Meredith Newman, M.A., LCAS, CSOTS
Executive Director
Meredith Newman, is an experienced behavioral health and substance use clinician. Her focus over the years has shifted from direct community care, to program implementation with a keen focus on model fidelity achieved through provider training, supervision, oversight, and collaboration with stakeholders supporting services for high-risk youth, adolescents, and their families. Formerly serving as Regional Director for a private agency, Meredith’s passion grew not only for helping children and families heal from trauma and her skills, but also for being an effective leader with a commitment to do the right thing for the right reason, with a focus on consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. As Executive Director, she coordinates with the RRFF Team and uses her strengths to support the growth of the IAFT® model and adherence to fidelity. One particular focus is the optimization of the Client Care Web database for the collection of data-driven research and analysis to support partners/providers with accountability measures and program management modifications that support program integrity, positive outcomes, and efficacy of the IAFT® model.
Rashel Lauret, M.S., LMFT, East Carolina University
Deputy Director
Rashel brings 20+ years of behavioral health experience to the team. Before coming to Rapid Resource For Families, she was the quality assurance director for a large for-profit community mental health agency in North Carolina. There she focused on improving treatment, ensured staff-maintained fidelity to the models used in both residential and community-based services. Her focus on data-informed decision-making ensures a higher quality of service and evidence-based practices and treatment approaches for children and families. Rashel is committed to empowering others in the larger North Carolina system of mental health and foster care to restore family functioning and assist with reunification.
Shevon Riddick, M.A., Liberty University
Education Coordinator
Shevon earned her Master’s degree in Human Services with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy from Liberty University in 2011. With a background as a licensing consultant, trainer, and foster care treatment supervisor, she brings a well-rounded understanding of the unique needs of families navigating the child welfare system.
She is passionate about supporting all parents—whether foster, adoptive, or kinship caregivers- who have recently reunited with their children. She finds true joy in helping caregivers grow in their understanding of trauma-informed strategies and seeing them implement practical interventions with confidence and care.
Her ultimate goal is to help parents view behaviors through a trauma lens, creating more compassionate and supportive environments for children. Known for being responsive and resourceful, Shevon actively seeks out innovative training opportunities tailored to the needs of families. She is committed to being a trusted resource for IAFT®/TFC providers and treatment parents, working to ensure strong continuity of care and lasting positive outcomes.
Karen Thurber, B.S., East Carolina University
Program Integrity Consultant
Karen has 20 years of behavioral health experience working with children and their families as a therapeutic foster care program manager and day treatment program director. Her experience includes oversight and management of program compliance activities to ensure model fidelity to program models, service definitions, documentation guidelines, staffing requirements, service plan development, and collaboration with other involved child-serving partners and individuals to achieve desired client outcomes. She has extensive experience working collaboratively with educational partners to meet children’s mental health needs, ensuring that crisis prevention, diversion, and intervention services were available to children to promote their success in inclusive classroom settings. As a former foster parent and adoptive parent, Karen is passionate about working collaboratively with children, families, and community partners to achieve best outcomes for families served.
Kathy Sigmon, M.S., Capella University
Director of Network Performance and Strategic Growth
Kathy comes to Rapid Resource for Families with over 20 years of experience in community mental health working in direct care, case management, and supervisory roles supporting children and adults in North Carolina. Recently, Kathy served as foster care supervisor at a non-profit agency, working with a team that provided all levels of foster care, including IAFT®. In all roles, her focus has been on providing high-quality services, driven by the implementation of evidence-based practices, compliance with standards for documentation, foster care licensing, and service provision with integrity and ethics. Kathy is excited to join the Compliance Team with Rapid Resource for Families to support positive outcomes for high-acuity youth across the state.
Michael Petersohn, B.A., UNC Charlotte
Program Integrity Consultant
Michael has over 15 years of experience working in community mental health in various roles, including direct care, case management, practice management, and supervising foster care services. Much of Michael’s experience in the field has involved working in the foster care community in some capacity, including being an IAFT® supervisor for an NC provider. Michael cares deeply about the foster care community, which is expressed in his drive to encourage normalcy, permanence, and positive outcomes. Michael believes strongly in the utilization of evidence-based practices, maintaining model fidelity, and delivering services responsibly and ethically. As a member of Rapid Resource for Families, Michael is grateful to continue working to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Joseph Konstanzer, Data-Analyst, UNC Chapel Hill
Data Analyst
Joseph Konstanzer is a data specialist who builds data pipelines, creates Tableau dashboards, and contributes to the company’s research efforts. He holds an MPH and an MS in Health Informatics from UNC-Charlotte and is in the final stages of his PhD in Health Policy and Management at UNC-Chapel Hill. Joseph enjoys using data visualization to communicate knowledge and specializes in Systems Sciences research, including queuing models. His dissertation investigates "The Causes, Consequences, and Solutions" of out-of-state Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) placements in North Carolina. This research has led to his interest in Rapid Resource for Families, as the organization's focus on high-quality outpatient programs like Intensive Alternative Family Treatment (IAFT) directly addresses the need to reduce residential treatment placements in the first place.