staff in 2003. |
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Shirley Keels – Children’s Program Aide Shirley Keels serves as the childcare provider to children of residents and outreach clients. Keels provides constructive play with the children while their parent(s) are in counseling or Passages sessions. She also assists residents with daily living skills and helps keep the shelter organized. |
Support Services |
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Mariah Mercer, B.A. — Agency Monitor Mariah J. Mercer is a part-time agency monitor. She helps maintain the website, produces various multimedia for agency programs and events, and writes grants for First Step. She also interacts with shelter residents and operates the crisis lines on evenings and weekends. Mercer graduated Magna Cum Laude from Miami University, earning a B.A. in Creative Writing and Political Science. She served on the Senate Disciplinary Board, as President of the College Democrats, and wrote for the "Miami Student" newspaper. Mercer currently works for the Findlay Courier as a staff writer in the Family Department. |
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