Our Team
Kathryn Romo - Executive Director
Kathryn Romo is Executive Director of Safe Refuge, responsible for leading the vision and steering day-to-day operations of the organization, including budgeting and fiscal management. She has been with the organization since 1998, beginning as an administrative assistant. She went on to become administration manager before finally assuming the leadership role of executive director in 2005.
Ms. Romo supervises program managers and unit supervisors and assures that the organization conforms to all state licensing and certification regulations, the standards of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and specifications of all government and private foundation contracts. She also interacts with state, county, federal and other regulatory representatives and personnel.
Working for Safe Refuge is a labor of love for Ms. Romo, who says, “It gives me great satisfaction to see those who are suffering come through these doors and transform into happy individuals. Safe Refuge truly cares about helping individuals change and giving them hope.”
Jennifer Lundahl, M.S., LMFT - Clinical Director
In her role as Clinical Director, Ms. Lundahl ensures that all aspects of programming, administration and evaluation are implemented in a culturally and linguistically competent manner, and that programs meet stated goals and objectives. Ms. Lundahl oversees the clinical and administrative staff, as well as drug and alcohol counseling interns, associate master level therapists registered through the Board of Behavioral Sciences and is also in charge of the electronic health record system.
Ms. Lundahl has been with Safe Refuge since 2009 and earlier was employed at an agency that provided therapy to adolescents, substance abusers, and clients on probation and parole. She has prepared students at Long Beach City College to become drug and alcohol counselors and served as a program coordinator of a therapy program for middle school children expelled from school.A licensed marriage and family therapist, Ms. Lundahl has a bachelor’s in human services and a master’s in marital and family therapy from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She is a member of Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology, and Alpha Kappa Delta, International Sociology Honor Society.
Arthur Romo - Marketing Director/Community Outreach
As Marketing Director/Community Outreach, Arthur Romo is sometimes viewed as the “face” of Safe Refuge. He takes an active role in the surrounding community, building strong ties with local governmental agencies, homeowners associations and the community at large. He oversees outreach to community providers and individuals in need, is Safe Refuge’s liaison with jails and prisons, and attends provider fairs. Mr. Romo also supervises Safe Refuge’s intake department and contracts. He is a member of the Los Angeles Sober Living Coalition and the Rose Park Homeowners Association.
Robert Walker - Facility Director
In his role as Facilities Director, Robert Walker supervises the facility and its staff members, enforces policies and procedures with clients, conducts regular inspections of the properties and carries out ongoing interventions with clientsMr. Walker has been honored by the community on several occasions, but his proudest award is being named “Most Improved Person” in the community
Interested in joining our team?
See our Careers page for information on open positions at Safe Refuge.
