Leadership
Tracie Ball joined the Open Door Home as Executive Director in November 2019. Prior to the Open Door Home, she was Director of Children and Family for a large non-profit organization. She has a Master's Degree from Shorter College and has over 30 years of experience working in child welfare and behavioral health. Tracie resides in Rome with her husband Billy and has two daughters and two granddaughters.
Whitney Gates, LCSW is our Clinical Director and assists in all our programs. As Clinical Director, she handles intakes, assessments, treatment plans, individual and group therapy, trauma informed training, and crisis intervention. Whitney has a Bachelor of Science in both Psychology and Sociology from Shorter University and a Master Degree in Social Work from Western New Mexico University. She is a TBRI® Practitioner, Making Sense of Your Worth Facilitator, and Survivors of Suicide Facilitator. Her area of specialization is the treatment of trauma, but she has 10 years+ of experience working with a multitude of life issues and mental health diagnoses. Her perspective is holistic and client centered. She utilizes play therapy, CBT, Internal Family Systems, and many other interventions in her practice. Whitney is passionate about helping teens increase skills that can help them handle difficult experiences, find growth, and become more of their unique selves. When she is not at work, Whitney enjoys hiking with her husband, learning new skills, and baking gluten free goodies.
Carman Gibson is our Director of Youth Services. Carman has worked at Open Door Home for 35 years. Some of her duties include supervising the Youth Service Workers, creating monthly work schedules, and responding to RCC and OPM.
Carman has seen a lot of youth come through the doors of Open Door Home. One of her most unforgettable memories is when one of our youth was diagnosed with cancer. We were able to keep him at Open Door Home, help him fight through the cancer and care for him during his recovery. He is alive today and doing well. That's what Open Door Home is about, taking care of the youth that are placed in our care!
In Carman’s free time, she likes to exercise, shop, and date night with her husband.
Linda Burks is our Education Liaison and Volunteer/Mentor Coordinator. In her role as Education Liaison, Linda is responsible for all things related to education, i.e., enrolling & withdrawing residents, facilitating parent/teacher conferences, ensuring 504 plans & IEPs are in place and utilized to meet individual needs, and making sure residents have access to participating in desired extracurricular activities. In her role as Volunteer/Mentor Coordinator, Linda is responsible for meeting with potential volunteer/mentors, overseeing the approval process of becoming one or the other, and coordinating activities with individuals and/or groups.
Linda is a 2006 cum laude graduate of Shorter University, where she obtained a Bachelors of Science Degree in Human Services. She is passionate about the overall care and well being of others. Linda and her husband Reggie, are the parents of two sons and former Floyd County foster parents of many of the state's youth. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, shopping, crossword puzzles, and relaxing getaways.
Amy Weaver is a Human Services Professional, Independent Living Program Life Coach, and Trainer. She has a degree in psychology from Earlham College and is a TBRI® Practitioner and a Making Sense of Your Worth Facilitator. Amy helps youth manage whatever comes up from day to day, the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly. This includes keeping up with appointments, communicating with partner agencies, completing goal-planning with youth, teaching youth to drive, and planning life skills and independent living skills activities. Her favorite part of the job is spending time with the youth! They keep her on her toes, and keep her grounded and grateful. Building relationships with them and walking alongside them on their individual journeys is a precious gift. In her free time, Amy likes to cook/play in the kitchen, walk and hike with her partner, the youth, and her dog, and practice Thai yoga bodywork.
Bethany Diamond is a Human Services Professional at the Girl's Home. She has been working at Open Door Since 2020 where she started as a Youth Services Worker. As an HSP, Bethany works to ensure the youth have their needs met, helps with medication management appointments, works closely with DFCS, and assists youth in living healthy, happier, and more productive lives. Bethany's favorite part of the job is engaging with the youth and walking through different stages of life with them. In her free time, Bethany enjoys hiking, playing pickleball, and painting.
Chris Ozment is a Human Services Professional at the Boys’ Home. He schedules appointments, dental visits, and sick visits, coordinates visits with family, and ensures frequent contacts with kids are documented. Chris also completes individualized skill plans every six months or as needed, takes youth shopping for clothing items and personal items as needed, and participates in court proceedings and treatment roundtables. His favorite part of the job is the daily interaction with youth and being able to observe the changes that take place once a degree of stability has been provided to them. He spends his free time reading, gardening, traveling, and doing yard work.
Besides administrative staff, Open Door Home is staffed by an incredible team of Youth Service Workers. Our Youth Service Workers function as house parents, mentors, and friends to our residents and work directly with youth on a daily basis. We could not do what we do without their hard work, dedication, and willingness to go above and beyond for the youth in their care.