About Us

Jennifer Baker — President

Jennifer Baker has dedicated her career to helping others in social services for more than 30 years. She has a passion for assisting people in crisis and is an expert in providing victim-centered, trauma-informed care.

She began her career in the Counseling and Testing Department at the University of Houston–Downtown while earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences, with concentrations in Psychology and Sociology. She spent several years with the Texas Department of Human Services, helping disadvantaged individuals secure medical and financial assistance, before advancing to a position as a Crisis Counselor within the Houston Police Department.

Jennifer advocates for victims of violent crime and helps them overcome the psychological, physical, and financial trauma they face. She offers Women’s Safety presentations to local civic groups, churches, and nonprofit organizations, providing information and awareness primarily on sexual assault and domestic violence. She has also operated a volunteer victim services project, recruiting, training, and supervising local citizens who provided on-scene crisis intervention services to victims.

She has been a member of several victim service organizations, including the Texas Council on Family Violence, the National Organization for Victim Assistance, the Texas Victim Services Association, and the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault.

Jennifer is the owner of Balanced Life Tools, which specializes in day planners, journals, and other inspirational products that enhance productivity and organization. Her most popular products include the Diva Days Planner, which encourages users to plan their day with style and a little sass, and the Balanced Life Planner, a comprehensive life and time management tool that helps users balance every area of their lives.

Nathan Keselring — Treasurer

Nathan Keselring brings over 19 years of experience in the sports industry as the Director of Sports Medicine and a Managing Partner of the Tri-City All-Stars men’s professional ABA basketball team. He is also a Founding Board Member of the All-Stars Cares Organization.

Nathan attended Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he ran track and field and was part of six conference championships and two top-ten finishes in the NCAA Track and Field National Championships. While attending Nebraska Wesleyan, Nathan enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Mineman.

His service career includes tours aboard the USS Robin (MHC 54) and USS Devastator (MCM 6), along with assignments ashore at NAS Corpus Christi, Naval Station Ingleside, and Naval Reserve Base Lincoln, Nebraska. Nathan also worked at Fort Sam Houston as an Exercise Physiologist for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, assisting in research in conjunction with the U.S. Army, Baylor University, and the University of Southern Florida.

His most recent roles include Director of a rehabilitation facility with more than 100 beds, Co-Founder and Board of Directors member of the Stars Over Texas Organization, and Co-Owner of OneHealth Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine. During his work in the sports and health industry, Nathan has worked with professional athletes, professional referees, Olympic hopefuls, and athletes from Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA, AAU, high school, and elementary school athletes.

Anthony W. Ellis — Secretary

Anthony (Tony) W. Ellis was born in Temple, Texas, where he graduated from Temple High School in 1977 and attended Temple College before joining the United States Air Force. He retired from the Air Force after serving his country for twenty years. He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Wayland Baptist University.

After retiring from the Air Force, Tony worked for the State of Texas as a Social Worker for eight years. He then worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for eleven years and has since retired from that department.

Sharon M. Blacknall — Executive Director & Founder

Sharon M. Blacknall is a U.S. Air Force Veteran, children’s book author, and motivational speaker. She founded Military Veterans Against Child Abuse after many years in corporate management and owning other businesses. A passionate Child Safety Advocate, Sharon has worked with various organizations and taught the community about missing child prevention, child abuse prevention, and child safety. She has dedicated her life to keeping kids safe and enjoys mentoring young children about making smart life choices.

Sharon has more than 30 years of experience hiring, managing, and training employees; mentoring entrepreneurs; handling multi-million-dollar budgets from initial bidding through award and procurement; and advocating against child abuse of any kind. Her previous experience also includes work as a Certified Residential and FHA appraiser, Former VP of Administration for the American Basketball Association (ABA), Former Owner/GM of the Alamo City All-Stars ABA Team, coordinating community relations activities, and serving as a liaison between staff and public relations.

Sharon is the author of Growing Up Safe and Unafraid – Child Safety Tips for Parents and Grandparents, as well as two preschool safety books that received the Family Review Center’s Best of 2014 Award. These books teach young children about personal safety in a fun, non-scary way and are in use in many child development centers and Head Start classrooms.

She also developed two innovative safety and anti-bullying programs for children ages three to ten, along with Safe and Unafraid – Child Abuse Prevention Training and Certification, a child abuse prevention program distributed through the nonprofit Military Veterans Against Child Abuse.