LEADERSHIP TEAM
Jamie Himes, LPC
President & CEO
Jamie is a Licensed Professional Counselor and brings more than 20 years clinical experience to Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth, Inc. As the President and CEO, she is responsible for overseeing Southern Christian's administration, program operations, community relations and serving as its face and public spokesperson. Prior to joining Southern Christian, Jamie managed clinical operations for Arkansas' largest children's home campus which included a dual diagnosis program for pregnant and parenting women, psychiatric residential treatment center, emergency shelter, outpatient counseling clinic and therapeutic day school.
Jamie holds a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the University of
Arkansas, Little Rock and a Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology from the University of Central Arkansas. Jamie's conducted research and authored articles in conjuction with the National Center of Toxicological Research and Arkansas Children's Hospital. She's a certified Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner and Trainer through Texas Christian University's Karen Purvis Institute of Child Development.
Jamie serves on the Mississippi State Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council, Board of Directors for Mississippi Association of Child Caring Agencies (Treasurer) and the National Benevolence Association's Executive Leadership and Wellness Group.
Jamie and her husband, Bryant are proud parents and active in their local community through the Junior League of Jackson, PGA of America Gulf States Section, Rotary Club of Jackson and St. Philip's Episcopal Church. She and her family reside in Jackson, Mississippi.
Christine Knupp
Vice President of Finance
Christine brings more than 30 years accounting experience to Southern Christian's leadership team. As the Vice President of Finance, she provides leadership, financial knowledge, and strategic vision to ensure the financial integrity of the organization.
She manages all aspects of the agency's finances including forecasting; development of budgets; financial reporting; cash management; accounts payable; banking and federal and state grants management.
Christine most recently worked as a Tax Manager in public accounting,
working for GranthamPoole in Ridgeland, Mississippi. There, she gained valuable accounting knowledge and expertise while providing income tax and accounting advisory services to small businesses and individuals. Christine holds a Bachelor of Accounting, as well as a CPA from the MS State Board of Public Accountancy.
Christine and her husband, Bob are proud parents of a daughter and are both active musicians. She and her family are members of Galloway United Methodist Church. She resides in Clinton, Mississippi, home of MS College.
Sophia Hale Harmon
Vice President of Human Resources
Sophia serves as Vice President of Human Resources, bringing over 15 years experience to the team. Prior to joining Southern Christian, she managed the Human Resources functions in small to mid-sized healthcare and retail companies. As the Vice President of Human Resources, Sophia administers all workforce recruiting and on-boarding. She works to attract, retain, and develop employees while ensuring a diverse and inclusive culture.
Sophia works in conjunction with other departments to implement social benefit policies, promote company and employee values, and manage payroll systems.
Sophia received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master's in Business Administration from Jackson State University. Sophia holds a certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from the University of South Florida.
Sophia and her husband, Emanuel are proud parents and grandparents. She is active in her church, community, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc. Sophia and her family reside in Jackson, MS.
Jeanine Pickering
Vice President of
Marketing and Donor Relations
Jeanine brings over 15 years of marketing and donor relations experience to Southern Christian’s leadership team. As the Vice President of Marketing and Donor Relations, she takes an innovative approach to fundraising and conducting events with our donors in mind. She develops clear and consistent messaging, creates effective marketing strategies and publishes stories that truly speak to the mission of our organization. Jeanine began her professional career in the corporate business sector and not-for-profit organizations. Jeanine has extensive experience in event planning, website design, graphics, social media platforms, public relations, and community outreach.
Jeanine holds a Bachelor of Science in Business, with an emphasis in Management and Marketing from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also attended Kings College, London School of Economics.
Jeanine and her husband are proud parents of two daughters. She loves the arts and is very busy volunteering in the community through Junior League of Jackson, school athletics and recreation, and Christ United Methodist Church. She and her family reside in Jackson, Mississippi.
Rhonda Moffett-Clark, MSW
Director of Community Based Child Abuse/
Neglect Prevention Services
Rhonda began her career with Southern Christian in 2022. As the Director of Community Based Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Services, she’s responsible for managing all primary and secondary prevention services, child abuse awareness programming and community partnership relations. She oversees all Parent Strong activities, Parent Cafes, Fatherhood Initiatives, and program advertising. Prior to serving in this role, Rhonda served within Child Protective Services specializing in investigations, prevention services, and protection services. She also worked many years in the mental health environment as a therapist, supervising outpatient mental health clinics, and involved with corporate operations.
