Kathleen Abercrombie Administrative Assistant
Darlene Allen Financial Officer
Susan Armoni Executive Director
Elizabeth Etier Training Specialist
Bob Gonzales Deputy Director
Kristin Jones Associate Executive Director
Darby Merriman Director of Training & Development
Cary Trout Training Specialist
Kathleen Abercrombie, Administrative Assistant
Kathleen Abercrombie began working for paxUnited in October of 2007. She is originally from Oklahoma City and has over thirteen years of experience in the administrative field as an Assistant and as a Laboratory Supervisor. Kathleen comes to us from a printing and graphics company where she served as the Office Manager for the past ten years. Kathleen is eager to apply her previous skills and experience to her position and is excited to be a member of the paxUnited family!
Darlene Allen, Financial Officer
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Susan Armoni, Ph.D., Executive Director
paxUnited's Executive Director, Susan Armoni, began the conflict mediation movement in the schools of Texas over a decade ago. Susan, a twenty-year veteran in education, has worked in the field of prevention for nearly 20 years and has over 250 hours of training in mediation. She founded and directed the Texas Mediation Initiative through the Office of the Attorney General, as well as paxUnited, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safe environments for children. Dr. Armoni is recognized as an international speaker and trainer and is the author of numerous books and articles.
Elizabeth Etier, B.S., Training Specialist
Elizabeth Etier is a 2008 graduate of Texas A&M University and is originally from Carrollton, TX. She first became involved with the Peers Making Peace program as a mediator at Dan F. Long Middle School. While attending Creekview High School, Elizabeth continued her involvement as a peer mediator for three more years. After seeing the power of the Peers Making Peace program first hand, Elizabeth is confident in the positive changes the program can have on campuses that implement the curriculum. Elizabeth brings a wealth of knowledge with her and we are excited she made the decision to join the paxUnited team!
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Robert Gonzales, M.R.E.; M. Div., Deputy Director
Robert Gonzales has served as the Texas State Coordinator for the Southwest Regional Center for Safe and Drug Free Schools. Previously he directed the drug prevention and education program at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. While at St. Mary's, he developed the Student and Employee Assistance program and also coordinated the Campus Mediation Center. Robert has been a program manager for the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. He has served as an Adult Probation Officer and is the former director of the office of Hispanic Affairs in Amarillo, Texas.
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Kristin Jones, B.S., Associate Executive Director
Kristin Jones is a former PeaceKeepers© Course teacher. Having been involved in conflict mediation for over a decade, she has seen the impact that the Peers Making Peace© programs can have not only on the students involved, but also the campus and community as a whole. After thirteen years as a teacher and coach, Kristin chose to make paxUnited her new home. Along with her administrative duties, she also trains and coordinates one of our newest programs, the Positive Action Center.
Darby Merriman, B.A./B.S.; C.P.S., Director of Training & Development
Darby Merriman’s history with paxUnited began in 2001 as a volunteer. She became an “official” employee for the organization in June of 2002. Darby is a University of North Texas graduate and her areas of study included Applied Economics, Criminal Justice, Volunteer Management, and Public Administration. Darby has over 400 hours in Alternative Dispute Resolution Training, is certified in many areas of professional mediation and is recognized a Certified Prevention Specialist by the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals. She also serves on various committees and coalitions to promote the work of paxUnited.
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Cary Trout, B.A., Training Specialist
Cary Trout, a 2009 graduate of the University of Dallas, was born and raised in Carrollton, TX. After being trained in the Peers Making Peace program at Dan F. Long Middle School, Cary continued being a mediator at Creekview High School for 3 more years. Along with his own experienced success in the Peers Making Program, his recent degree in Phenomenological Psychology has given Cary a great eagerness to watch the program’s impact on the students’ lives and the campuses they are moving to change. He is excited to be a part of the paxUnited team and we’re happy to have him aboard!
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