Our Staff
Lesley Gabel, Certified Prevention Specialist & Certified Peer Recovery Specialist – Executive Director
lesley@onevoicehc.com
Lesley demonstrates effective leadership as the Executive Director of One Voice through her adept tactical and strategic management of community-based coalitions, aiming to enhance the perception of harm and reduce substance use. She holds a Marketing degree from Hofstra University and boasts more than three decades of experience in pivotal leadership positions. Her expertise spans coalition development, strategic planning, quality management, and training, with a strong emphasis on statistical analysis and process enhancements. Under her guidance, the coalitions she has collaborated with have earned numerous national accolades, recognizing their exceptional achievements and tangible results in the realms of prescription drug prevention, underage drinking reduction, and the curbing of youth marijuana use. In 2018, she earned the esteemed distinction of being awarded the Hunterdon County Businesswoman of the Year, a testament to her outstanding contributions and accomplishments. She is deeply committed to enhancing the community by actively participating in various organizations. Lesley enjoys playing golf, savoring moments by the beach, cherishing time with her family and her beloved dogs.
Peggy Dowd – Chief Development Director
peggy@onevoicehc.com
Peggy holds the position of Chief Development Director at One Voice, where her role encompasses strategic planning, overseeing federal grants, managing projects related to substance use prevention initiatives, fostering staff development, and providing training in the Strategic Prevention Framework model. Peggy holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration and human resource management from Cabrini College. For over 17 years Peggy worked as a benefits systems consultant for Towers Perrin, handling much of the training and development needs. Through volunteer work, Peggy encountered and was very impressed with the prevention programs in Hunterdon County and began working for Prevention Resources as a Project Coordinator for the Safe Communities Coalition, Youth Coalition, and mentor for One Voice, a coalition focusing on the protective factor of faith. In 2018, One Voice of Hunterdon, Inc. was formed and awarded the federal Drug Free Communities Grant. Peggy has since led the efforts with One Voice to promote the protective factors in all areas to reduce youth substance misuse. Peggy enjoys golf, tennis, theater and traveling with her family.
Norm Penney – Outreach Specialist
norm@onevoicehc.com
As a One Voice Outreach Specialist, Norm brings a lifetime of committed dedication to helping youth and the community they live in. Helping youth and families facing today's problems is a vital concern. Norm’s experience includes 12 years as a Scouting leader, teaching values to young adults, and 7 years as a church Youth Director; in addition to active involvement in youth sports, Rotary and Local Historic Preservation. He is currently serving as a church Pastoral Care Ministry Team Leader and Treasurer of the Washington Township Land Trust. With a BS in Business Administration from University of Delaware, Norm’s business experience includes over 35 years of sales experience with a concentration in marketing and management.
Paul Scoggins – Project Coordinator
paul@onevoicehc.com
Paul brings strong leadership skills and extensive strategic planning to his role as Project Coordinator of One Voice. Paul holds a BA in Economics from UC Davis and an MBA in Marketing from Columbia University. He has thirty years of marketing and general management experience at Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb across a broad range of personal and health care businesses. Since leaving J&J, Paul has been active in the day-to-day operations of the First Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunterdon County where he currently serves as Board President. Paul and his husband Andrew live in Lambertville where they have raised their three sons. Paul is an avid classical music fan and plays the piano.
Carolanne Sherwood – Outreach Specialist
carolanne@onevoicehc.com
Carolanne is a dedicated community member with a strong commitment to service. Born and raised in NJ, she currently resides in Whitehouse Station where she has volunteered for the home school association and scouts lion program. She also serves as a substitute teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Faith Formation and North Branch Reformed Church Preschool. Carolanne has served as a Team Captain for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, demonstrating her dedication to supporting important causes. Her community work reflects her passion for making a positive impact beyond her professional endeavors. In her professional journey, she has excelled as a Field Administrator working with environmental safety. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, whether traveling or cheering them on at one of their sporting events. Carolanne also enjoys event planning and hosting her family and friends whenever possible.
Amy Torres-Valverde – Youth Outreach Coordinator
amy@onevoicehc.com
Amy brings vast experience working and volunteering in her school, community, and church, adding substantive value to her role as Youth Project Coordinator at One Voice. Amy is currently pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice Management at John Jay College, while serving in the New York National Guard. She has previously worked for various non-profits with hopes of making a better community in her hometown. While in high school, Amy worked hard to make sure English Language Learners would be gifted their school supplies in order to give them an easier time transitioning. Previously she has worked at the Flemington Area Food Pantry as a Bilingual Program Coordinator after volunteering as a freshman. There she assisted in outreaching to low-income families and supporting programs that would bring families closer together and eating healthier meals.
Nancy Tucker – Outreach Specialist
nancy@onevoicehc.com
Nancy Tucker comes to One Voice with over thirty years’ experience creating and implementing multi-media communications programs for national and international organizations. During her career, Nancy developed specialized expertise with health and wellness associations, government agencies, and academic institutions, where her work earned national awards for excellence in strategic programming, web design, video production, and writing. Most recently, Nancy served the Hunterdon community as Communications Officer for Hunterdon Central Regional High School, where her work as webmaster and executive producer of HCTV earned recognitions for excellence in the areas of video, website, newsletters, and social media. A long-time county resident, she has been involved with local partnerships dedicated to preventing drug and alcohol misuse and fostering mental health in adolescents. She continues to work with the Hunterdon Partnership for Health and is deeply committed to working for a healthy, thriving environment for youth in our county. Nancy lives in Raritan Township and loves gardening, reading, traveling, and being outdoors with her family.
Our Contributors
Evelyn Blas - Latino Outreach Coordinator
Evelyn Blas was born and raised in Peru and immigrated with her family to the U.S. in 1992. She served in the U.S. Navy for eight years as a Hospital Corpsman and has worked in the medical field for over 20 years. Fluent in English and Spanish, she has a BS in Business Management and currently pursuing a MS in Healthcare Analytics and Intelligence at Rutgers University. She currently works for the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies as a Pre-award Grants Manager. Evelyn is committed to enhancing access to quality care and volunteers at church events, for other non-profit organizations, and as a bilingual advocate for Safe and Sound, a Domestic and Sexual Assault Response Team for Somerset County, NJ.
Ross Traphagen - Media Communications Specialist
Ross Traphagen graduated Moravian University with a Bachelor's degree in both Political Science and Sociology. Ross has spent his career working in PR and Marketing, working with government agencies, large and small businesses, and non- profits. Ross assists One Voice with a variety of digital marketing needs, such as managing the organizations website and social media. He is also an active member of Clinton Presbyterian Church, where he has served as an Elder and Sunday School teacher. Ross lives with his wife Megan, and their daughter Jane, in the Town of Clinton.