About
Board of Directors
Meet our Board of Directors
Julie Childs
Former Board Chair
Julie Childs retired from the law firm of McLain & Merritt, P.C. in Atlanta, and has practiced in the area of estate planning since 1986.
Julie received her BA and law degrees from the University of Georgia. Growing up in Decatur, Georgia, she attended Decatur High School.
Her civic commitments include participation in and numerous leadership positions at Decatur First United Methodist Church, active membership in the DeKalb Junior League from 1982 – 1992, serving on the board of the Georgia United Methodist Foundation, the board of Wesley Woods Home, Inc., currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, and serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of Breakthru House, Inc., from 2013-current.
Board of Directors
Breakthru House is led by a committed team, including the Executive Director, Financial & Facility Manager, Fractional CFO, Strategic Planning Manager, and Executive Assistant, all working to support our mission.
Together, We Can Heal and Rebuild Lives
Addiction can affect anyone, regardless of their background, age, or circumstance. Breakthru House supports women in overcoming substance abuse and reclaiming their lives. Join us in empowering women to achieve lasting recovery and brighter futures.
Vanessa Nelson served as Pharmacy Manager at United Health Care for 11 years. In 2003, she retired and became a stay-at-home mom to her two sons, who have since graduated college. Vanessa was born in Inkster, Michigan, and now lives in the Smoke Rise Community where she and her family have resided for nearly 24 years. Vanessa graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a BBA in Business Management. She is a member of Victory World Church in Norcross, GA. She’s proud to be on the Breakthru House Board since 2020. She serves as an Ambassador and Donor for Livvy’s Love, Inc., and is a Volunteer and Donor for the Marquis Grissom Baseball Association. Vanessa enjoys spending quality time with family and friends and especially her new grandson. She likes attending church, volunteering, traveling, going to Detroit Lions football games, shopping, attending plays, comedy shows and concerts.
Sandy Jap is the Sarah Beth Brown Professor of Marketing at Emory University. She has also served as a faculty member at the Sloan School of Management at MIT and at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She has published widely on the development of organizational relationships, go-to-market strategies, and e-procurement. She is the author of Partnering with the Frenemy, a book on the dark side of business relationships and A Field Guide to Channel Strategy, a how-to book on going to market strategy. She is an international speaker, expert witness, and consultant to a wide range of industries and firms. 
Joseph (Joe) E. Brown, Jr., has been a Board member since the 1980’s. His father was an original founder/supporter of Breakthru House Inc., when it was founded at St. Mark UMC in 1969. Joe has worked at Courts & Co., a regional brokerage firm from 1961-1972, Atlanta Federal Savings & Loan, that became Georgia Federal Bank from 1972-1987, and finally with his wife’s State Farm Insurance agency for 20 years until retirement. Joseph has witnessed not only the incredible growth and progress of Breakthru House, but also the transformative changes in the lives of many women who have become whole again due to the love and support they received while residing on campus and completing the Breakthru House recovery program.
Following a 20-year career in the real estate legal field, with a real estate law firm in Atlanta, Sylvia served as real estate coordinator for Racetrac Petroleum, owned a mortgage brokerage, and has been a realtor for 35 years.
T. Gordon Barber is a retired ATT Executive with 41 years of experience in Network Operations. He is owner and manager of Barber Properties. He grew up in Hendersonville, NC, graduated from The Citadel and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Maryland. He was an Army officer and served in Okinawa. Currently he volunteers at North Fulton Community Charity, Habitat for Humanity, and is a member of the Disaster Recovery Team at Alpharetta Methodist Church. He and his wife, Karen, live in Milton and have 3 grown sons and 2 grandchildren.
Nancy Young retired from serving as Vice President of Development for the Georgia United Methodist Foundation (GUMF) in 2022. She brings over 40 years of nonprofit experience in the areas of fundraising, major donor development, training, special events, planned giving, and facilities management.