Our Team
Tracy Durkin, Founder, Executive Director. Tracy has been a social worker since she was a child, but she didn’t gain her credentials to officially counsel people until receiving her MSW from Rutgers in 1990 and then her clinical license in 1994. Over her career, she has enjoyed working in a variety of settings, the most recent of which is a private family therapy practice in Tinton Falls, NJ, since 1997.
Tracy’s more current love is Arts Healing Hearts, which was born on November 16, 2012. She had been volunteering in other ways since the day after Hurricane Sandy hit the NJ coast in late October, but on that day, she had the simple thought that a way to help kids whose lives had been turned upside down by the storm might be to do fun art activities with them. From that, Arts Healing Hearts has grown into a non-profit organization that has touched the lives of over 50 children and is still growing!
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Sarah E. Siering, Creative Arts Facilitator. Currently living in Hamilton, NJ, Sarah received her Master’s degree in Art Therapy/Counseling from Southwestern College in Santa Fe, NM in 2007. She has worked as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of New Mexico and as a Board Certified, Registered Art Therapist in her home state of New Jersey. Recently, she received her board certification in Applied Behavior Analysis. Sarah has worked with adults and children in settings ranging from battered women’s shelters to group homes serving individuals with developmental disabilities. At Arts Healing Hearts, she uses a strengths-based approach to assist children in processing and rebuilding after experiencing trauma.
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Marlene Valera, Volunteer Coordinator. Marlene was born and raised in Central Jersey. She attended The College of New Jersey, earning a BA in Psychology with a minor in Spanish and Women & Gender Studies in 2005. Marlene then completed a Masters of Social Work at Rutgers University in 2010 –she is now a licensed social worker.
Marlene has worked for several nonprofits organizations in her career –she currently works as a mental health clinician for a nonprofit in Middlesex County. She enjoys working with children and families; her experience includes working with victims of domestic violence and at-risk youth. Marlene brings her passion for serving the community to her position as Volunteer Coordinator for Arts Healing Hearts. She is happy to be a part of the AHH team and even more proud about the work and positive impact that AHH has had on those they have had the opportunity to serve.
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Amanda Durkin, Student Intern. Amanda is a full time college student working on her business degree. She currently attends Ocean County College, where she is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Amanda will soon transfer to Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick to earn her Bachelor’s degree, and after that, she plans to enlist in the USAF. Amanda has been working as an intern for Arts Healing Hearts since its inception. She loves children and helping others, and she is extremely proud to be working for what she says is “a remarkable program and cause.”