Impact Stories
We Are All Connected: Staff Spotlights
December 2, 2022
Staff: Emily Napier and Lyla Yaner
Meet two members of the Judi’s House/JAG Institute Team who have made an impact on our mission.
Emily Napier began working at Judi’s House/JAG Institute in July 2022 as the Community-Based Care Manager. In her role, she works to establish and strengthen relationships with community partners and coordinates our community-based training and direct service programming. She and her team help to bring the work of Judi’s House into the community through educational workshops, therapeutic support groups, staff and personnel trainings, consultation, and outreach.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and cooking and loves to explore new places and spend time with her husband, Joe.
“What I like most about working at Judi’s House is the combination of research, training, and clinical skills. We all want to help children and families find connection and healing but being able to utilize resources effectively and with equity in my mind is so important. The thoughtfulness and level of attention given to all these aspects really reflects how much Judi’s House values its clients and that makes me feel proud to be here.”
Lyla Yaner started working at Judi’s House as an intern in the fall of 2019 and began her dream job working on our programing team as the Bilingual Grief Counselor in February 2022. As the Bilingual Grief Counselor, Lyla facilitates assessments and group services for our Spanish-speaking clients as well as working with English-speaking families in assessments, Connections and Pathfinders groups, and individual therapy sessions.
When Lyla is not at Judi’s House, she enjoys playing music and writing songs, eating delicious food, and paddle boarding. She loves traveling and is always anxiously awaiting the next opportunity to visit her family in Buenos Aires.
“Aside from the wonderful moments with clients, I love laughing with my co-workers. They really are the most amazing bunch of humans and begin able to connect makes the days feel a bit lighter.”