Our Board of Directors

She/Her

Our Founder and President of the Board of Directors Janine has always been a visionary in her various communities. Janine is both an occupational therapist, and a scuba diving instructor in Philadelphia. 

During her time at Thomas Jefferson for OT school, Janine set up a partnership between Thomas Jefferson's OT department, and Laurel House to serve and empower those experiencing domestic violence. She also set up the Miss Scubadelphia Advanced Training Grant, has won grants and awards herself, set up other programs, and is constantly looking towards the future while thinking how to get everybody there.

 If she's not at work, or underwater, you can most likely find her taking a course, listening to true crime podcasts or hanging out with her dogs. She is currently training to become a death doula, and has her own private OT practice.

She/Her

Our Vice President Lauren is a project engineer based in Philadelphia, PA. Lauren graduated from university in 2020 with her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. During her time in undergrad, Lauren co-authored two conference papers, and successfully wrote and defended an honors thesis on her research into designing electric helicopters to achieve NASA's Urban Air Mobility goal. After graduating, Lauren accepted a full-time project engineer position in Philadelphia, where she is currently the only female engineer on staff. Lauren is dedicated to empowering women in the engineering field.

Lauren has always been a lifelong athlete and she participated in Division I diving in college. When not working, Lauren can be found outdoors, especially in or around water. She has three scuba certifications and is currently working on her fourth. Lauren is also a bibliophile and enjoys spending her time reading and exploring local bookstores and cafes.

Her latest “dream-job” is to become a ski patroller and avalanche dog handler.

She/Her

Janine Rhoads is the older sister of Nicole. 

 She is our Treasurer and has worked over twenty years as an office administrator and virtual assistant in the private sector .  

She is an advocate for victims/survivors of domestic violence, believing education is key, and helped expand services into the eastern part of Montgomery County PA through the opening of Nicole's Place at Laurel House. 

Janine is the mother of seven, three of whom were Nicole's children.  She enjoys spending time with her kids and seeing where life will take them.

She/Her

Kimberly (Kim) is our Secretary of the Board of Directors and one of Nicole's oldest friends since their days at Lower Moreland High School,

Kim is married and a busy mom with her three children.  She loves attending her children’s sporting events such as field hockey, soccer, basketball and baseball all year long.

She is an office manager for an electrical contracting business.  In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. In the summer you can find her on a beach at the shore.

She/They

Chloe is a full-time undergraduate student in the honors program at Temple University working towards a B.S. in Neuroscience and a Minor in Psychology. She is on our Board of Directors and also acts as the Head of Marketing and Social Media Coordinator. 

Chloe uses her personal instagram account to spread awareness on a variety of social issues. She has created and shared a google doc with information and resources for domestic violence victims in the Philadelphia area. The document currently has over 400 shares, 100 saves, and has reached 4000+ people through her instagram post. 

When she’s not attending lectures or creating creative content for NRFE, you can probably find her eating veggie burgers or learning tiktok dances.