Partner Engagement

Eric Bellamy

Chief Partner Engagement Officer

I will live what I teach, support, and believe to build a better community for my children and others.

Eric provides strategic leadership for emerging prevention programs such as Family Resource Centers and parent engagement while continuing to guide efforts of the home visiting and Strengthening Families Program initiatives. He joined the team in 2010 and played a key role in building a statewide home visiting infrastructure that is well-respected nationally and across our state. He was also instrumental in the statewide expansion of the Strengthening Families Program, and he continuously seeks ways to engage and enhance partnerships at all levels.

Eric received the 2023 South Carolina Health Equity Community Leadership Award from Congressman James Clyburn and the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health’s Health Equity Lecture initiative. He is a graduate of Furman University’s Riley Institute Diversity Leadership Fellows program (Spring 2023).

He previously served on the board of directors for the Association of State and Tribal Home Visiting Initiative (ASTHVI), a three-year term that began in 2019. When the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) funding was up for renewal by the U.S. Congress in 2018, Eric testified before the House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee on Humans Resources to help ensure continued support for home visiting across the nation. Additionally, he has managed over $90 million in federal home visiting funds during the course of his tenure at Children’s Trust.

Prior to joining the organization, he had a long career in human services, youth development and health education.

A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Eric holds a bachelor’s degree in health promotion from Coastal Carolina University and remains a big fan of the Chanticleers. He is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society and the Eta Sigma Gamma national health education honor society.

Leesa Nelson

Parent Engagement Coordinator

803-744-4035
lnelson@scchildren.org

I strive to empower family systems so that my community and state can be safe and healthy for families. I am here to help create and support places where both children and their families can continue to grow into better people every day. Ultimately, I long to see families having access to beautiful, safe, and joyful lives.

As the parent engagement coordinator, Leesa Nelson will work with Children’s Trust programs, the Family Resource Center network and state-level partners to build parent engagement, support and advocacy initiatives.

Leesa has more than 14 years of experience working with families experiencing complex trauma. She is Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certified; she is a certified trainer of Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® by the Crisis Prevention Institute; and she is trained in adverse childhood experiences and the Strengthening Families Program.

She holds both a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in community mental health counseling from Clemson University.

Alek Reaves

Director of Partner and Family Engagement

MSW
803-744-4029
areaves@scchildren.org

Alek Reaves monitors the South Carolina Family Resource Network and supports Family Resource Centers (FRC) within our state.

Before joining Children’s Trust, she worked in the field of sexual violence prevention and provided primary prevention education to children, youth and adults. She developed a parent and guardian program to support adult resourcing for ongoing conversations with youth about their development and building healthy relationships. She also was a liaison at a school and provided in-school and out-of-school support to middle school youth and their families.

Alek earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from the University of South Carolina.