Wendy Tarr

Wendy has spent 20 years building and leading nonprofit organizations that engage faith and community-based organizations to stand with directly and marginalized impacted people to improve conditions and systems. She founded Accompanying Returning Citizens with Hope  (ARCH), a program under VOAN, to provide an avenue for faith-based partners to accompany individuals returning home from prison, and for returning citizens to advocate for changes in the justice system directly. The program has been growing and has received seed funding from the Catholic Foundation, various faith-based partners, and the County Commissioners through their competitive “Catalyst Grant,” focused on supporting local initiatives working on poverty-related issues. Wendy is skilled in program and leadership development, coalition building, fundraising, and public policy advocacy at state and federal levels. Wendy has focused her professional career in nonprofits active on worker’s justice issues, immigration, poverty alleviation, and criminal justice/reentry. Accomplishments include: appointed by Franklin County Commissioners to the Franklin County Reentry Advisory Board 2019 – 2021; Certified Facilitator, Getting Ahead While Getting Out, 2020; Certified Facilitator, Creating Lasting Family Connections, Marriage Enhancement Program, 2018; Certified Trainer, Healing Communities (Healing Communities USA), 2017; Certified Facilitator, Cost of Poverty Simulation (Think Tank Inc.), 2016.