Meet the Team
Staff
Johanna Fierstein, MSW
Executive Director
David J. Newstone, Esq.
Director of Legal Services and General Counsel
Sharla Denton, MC, LPC, CCTP
Director of Clinical Services & Trauma Therapist
Joanne McDonald
Chief Financial Officer
Sue Ann Springer
Senior Family Law Paralegal
Heather Harpest
Family Law Paralegal
Liz Avila, MSW
Helpline Advocate (bilingual English/Spanish)
Board of Directors
Dick Geasland, LCSW
Board Chairperson
Trish Leon, CDFA
Treasurer/Secretary
Judge (Ret.) Penny Willrich
Member
Kelly Mendoza, Esq.
Member
Peggy Zeffer
Member
Annette Ruskin, LCSW
Member
Volunteers
Annette Ruskin, LCSW
Volunteer Therapist, Forensics Expert (bilingual English/Spanish)
Pat O’Connell
Educational Advocate
Alex McFarland
Legal Intern
Advisory Council
Faren Akins, PhD, J.D.
Akins Law Firm
Dr. Akins is a Psychologist AND Attorney licensed in Arizona and California with more than 35 years professional experience. He is a published author and has received grants and fellowships. He served 6 years as a Board member and Vice-President of the Arizona Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Currently, he is in private practice providing representation and consultation to mental health professionals with ethics or licensing board complaints. In his forensic psychology practice he does custody evaluations, works as a consultant to attorneys, offers trial testimony, and regularly does continuing education courses.
Alisa Gray, Esq.
Tiffany & Bosco, P.A.
Alisa Gray is a shareholder at Tiffany & Bosco who concentrates her practice on probate and trust litigation, estate administration, elder law and mediation. She is a judge pro tem with the Maricopa County Superior Court and routinely conducts settlement conferences for the court. She is a sought-after speaker on probate and trust issues, stress management and work-life balance.
Sadaf Khwaja, MBA, M.Ed.
Sadaf Khwaja Consulting
Sadaf Khwaja, MBA, M.Ed., is a Neuro-Linguistic and Theta Healing Practitioner and Master Life Coach who is an invaluable asset to our organization. Ms. Khwaja’s primary passion lies in bringing families together by addressing the “Teenage Brain” and its impact on parenting. In her private practice, she works intimately with clients in creating family systems to primarily recognize that the teenage brain is not fully developed until late 20’s. She is a strong advocate for children, helping to identify that old patterns of pain, misery, and hardship can be released and replaced by authentic, healthy, loving and meaningful relationships between parents and adolescents for a lifetime.
Christopher J. Meister, Esq.
Managing Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins
Chris graduated magna cum laude, with accounting and business management degrees from North Carolina State University and in the top quarter of his class at Wake Forest School of Law. Chris practices in the area of union relations, Human Resources, employment law, and labor matters in arbitrations, in state and federal courts, and before state and federal administrative agencies including the National Labor Relations Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Department of Labor. Chris is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Military Assistance Mission, an Arizona charitable organization dedicated to providing our Armed Forces personnel with the support and assistance they deserve.
David Weinstock, J.D., Ph. D.
Forensic Counseling and Evaluations, PLLC
Dr. Weinstock received his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law. He is a licensed psychologist in Arizona AND a licensed and retired attorney. He has conducted family law evaluations for almost two decades. Dr. Weinstock has valuable experience with sexual offender and sex addiction evaluations and treatment. He is also a former member of Arizona’s Domestic Relations Committee and a former co-chair of the Arizona Psychological Association’s forensic committee.