Staff

Brandy Osmus

Executive Director

Vacant

Development Director

Amber Lacewell

Community Engagement and Education Director

Nancy Gaden

Accounting & Human Resources Director

Tawnya Klingman

Shelter Manager

Rachael Schmidt

Programs Manager

Travis Baker

Thrift Store Manager

Executive Director

Brandy Osmus

brandy@nwaws.org

Brandy came to the NWAWS after spending over 15 years at Walmart. She leads with passion, intelligence, and wisdom. Brandy frequently uses the phrase “We are better together,” and she values collaboration with partner organizations to ensure our clients are receiving the best care and service.

Development Director

Vacant

Community Engagement and Education Director

Amber Lacewell

alacewell@nwaws.org

Hello, my name is Amber, and I first started working at the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter in 2012. I started as a bilingual advocate and have transitioned positions and landed where I am now. My favorite thing about the NWAWS is our awesome team and our amazing clients whose stories add fuel to my fire every day. In my free time, I like to get crafty with DIY projects, I enjoy cooking, and I love to spend time outdoors. My three kids also keep me pretty busy. Thank you for being invested in our work!

Accounting & Human Resources Director

Nancy Gaden

nancy@nwaws.org

Nancy joined the NWAWS team in 2021 after spending the last twenty years working with various for-profit and non-profit entities in Oklahoma. She is a licensed CPA in both Arkansas and Oklahoma and holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University along with her accounting degree from the University of Arkansas. While she loves working with numbers, Nancy also loves people and her unique role in supporting the mission at the NWAWS. In her spare time, she loves watching Razorback athletics and enjoying the beauty of Northwest Arkansas.

Shelter Manager

Tawnya Klingman

tklingman@nwaws.org

Tawnya has worked for the NWAWS for over 5 years, starting out as an advocate. She always lends a listening ear, helps clients and other staff members with problem solving, and is dedicated to seeing the individuals who come to us for shelter succeed.

Programs Manager

Rachael Schmidt

rschimdt@nwaws.org

With over 11 years of experience, Rachael is creative in how she serves our clients and brings them fun and joy through classes, movie nights, excursions to NWA’s many attractions, and so much more. As a former Children’s Advocate at the NWAWS, Rachael still interacts with the kids in shelter and supervises our current Children’s Advocate and Family Advocate.

Thrift Store Manager

Travis Baker

travis@nwaws.org

Travis has been around thrifting his whole life and has a family connection to the NWAWS Thrift Store—his aunt used to work at the store and Travis spent a lot of his youth helping out as well. He joined the team in early 2022 and is passionate about Loving People no matter what and Encouraging others to do the same. When not working at the store, you can find Travis spending quality time with his loved ones or maybe taking a nap dreaming of fresh air, pumpkins, and fall leaves.