Tarantino to lead Someplace Safe

Staff report

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WARREN

The board of directors of Someplace Safe Inc. has hired Cheryl A. Tarantino as executive director, effective July 1.

“After a thorough search and in-depth interview process, we narrowed down the field to some very qualified candidates,” said John Martin, board vice president and chairman of the executive director search committee. “We feel we have found the best candidate for this position in Ms. Tarantino.”

Someplace Safe, Trumbull County’s domestic-violence agency, is driven by its mission statement to support victims from emergency to transition to independence.

The agency provides advocacy, education, supportive services, emergency 24-hour crisis intervention, and shelter to aid families, officials said.

“Someplace Safe is at an exciting moment in time for strengthening the organization and growing it. Ms. Tarantino combines all the necessary qualifications and the right experience to make that happen,” said Carol Caronite, board president.

Tarantino replaces Patricia Porter, who is retiring June 30.

Porter, who will remain with Someplace Safe during July in an advisory role, joined the staff in 1998. During her tenure, she oversaw great growth in the advancement of victims’ rights through a legal-advocacy program and successful collaborations through the Trumbull County Domestic Violence Task Force.

“It has been an honor to have worked toward the end of domestic violence, an extremely important and personal cause affecting many of Trumbull County’s residents,” Porter said.

Tarantino, of Boardman, brings to Someplace Safe more than 24 years of experience in marketing and management in the private and nonprofit sectors, most recently as director of marketing and recruitment for Northeast Ohio Adoption Services.

Tarantino said she is “thrilled to accept this challenging position and feel that my past experiences with NOAS have shaped the development of the gentle, supportive but firm mentoring those families in crisis need.”

She graduated cum laude from Mount Union College with a bachelor’s degree in international business and finance. Her community activities include leadership roles with the Boardman High School Alumni Association and Relay for Life.