Rhonda is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor’s in Social Work and a graduate of Jackson State University with a Master of Social Work. She’s a member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Rhonda and her husband, Cliff are proud parents of a blended family of 3 sons, two daughters, and one granddaughter. Rhonda is a member of New Jerusalem Church in Jackson MS. She and her family reside in Richland, Mississippi.
Christina Bach, LPC-S
Division Director
Clinical Services
Christina is a Licensed Professional Counselor and brings more than 20 years of clinical experience and program management to Southern Christian's leadership team. As the Division Director of Clinical Services, Christina is responsible for ensuring ethical practices, licensing standard compliance, evidence-based treatment model fidelity and professional supervision of programs serving victims of crime.
Christina holds a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and a Masters of Education in Counseling, both from the University of Florida. She is a trained supervisor for Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an affiliate member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
(NCTSN) and a member of the sexual assault work group within NCTSN. Additionally, Christina is certified in Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) and past president of the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
Christina was blessed with two daughters through foster care. One daughter is a native of South Sudan and one is a native of Guatemala, both placed in her home through an unaccompanied refugee minor program. She is a member of Wells United Methodist Church choir and a proud grandmother. Christina and her family reside in Jackson, Mississippi.
Valerie McClellan, LCSW-S, ACSW
Division Director
Adoption Permanency
Valerie is a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) and brings over 20 years clinical experience to Southern Christian Services. Prior to joining the administrative team, Valerie managed clinical operations for a private addiction treatment center and a trauma focused non-profit counseling center. As the Division Director of Adoption Permanency, Valerie is responsible for supervising all respite programs and special events, ensuring compliance with licensing standards, promoting ethical practice, overseeing the statewide response and referral programs for all post-adoptive families, and all post-adoptive community outreach and marketing.
Valerie received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Delta
State University and a Masters of Social Work from Jackson State University. She is a certified eating disorder specialist, trained in EMDR (Levels I and II), certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and a facilitator and trainer for SPARCS (Structure Psychotherapy for Adolescence Responding to Chronic Stress).
Valerie and her husband are proud parents and grandparents. She's passionate about animal rescue and a member of St. Richard's Catholic Church. She and her family live in Madison, Mississippi.
Kelsey Neeley, LMSW
Division Director
Therapeutic Foster Care/Adoption
Kelsey is a Licensed Master Level Social Worker (LMSW) and brings a fresh perspective to recruiting, training, and matching foster children with families. Prior to joining the administrative team of Southern Christian, Kelsey served as the Director of Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption (South) from our Gulfport offices. As the Division Director of Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption, she is responsible for ensuring ethical practices, licensing standard compliance, professional supervision, and evidence-based practice implementation in all therapeutic foster care programs.
Kelsey received a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Mississippi College and a Master of Social Work from The University of Southern Mississippi.
She’s volunteered both internationally and domestically in domestic violence shelters, human trafficking shelters, and Ukrainian orphanages.
Kelsey is originally from Water Valley, MS and now resides in Ridgeland. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, camping, and hiking with her dog, Beau.
Noreen Davidson, LPC, NCC
Division Director
Therapeutic Residential Services & PALS
Noreen is a Licensed Professional Counselor and brings more than 15 years of clinical experience and crisis management to the administration team. As the Division Director of Residential Services, she's responsible for ensuring ethical practices, licensing standard compliance, professional supervision, and evidence-based practice implementation in all residential programs. Prior to joining Southern Christian Services in 2018, Noreen served as an outpatient and home-based therapist specializing in treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She's served as a Rape Crisis Counselor and is certified in both Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS).
Noreen is from Nairobi, Kenya and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Eastern Africa Baraton and a Masters of Science degree in Counseling from Jackson State University. She is fluent in three languages; English, Swahili and her native tongue, Kikuyu.
Noreen has a large family residing in both the United States and Kenya. She's passionate about caring for animals, especially dogs and enjoys celebrating arts such as the orchestra, ballet and theater. She and her husband live in Madison, Mississippi.