CEO and President – Jennifer Elmore
Jennifer is a senior vice president and managing director for Abbot Downing, a boutique wealth management firm. Jennifer has been in the financial services industry and with Wells Fargo for more than 20 years. Jennifer is a fierce advocate for victims of abuse. She is passionate about creating a cultural sea-change ending protectionism of perpetrators and the re-victimization of survivors.
Jennifer received her bachelor’s degree from Campbell University in 1993. Prior to attending college in North Carolina, she lived with her military family in many domestic and foreign locations. Jennifer and her husband, Mike, have five children and make their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Director of Programs & Policy – Adelaide Kahn-Fowler
Adelaide Kahn-Fowler is the Director of Programs and Policy at Protect Our Defenders. She started with the organization in 2016 working mostly with clients to meet their legal and casework needs. Since, she has developed and produced numerous projects and platforms, regularly partnering with Congressional offices, pro bono partners, organizational allies, survivor advocates, and others to help realize policy reform goals and better assist survivors. Before joining POD, Adelaide worked for various non-profit organizations including the Family Court Assistance Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and the Los Angeles J. Paul Getty Museum. Although hailing from Los Angeles, CA, Adelaide received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations with a focus on global security from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She later obtained her Masters degree in Criminology from George Washington University.
Communications Director – Brian Purchia
Brian Purchia is the Communications Director for Protect Our Defenders and has been with the organization since its launch.
Described by Craigslist founder Craig Newmark as “genuinely innovative,” Brian has served as a spokesman for former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Change.org, Green For All and a number of other social change organizations.
Programs & Services Manager – Sara Tumbas
Sara Tumbas is the Programs and Services Manager at Protect Our Defenders. Sara graduated from the United States Naval Academy with her bachelor’s degree and went on to serve as a Navy helicopter pilot. However, she found her passion in advocacy, and often acted on behalf of sailors confronting equal opportunity violations and workplace harassment issues. She earned her certification as a Department of Defense Sexual Assault Victim Advocate. After her time as a pilot, she joined the Naval Air Force’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as the Policy Program Manager. In this role, she helped to promote accession and retention of minority Naval Aviators. She has completed extensive research on the impact doctrinal Navy and DoD policy has on underrepresented communities. She has witnessed military members entrust themselves to a justice system that too often exposes them to re-victimization or intimidates them into silence. She is committed to advocacy and the pursuit of systemic change in both the military justice processes as well as its culture.
