Leadership Team

Angela Penn has worked in housing development for over a decade. She began her foray into the housing world at the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA), eventually serving as its vice president of real estate development. Before becoming TAP’s vice president for economic and real estate development, she served as director of its housing and community development component. She was instrumental in TAP’s rehabilitation of the 187-unit Terrace Apartments complex located in Roanoke’s Grandin Village, as well as its conversion of the old Raleigh Court Elementary School into TAP Head Start’s Raleigh Court Child Development Center. She is instantly recognizable on any construction site because of her pink hardhat.

Ms. Penn holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from James Madison University and an MBA from Radford University. Deeply engaged in public service, she is a member of the City of Roanoke Planning Commission; served as the 2013 co-chair of the United Way of Roanoke Valley President’s Circle; is as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; and is a member of the Roanoke Valley Chapter of Jack and Jill of America. Widely recognized as a leader in the Roanoke Valley, she recently completed LEAD VIRGINIA’s seven-class program focused on social capital.

Tabatha Cooper joined TAP in August 2016 as the director of human resources. Ms. Cooper immediately began her career in the human resource field upon graduating from William Fleming Sr. High School. She is also a graduate of Dominion Business School of Roanoke, Virginia. With over 20 years in the human resource field, her experience has given her the opportunity to work for such companies as Carilion Health Systems, the Greater Roanoke Transit Company (Valley Metro), Virginia Transformers and the Sheraton Roanoke Hotel & Conference Center.

Although she is new to the nonprofit world, she feels this is where she belongs because TAP’s mission and vision align with her passion and desire to help others and make a positive impact on their lives and in the community she serves. In her spare time, Tabatha enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Aaron Fallon is TAP’s Vice President of Planning and Resource Development. He joined TAP’s Planning Department in 2012. He is from the region and believes passionately in the inherent worth of people. He believes TAP’s role in improving life for people who don’t have or make a great deal of money—and that every time we improve a family’s economic outlook, the region takes another step towards being safer, more stable, and ultimately building a stronger society. After graduating from Patrick Henry High School, Aaron attended the College of William and Mary before returning home to study writing at the Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University.

At Hollins, his perspective on creative work was deeply shaped by working with Natasha Trethewey just before she was named as the 19^th Poet Laureate of the United States. Trethewey laid down a singular challenge that she believes we must meet as writers each time we take up our task: truly great writing unfailingly requires us to engage with history and with justice. He works each day to bring that sensibility to the work of the Planning Department, and to the agency.

In his spare time, Aaron enjoys running, learning woodworking, and spending time with his family.

Stacey Sheppard is no stranger to the field of human services. She retired as a sergeant from law enforcement after serving the Salem community for nearly 21 years. She currently oversees TAP’s Domestic Violence Services and Sabrina’s Place Safe Exchange/Supervised Visitation programs, and serves as the community education coordinator for both. Stacey holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Ferrum College. She helped found, and continues to serve on, the Roanoke Valley Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team. Children’s Trust awarded her the Golden Halo for her work in advocacy for adults and children.

Ms. Sheppard credits her work with families and victims to the love and enthusiasm she has helping survivors of abuse. She feels that no one should hide in the shadows of intimate partner violence and fights for adults and children of abuse. Her greatest activist passions are children’s rights, foster care advancements, adoptive parenting supportive rights, and intimate partner violence prevention.

Curtis Thompson is TAP’s vice president of financial services and director of Business Seed Capital, Inc., the organization’s Treasury-certified Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI). Under his direction, Business Seed obtained both its CDFI and Community Development Entity (CDE) certifications; expanded its service area from 11 localities to the entire state of Virginia; and leveraged over 2 million dollars in federal and private match money into over 130 job-creating businesses.

Mr. Thompson graduated from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from Seattle University. He is a Certified Gang Prevention Specialist with over 15 years of experience in the field of youth services. He serves on the Virginia Cares, Inc. board of directors and chairs its finance committee. Before joining TAP, Mr. Thompson founded and ran New Vision Youth Services, a non-profit company dedicated to providing education and prevention programs for high-risk youth, using a holistic approach to becoming positive and productive citizens.

Chris Graves joined TAP nearly 20 years ago. An expert in all things concerning building maintenance, he has worked a variety of custodial and maintenance positions during his tenure. Now as the Property Management & Maintenance Superintendent, he manages the operation and upkeep of TAP’s properties.

Mr. Graves is a Roanoke native and graduate of Patrick Henry High School. He enjoys how the hands-on nature of his role allows him to meet many of TAP’s clients and see up-close how TAP helps the community he grew up in. When supervising custodial and maintenance staff, he embodies the tireless work ethic he promotes and teaches those he supervises to always maintain a positive attitude. In his free time, he likes to cook, listen to music, or watch a Green Bay Packers football game.