About us

Our team

Survivors, advocates, attorneys and storytellers working together to put child safety at the center of Washington’s family court system.

Tamara Emerson

Founder & Executive Director

Tamara Emerson is an advocate, creative storyteller, and community leader focused on improving child safety and accountability within the family court system. For more than six years, she has spoken locally on co-parenting, preparing for court, and navigating the family court system, helping individuals better understand complex processes and prepare to advocate for themselves.

Tamara serves on the Board of Directors for Litigation Survival School, an organization that equips survivors with education and tools to navigate self-representation in Superior Court. She is also involved with the Center for Dialogue & Resolution in Pierce County, supporting constructive approaches to conflict resolution and mediation.

At A4 Safety Alliance, Tamara leads court-data analysis and is developing an empirical research study examining judicially ordered parenting plans and patterns in family court outcomes.

Through A4, Tamara brings together lived experience, data, advocacy, community education, and storytelling to better understand how family court systems operate and identify opportunities for meaningful reform.

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Sherri Jensen

Co-Founder

Sherri Jensen is a nonprofit leader and community advocate with extensive experience addressing homelessness, employment barriers, and housing instability. Recognized as a South Sound Business 40 Under 40 honoree, Sherri leads Valeo, where she works to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with meaningful employment and pathways toward permanent housing.

A longtime champion for survivors, Sherri has also opened her own home to provide a safe place for single mothers navigating difficult transitions. She brings to A4 deep experience in nonprofit leadership, program development, community partnerships, and serving people facing complex barriers.

Sherri has a particular passion for creating systems that are accessible and responsive to communities whose needs are often overlooked, including LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent individuals. At A4, she brings both an organizational and human-centered perspective to building solutions that are practical, inclusive, and sustainable.

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Evangeline Stratton

Attorney

Evangeline Stratton is an attorney with extensive experience representing survivors navigating the family court system. Her work has included providing low-bono legal services to individuals seeking safety while facing significant financial and systemic barriers to accessing legal representation.

Evangeline has substantial experience representing clients in appellate matters, giving her a unique perspective on how family court decisions are made, challenged, and reviewed. She also teaches law school courses, bringing her practical legal experience into the classroom and helping educate future legal professionals.

She is deeply committed to championing women and children and has a particular passion for access to justice and ensuring survivors have meaningful opportunities to be heard within the legal system.

At A4, Evangeline brings legal analysis, appellate experience, education, and a deep understanding of the barriers families can encounter when navigating complex court systems.

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Kate Julia

Technology & Communications

Kate Julia is the founder of Kithfold.ai, which builds release testing and safety infrastructure for AI products used by children, and of VirWave, an emotional-regulation app for neurodivergent teens and adults. She is a two-time TEDx speaker and a technical founder working where AI, child protection and human-centered design meet.

On A4 Safety Alliance’s board, Kate leads technology and communications with a focus on child protection. She helps A4 use emerging technology responsibly and turn complex information into clear, accessible stories that strengthen advocacy, education and access to justice.

Kate also serves on the Board of Directors of Legali, which is developing trauma-informed AI tools that support survivors and help legal professionals expand access to services.

As a neurodivergent leader, Kate brings lived experience to designing systems that better serve people who think, process and communicate differently.

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Kevin O’Donnell

Film & Storytelling

Kevin O’Donnell is a filmmaker, Director of Photography, and founder of Tacoma-based Mountains Out Media. With a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video Studies, Kevin brings extensive experience in documentary filmmaking, commercial production, branded content, and visual storytelling.

Throughout his career, Kevin has worked across productions for organizations ranging from Pacific Northwest nonprofits to global brands, including Microsoft, Nike, Intel, Facebook, and the University of Washington. His work is grounded in authentic, human-centered storytelling and a belief in the power of film to make complex experiences visible and understood.

At A4 Safety Alliance, Kevin leads film and visual storytelling, helping translate the experiences of children, families, survivors, and professionals into compelling stories that can educate communities and illuminate the human impact behind complex systems.

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