The Our Place Nashville Team
Carolyn Naifeh, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Carolyn has nearly 15 years of experience in international broadcasting and 20 years in non-profit management. With the exception of one year at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School and one in South Carolina with Best Doctors International, her home base was in Washington, DC. She worked there primarily with Voice of America, at Ford’s Theatre, and as a consultant with arts and education organizations, including the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, the NEA Foundation and the Pearson Foundation. She moved to Nashville in April 2013 to open a regional office for the Pujols Family Foundation. After two years, she and Jaco spun their passion to provide affordable housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities into a 501c3 non-profit organization. Carolyn grew up overseas, the daughter of a U.S. diplomat. She holds a BA in English and an MA in Latin American Studies, both from Vanderbilt University.
JOrdan collins, Associate Director
Jordan Collins grew up in Durban, South Africa, and moved to Nashville in 2011 to attend college. He received a B.A. degree in Christian Leadership from Belmont University, and upon graduation worked with Catholic Charities to support refugees in obtaining affordable housing. He moved to his home province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, to continue working to empower marginalized communities. Most recently, Jordan helped start a program for vulnerable youth in South Africa and upon his return to the U.S., was the community engagement coordinator at Dismas House, serving the formerly incarcerated. He comes to Our Place with six years of non-profit experience and has been a part of Our Place Nashville since our inception in 2015. He and his wife, Bailey, were Our Place Nashville’s first resident directors at our first Friendship House, helping to build our model for community living.
BRAD Clark , Social Worker
Brad Clark is a Social Worker with Our Place Nashville, joining the team in October 2023. As a Nashville native and passionate advocate, he has progressive experience navigating community resources and safety-net programs since receiving his Bachelor's in Social Work in 2014 from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Prior to joining Our Place Nashville, he held case management and program coordinator roles in housing placement, substance use treatment, prison re-entry and assuring older adults can age in place.
Overall, Brad has a deep commitment to social justice. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Breana, and their dachshund, Kira, and loves cooking, woodworking, and graphic design.
Claire Hitchins & Julio Quispe, co-Resident Directors - Friendship House 2
Claire Hitchins (she/her) and Julio Quispe (he/el) are excited to spend their first year of marriage co-creating community with the residents at Friendship House 2 this year as Resident Directors! Claire is a third year Master of Divinity student at Vanderbilt and Julio works in housing assistance with the Spanish-speaking community. They moved here from Charlottesville, Virginia, but Julio also calls Peru home.
Xinran “sherry” Wang - Resident Director - Friendship House 3
Sherry is a Chinese international student pursuing her Masters of Education in Human Development Counseling. Sherry joined the Friendship House community in 2021 and took over the role of resident director in the summer of 2022. She is passionate about interpersonal relationships and helping young adults cope with the adult transition, exploring identity, understanding relationships, and recognizing challenges of this dynamic period. Sherry is also a yoga enthusiast with an RYT 200 hours yoga coach certificate. She loves connecting with nature and is passionate about everything that helps us experience authentic joy and fully live our lives.
Lynnette Henderson, Resident Director - Friendship house 4
Lynnette has a PhD in Special Education from Vanderbilt University. She has 20 years of experience in the field of special education, teacher training and research. She volunteered for 15 years with Autism Tennessee where she was on the Board of Directors and Education Committee. She was an Associate Director at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for 12 years. Now retired, Lynette continues to make a difference in the lives of those living with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Our Place Nashville’s fourth Friendship House since she joined us in 2021.