OUR TEAM

Angie is the Director of Programs for SOAR. She started as the Dayton Ohio Community Outreach Worker and recently was promoted to this position.

Tonja Catron has served as Executive Director of The SOAR Initiative since January 1, 2025, bringing more than four years of progressive leadership within the organization. She began her work with SOAR as a volunteer, later serving as the Miami Valley Region Outreach Worker for two years, and was appointed Director of Programs in 2024 before assuming the role of Executive Director. Tonja provides strategic and operational leadership grounded in harm reduction, public health, and equity. She is deeply committed to advancing community-driven solutions for people who use drugs (PWUD) and sex workers, integrating lived experience into program design, advocacy, and service delivery to reduce stigma and improve health outcomes. Her leadership extends beyond local implementation to state- and national-level collaboration and advocacy, where she contributes to policy discussions and systems-change efforts focused on overdose prevention, harm reduction, and social justice. Tonja is a strong advocate for equity and inclusion and a committed ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and communities of color. Under her leadership, SOAR prioritizes culturally responsive, low-barrier services and partnerships that strengthen community trust and promote more just and effective public-health responses.

Brandy is one of our dedicated community outreach workers in Columbus Ohio. Brandy believes in meeting people where they are and not leaving them there. Brandy has a strong background in leadership and has worked with the unhoused population for several years whether it be coordinating them a place in SUD/MH treatment or a meal, you will find her on the streets of Columbus helping the most vulnerable. All while smiling when she does it.

Tracie is one of our amazing Columbus Ohio outreach workers. Tracie has a heart for the unhoused and that is where you will find her serving the community. Tracie believes that meeting people where they are is the best way she can help them. Tracie hopes for a day when there will be no more drug war.

Rontae is a father of 1, who lives in Butler County/Hamilton City OH. Rontae has worked for the Regional Harm Reduction Collaborative just over 2.5 years as the Harm Reduction Supervisor, as well as working as an outreach specialist for SOAR. has worked in mental health and substance abuse for over twenty years, as a case manager and harm reduction advocate. Rontae believes "everyone needs a little love from time to time".

Red is a dedicated community organizer and harm reduction advocate with SOAR. For four years prior to joining the team, they served as a lay distributor of harm reduction supplies, building deep trust and a powerful reach within their community. This foundational experience fuels their ongoing work to educate, support, and empower people who use drugs (PWUD) and sex workers. Their commitment to practical, grassroots action extends beyond harm reduction. Red personally coordinates, prepares, and distributes free meals, feeding 100 to 200 community members each month. They believe in meeting immediate needs and building collective power where larger systems fail. Red’s approach is rooted in lived experience, mutual aid, and a fierce dedication to social justice. They work tirelessly to combat stigma, fight systemic inequities, and create a more just and supportive world for all, carrying their advocacy from the street level to the broader movement for equity and inclusion.

Stacy is our newest team member. She is a Portsmouth Ohio native. Her passion is veterinary medicine and public health. Stacy says her favorite part of this work is that she advocates for our community that doesn't have a voice.

Holly started her outreach journey because she lost her brother and bestfriend in March 2022 to a fentanyl overdose. She decided someone was going to live because he died. She gathered a couple of friends and started Dale‘s outreach. Going door-to-door sitting at the local parks giving out Narcan and harm reduction kits, feeding the hungry and educating people about overdose awareness!

Abby Spears is a lifelong resident of rural southern Ohio. She has spent over twenty years working, volunteering, advocating, and building relationships and community in the place she calls home. Abby believes in radical love, human rights, dignity and autonomy, and the power of individuals and community to create change.

Jessica is a member of our outreach team in Cleveland and serves other surrounding areas of Cuyahoga County. She has lived experience as she is a person in long term alternative recovery for 8 years. She became a Naloxone distributor over 2 years ago in an attempt to help those in her community and has been actively adapting since in all areas of Harm Reduction. She has volunteered with many local non-profit organizations and today partners with many different organizations in order to share her resources and knowledge to all in her community. Jessica has a passion for Harm Reduction work and her experience gives her a unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, and advocate for our community.

Linda Smolak joined SOAR as a volunteer in April, 2023. She first learned about harm reduction over 15 years ago at a west coast syringe exchange and outreach. She has multiple family members in recovery from OUD. Linda was formerly a professor and administrator at Kenyon College. Linda also previously volunteered at Harm Reduction Ohio. She shares the passion of everyone at SOAR: empowering people who use drugs to control their health and safety, and fighting stigma against people who use drugs. She mainly helps with finances and grants at SOAR. Linda has 6 perfect grandchildren.

Dacey is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor III, with a master’s in social work from the University of Central Florida. Since beginning her career in 2019 through a community mental health internship, she has remained deeply committed to supporting individuals navigating both mental health and substance use. After several impactful years in community mental health, she transitioned into private practice and launched her own in September 2024. Her work is rooted in a passion for harm reduction, safe drug use, autonomy, and broader social and political reform—including the destigmatization and decriminalization of people who use drugs.

Chad joined SOARs board the summer of 2025 and his other Current roles outside of SOAR include: • Co-Host, Recoveryish Podcast https://recoveryish.com • Senior Advisor, Unity Recovery https://unityrecovery.org • Consultant, Opioid Response Network https://opioidresponsenetwork.org Former appointments • Policy Advisor, Office of National Drug Control Policy, The White House https://whitehouse.gov/ondcp • Consultant, ETAC, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services https://hhs.gov • Public Health Stakeholders Committee, SAMHSA https://samhsa.gov

Kelsey is the board treasurer. She joined SOARs board in the summer of 2025. She brings a plethora of harm reduction experience to SOAR.

Coming soon!

Dennis Pales is a SOAR co-founder and is currently a medical student at The University of Colorado School of Medicine. He graduated from Ohio State in 2022 and served as the Director of Community Relations from SOAR's inception through his graduation.

Sharona provides 30 plus years of personal and professional knowledge of substance use. With her extensive background in public health and advocacy, she tirelessly works to implement evidence-based strategies that prioritize compassion, dignity, and harm reduction principles. Through her work, she seeks to dismantle stigma and empower individuals to make informed choices about their health. Sharona advocates for policies and programs that address the underlying factors contributing to substance use, including poverty, trauma, and inequality. Her collaborative approach brings together diverse stakeholders, from policymakers to community members, to create comprehensive solutions that prioritize harm reduction and human rights. As a tireless advocate for harm reduction, Sharona continues to inspire change and promote compassion in the field of public health.

IN MEMORIAL: Mark passed away on July 11, 2023. Mark was a fixture at Safe Point and the Reeb Center as SOAR's outreach liaison. He was an activist who was eagerly hoping for an active citywide drug testing program. Mark was an instrumental part of SOAR's team and is deeply missed.