Leadership
Villa of Hope ELT
Carrie Carl, LCSW-R
President & Chief Executive Officer
Carrie Carl, LCSW-R has been serving youth, adults, and families for over 25 years. She has spent her entire career with Villa of Hope. She joined the field as a residential counselor and teaching assistant in 1994, and since then she has helped usher the Villa through decades of growth and change. Ms. Carl moved into Social Work in 1998, followed by clinical administration, operational leadership of residential programs, and strategic leadership of psychiatry, psychology, medical services, and Villa of Hope School.
Most recently, Ms. Carl supported agency-wide operations and strategy work as the Chief Operating Officer (COO), including direct responsibility for Information Technology and Facility Operations. She also led the compliance program as Chief Compliance Officer (CCO).
Ms. Carl has worked extensively with Villa of Hope youth, families, staff, project teams, and the local community. She is an agency trainer of the Sanctuary Model and a peer reviewer with the Sanctuary Institute. In the community, Ms. Carl has been a repeat guest speaker for Rochester Global Connections, teaching international visitors about human services in the United States. She graduated in November 2016 from the Northstar Network Healthcare Business Academy Fellowship Program and completed a Project Management Body Knowledge Best Practices Course in December 2020.
She talks about her plans for the Villa’s future: “Villa of Hope is striving toward our 2030 Vision of impacting the community through programs and services focused on mental health and substance use disorders, education, work force development, health homes/care management, and community-based juvenile justice. We need to continue all of this important work and additionally figure out how to utilize available space and buildings on our main campus to enhance or complement our existing programs.”
Ms. Carl resides in Fairport with her husband and is a proud mom to 2 sons – a computer engineer in Pittsburgh, PA and a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy
Serina Tetenov, Ph.D., LCSW-R
Chief Program & Quality Officer
Dr. Tetenov comes to The Villa with over 20 years of experience in behavioral health and higher education. She has extensive experience as a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, college instructor and hospital administrator. Dr. Tetenov’s previous role was Clinical Director of Adult Mental Health and Wellness (Strong Minds) at the University of Rochester Medical Center, which includes the Adult General Ambulatory Psychiatry Service, the Deaf Wellness Center, Gender Wellness, and Lazos Fuertes. She also served an appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor of Counseling and Human Development at the Margaret Warner School of Education on the University of Rochester’s River Campus.
Prior roles include Director of Mental Health with the Finger Lakes Area Counseling and Recovery Agency (FLACRA) Outpatient Mental Health Clinic for Monroe and Yates counties. In this role, Dr. Tetenov provided clinical supervision, oversaw the onboarding of new hires, developed and implemented policies and procedures, assisted clinicians in meeting productivity targets, and built strong clinical teams. Additionally, she taught social and cultural diversity at Medaille College and was a Sign Language Interpreter at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for several years.
Earlier in her clinical career, Dr. Tetenov devoted a number of years providing care to varied patient populations as a Primary Therapist and Psychiatric Assignment Officer within the Rochester Regional Health System. She also functioned as Medical Social worker and Clinical Evaluator within Strong Behavioral Health, including the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, Adult and Child Partial Hospitalization Programs, and Highland Hospital.
Dr. Tetenov holds undergraduate degrees in Educational Sign Language Interpreting as well as in Psychology from Rochester Institute of Technology. She also holds a Master of Social Work degree from Nazareth University. Finally, Dr. Tetenov received a Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of Rochester.
Lynn Sullivan
Chief Finance & Operations Officer
Throughout her career, Ms. Sullivan has worked with organizations to achieve success. Her efforts have both positioned organizations for growth, and generated millions of dollars in savings. She has been instrumental in numerous fundraising efforts, and successfully secured grants totaling over $2Million.
Ms. Sullivan’s prior roles include: President and Chief Executive Officer of Volunteers of America of Upstate, New York, President and Chief Executive Officer of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery and Ascension Garden, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, President, LAS Advisors and Vice President, Chief Privacy Officer, Harris Interactive.
Ms. Sullivan received her MBA in finance, corporate accounting, and entrepreneurship from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester, her BS in Finance from Rochester Institute of Technology’s Saunders College of Business, and her AS in Business from Monroe Community College.
Ms. Sullivan is a member of the Rochester Rotary organization, Financial Executives International, Greece Chamber of Commerce, Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Council of Agency Executives and International Association of Privacy Professionals.
In her spare time, Lynn enjoys running, biking, swimming and yoga, and has completed more than 60 marathons, numerous triathlons, and two half ironmen.
Gabrielle D’Ercole
Chief Talent, Culture & Compliance Officer
Gabby is an empathetic leader with a passion for creating inclusive and empowering workplace cultures. As the Interim CCO & Sr. Director of Talent and Culture at Villa of Hope, Gabby combines her strategic expertise with a people-first leadership approach to foster an environment where employees thrive personally and professionally.
With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Brockport and extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, Gabby has a proven track record in talent acquisition, employee engagement, and organizational development. She has successfully led teams to enhance operational efficiency, improve employee retention, and align HR strategies with organizational goals. Her leadership style emphasizes empathy, clear expectations, and collaboration, ensuring that her team is empowered to deliver impactful results.
Gabby is committed to shaping a people function that not only supports employees but also drives innovation and organizational success. Her goal is to build a workplace that reflects Villa of Hope’s mission, partnering with individuals, families, and communities to rebuild relationships, recover potential, and renew hope for the future.
Outside of work, Gabby cherishes quality time with her family, including her two young children, Christopher and Amelia.
