Lucie's Place Staff
Rev. S. Johnette Fitzjohn, MTS - Executive Director
Dominque Norman, LMSW - Program Coordinator
- Rev. S. Johnette Fitzjohn is a mother, grandmother, social worker and humanitarian; born and raised in Liberia, W. Africa. She comes to Lucie’s Place with years of experience working across lines of racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and sexuality differences. Her work history includes over 20 years of ordained pastoral ministry with the United Methodist Church in Liberia and the United States, 8 years of Women’s work with ecumenical movements such as the World Student Christian Federation-Africa Region & the National Student Christian Council of Liberia, and most recently 6 years of social service work providing housing services to homeless families and overseeing the emergency program for survivors of Hurricane Sandy as assistant director with Project Hospitality a non-profit in Staten Island, New York. Her professional career has provided her with first hand experience working with members of the LBGTQIA+ community especially youth and young adults. Beyond that, she has several dear friends and loved ones who identify as LGBTQIA+. Johnette has seen first hand the dismissal, harassment, and even hate LGBTQIA+ persons experience moving through our world, but has also seen the resilience, openness, and bravery in this community.
Dominque Norman, LMSW - Program Coordinator
- Dominque Norman is a licensed social worker who recently relocated to Arkansas from New York. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with her MSW in 2017, and in that same year began working at the Rural Outreach Center, a small non-profit in southern Erie County. She continued this work until relocating to Arkansas in 2019. Dominque brings the experience of working with a variety of youth and adults in poverty, providing individual and couples counseling, as well as case management. Throughout undergraduate and graduate school Dominque focused much of her school work around LGBTQIA+ issues, and the disparities and challenges that many LGBTQIA+ youth face both at home and within the school system. Going beyond her school work, Dominque has witnessed first-hand the discrimination that many LGBTQIA+ individuals face on a daily basis, and has had many experiences advocating for their behalf. With close friends and loved ones who identify LGBTQIA+, and a personal identification within the population, Dominque has a passion for this work and for creating equal opportunities in a world that is not accepting. She believes in the strength and resiliency of each member that walks through Lucie’s Place doors, and will actively listen to and collaborate with members in order to create a plan that creates advancements in their lives.
Board of Directors
Rev. Dr. Denise Donnell, MA, MDiv, PhD - President
A native Arkansan, Tracy Roberts grew up in a small rural town and is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University. As a medical technologist, he is employed in the clinical laboratory immunology department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He became trained as a Lucie’s Place volunteer in 2016 and hopes to be of greater service to LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness by serving on the Lucie’s Place board.
- Rev. Dr. Denise Donnell was born and reared in Jackson, Mississippi. A product of the Jackson Public School District, Denise graduated Murrah High School in May 1990. She went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in English from Jackson State University (1994), a Master of Arts in Secondary Education from the University of Mississippi (1996), a Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology (2003) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education Administration and Supervision from Jackson State University (2008).
- Denise is an ordained elder in the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church.
- Presently she serves as State Director for the Human Rights Campaign Arkansas. There, she spends every day advocating for persons who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer (LGBTQ), working to protect our progress and ensure equality, equity and inclusion.
In her spare time, Denise enjoys reading, writing, playing the piano, singing, dancing and practicing American Sign Language. She also expresses her passion for social justice through protest art at the intersection of racism and religious oppression. - Denise is the proud daughter of Mrs. Brenda and the late Mr. L V Donnell. She has two older brothers, Derrick (Sherri) and Dwayne (Shavon), both of whom live in Florida. They have blessed her with five nieces: Andrea, Ashley, Rakisha, Raquel, D’Yani; one great nephew, Mark; and one great niece, Cassidy.
- Greg Adams is Program Coordinator for the Center for Good Mourning and Staff Bereavement Support at Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH).
- At ACH, Greg also co-chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and provides training on diversity and inclusion issues. Additionally, Greg is an adjunct professor with the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. He has been involved in LGBTQ inclusion advocacy efforts in both his church and professionally for over 25 years.
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- Michael Craw serves on the Lucie’s Place board and as its treasurer. He is associate professor of public administration in UA Little Rock’s School of Public Affairs and director of the Center for Public Collaboration, where he teaches courses in public finance, policy analysis and urban management. Professor Craw also serves on the board of the University District Development Corporation.
- Allen Thomas is a lifelong resident of Central Arkansas and currently a Resident Master of one of the University of Central Arkansas' Residential Colleges. His background is in psychology, which he uses in a wide variety of contexts, from student work to understanding the role of media in human behavior and interaction.
- Michelle is a native of Strong Arkansas. She is a double alumna of UA Little Rock with a Bachelor of Sociology and a Master of Public Administration. She is the director of housing at Our House and an officer on the board of Central Arkansas Team Care for the Homeless (CATCH). She is the founder of Real Images, a nonprofit organization that encourages women and young girls to love themselves and celebrate each other's talents and uniqueness.
A native Arkansan, Tracy Roberts grew up in a small rural town and is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University. As a medical technologist, he is employed in the clinical laboratory immunology department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He became trained as a Lucie’s Place volunteer in 2016 and hopes to be of greater service to LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness by serving on the Lucie’s Place board.