Fayetteville nonprofit welcomes new executive director

Magdalene Serenity House, a Fayetteville-based human services nonprofit, has a new executive director. Takama Statton-Brooks was selected from more than 50 applicants and started the job this past October.

Magdalene hosted a “meet and greet” for Statton-Brooks on March 12 at Sterling Bank in Fayetteville. She was previously director for residence education at the University of Arkansas.

“This organization is committed to providing the awareness and advocacy needed to help women find stability beyond their incarceration or addiction recovery,” she said. “We spend two years with the women who live with us, and during this time they work hard on creating goals and strategies that will help empower them to heal from their past trauma and engage in activities that will better their life experiences.”

Statton-Brooks earned a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation services education from Emporia State University in 1999, a master’s degree in social work from Washburn University in 2002 and a doctorate degree in higher education leadership from Saint Louis University in 2009.

Founded in 2016, Magdalene offers housing, long-term support and community partnerships for women who have experienced trauma, sexual exploitation, addiction and incarceration.

Magdalene has four full-time employees and one part-time employee. April Bachrodt was the previous executive director. She was a founding board member and joined the staff when the organization opened its doors.