MomsHope Team

MomsHope provides hope to single, low income moms through one-on-one faith-based mentoring in order to support their resource development, personal advancement, spiritual growth and family stability.

Leadership Team

Anita worked in education for over 18 years. She has participated in various aspects of fundraising in local grade schools, high schools and at Mt. St Joseph University. Anita joined MomsHope in 2016 and has held the position of Event Director until accepting the title of Executive Director in 2022. She has mentored several moms.

A native Cincinnatian, Anita has a BS in Education from Mount St. Joseph University. She is a single mom, blessed with two adult children. Anita is drawn to helping make a change for working single moms. She believes giving moms the tools and support to make the advancements needed will create self-sufficiency, breaking the cycle of poverty.

Rebecca Timmons is the Program Director for MomsHope, responsible for the mentoring program and overall care for our moms and mentors. She also serves as Secretary for the Board of MomsHope Inc.

Rebecca worked in corporate America for over 30 years. For most of her corporate life she was responsible for helping marketing teams leverage consumer insights to help develop strategies for brand growth.

Rebecca was a single mom for eleven years before finding her addition to love story. During her time as a single mom, Rebecca’s faith journey grew and allowed her to find several avenues for serving women in the greater Cincinnati area. Rebecca has a passion to help women become all that God has planned for them. Rebecca currently helps lead a Bible Study as River City Correctional Center and is a Volunteer Peer Counselor at the Eve Center. Prior to her current role, Rebecca was a mentor with MomsHope. During this time, she became passionate about helping single moms to reach their financial goals and get to a place of self-sufficiency.

Rebecca has lived in the greater Cincinnati area for most of her adult life. She is married and has five children and eight grandchildren. Rebecca’s life verse is Proverbs 3: 5-6 and she uses those verses to guide her on a daily basis.

Jen Ratterman is Financial Coach Coordinator and a member of the MomsHope Leadership Team. Jen has been active with MomsHope since March 2021 when she trained as a Financial Coach and Mentor.

Jen is a CPA and was a Shareholder with Rudler, PSC where she worked for 43 years until her retirement in December 2020. While at Rudler, Jen was shareholder in charge of accounting and auditing services for not-for-profit organizations, and she mentored 9 women in the firm’s mentoring program.

Jen, widowed after 38 years of marriage, is blessed with 3 married children, and 1 grandchild.

Jen was born, raised and still resides on the West Side of Cincinnati and has a BS in Accounting from Northern Kentucky University. Jen loves retirement and spends her time in Bible Study, sewing/crocheting mini healing quilts/prayer shawls for Wrapped in Love, reading, exercising and enjoying her family.

Board of Directors

Janet Lapps is current Outreach/Events Director for MomsHope, a key advisor to our Leadership Team and Mentors. She is also a member of the MomsHope Board of Directors.

Janet’s background as a special education teacher, and her work and leadership with various nonprofit initiatives led her to OneCity Foundation where she was instrumental in the development of the MomsHope Program. She served as the Executive Director of MomsHope from 2013-2020 and continues supporting MomsHope by serving on the leadership team and on the MomsHope Board of Directors. Janet has always been passionate about serving those in need and she considers it a privilege to work with the team at MomsHope. Janet has a heart to see the cycle of poverty broken for single moms and their children.

Janet grew up in suburban Philadelphia and has a BS in Special Education from Millersville University. She is married with three grown children and four grandchildren.

Debbie Browne is a member of the MomsHope Board and an active volunteer with MomsHope.

Debbie and her husband became financial supporters of MomsHope after hearing about the organization at an event in 2019. The Brownes have supported many faith-based organizations throughout their 36 years of marriage. Debbie brings a supporter mind-set to the board and is always looking for ways to help fund the needs of the organization.

Debbie has lived in Ohio her whole life, born in Lima, grew up in Medina, and raised her family in the Cincinnati area. Debbie has a BS from Miami University and worked at Proctor and Gamble, before staying home to raise 2 children. Debbie also has 2 grandchildren.

Bethany Heath is the Operations Director for MomsHope, responsible for the financial reporting, business operations and compliance. She also is the acting Chair of MomsHope Board of Directors.

Bethany worked in corporate America for almost 30 years. During many of those years, she worked in corporate social responsibility and sustainability, in the United States and in developing countries. In 2015, she joined Janet Lapps to grow MomsHope into the organization it is today, impacting more and more moms and their families. With a heart for the underserved and under-resourced in her community, she is motivated to help women who want to do the hard work. Also, she feels an obligation to raise awareness of the challenges the working poor, especially single moms, face daily as a result of circumstance out of their control.

Bethany was born and raised in Cincinnati, has a BS from Georgetown University and an MBA from Xavier University. She is a single mom, blessed with 3 grown children.

Julia Pace Mitchell is a member of MomsHope Board of Directors and has been a big supporter of MomsHope since 2016

Julia is an actor, educator and director. Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Julia earned her Masters of Fine Arts from The National Theatre Conservatory at The Denver Center, her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Theatre from Howard University and studied Classical Theatre at Oxford University. The largest motivating force in her teaching philanthropy and artistry is the current representation of women and people of color in media. How people of color are viewed in film, theater and television has created deep systemic, psychological injuries in our country. Julia believes our generation has an obligation to investigate and address this. Seeing representation of women overcoming obstacles makes it more tangible.

Julia is a single mom of an energetic young son; as well as an Associate Professor at Metro State
University, Denver; and a working actor.