meet our team
Stan Liszewski
Chief Executive Officer
Public health advocate and nonprofit leader with more than a decade of experience across healthcare, community engagement, and organizational leadership. Drawing from both professional experience and years of grassroots mutual aid work, he helped to co-found The PULSE Initiative to help build a more accessible, community-driven approach to overdose prevention and public health in Arkansas. Using his experience in music promotion to help with marketing the PULSE messaging, his work centers on meeting people where they are, expanding access to lifesaving resources, and building partnerships that turn community needs into meaningful action.
Contact: stan@thepulseinitiative.com
Chief development officer
Licensed Master Social Worker and Doctor of Public Health student with a particular interest in infectious diseases. Drawing from both lived and living experience with harm reduction, she co-founded The PULSE Initiative after losing a loved one to a preventable infectious disease. This loss inspired her to turn grief into action and work toward creating healthier, safer, and more compassionate communities.
Contact: info@thepulseinitiative.com
deidre gray
Chief clinical Officer
Deidre is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in the treatment of trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety. She also works with individuals experiencing substance use disorders through a harm reduction lens, prioritizing dignity, autonomy, and compassionate, person-centered care. At PULSE, Deidre oversees the social work internship program, helping emerging social workers develop the practical skills and community-centered perspective needed to serve people often excluded from traditional systems of care. She believes that meaningful, lasting change and healing happen through relationships and within community, which is why she is deeply committed to PULSE’s volunteer- and peer-led movement.
Contact: deidre@thepulseinitiative.com
shelby deatherage
director of volunteer services
Shelby is a dedicated medical assistant with more than 10 years of experience caring for others and helping people feel supported during vulnerable moments. Guided by a servant’s heart that has been part of who she is since childhood, she is passionate about meeting people where they are and ensuring everyone is treated with compassion, dignity, and respect. Her commitment to serving others earned her recognition as a harm reduction Volunteer of the Year in 2025. Outside of work and volunteering, she is a beekeeper and an avid collector of oddities with a love for all things sweet and spooky. She is also a devoted pet mom to four dogs and four cats, who keep her life full of love.
Contact: shelby@thepulseinitiative.com
kodie brown
hot springs chapter president
Kodie is a med student pursuing a career in dental hygiene and a passionate advocate for harm reduction. She is a member of National Park College’s Sustainability Club and serves as a sponsor for young women in recovery programs. Deeply rooted in the hardcore community, Kodie previously performed in a band centered on self-improvement and progress and is now working on solo music projects. Outside of school, music, and advocacy, she is a proud cat mom to Layla and Chumbo.
Contact: kodie@thepulseinitiative.com
lorelei lewis
fort smith chapter president
Lorelei is a case manager working with LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness and a community organizer with a passion for advocacy and mutual aid. Her work focuses on helping young people navigate housing instability, connect with resources, and build greater stability in their lives. Her involvement in harm reduction comes from a belief in meeting people where they are and making lifesaving resources accessible without judgment or stigma. Outside of her professional work, Lorelei is involved in grassroots organizing and political education and is active in the hardcore community.
Contact: lorelei@thepulseinitiative.com
gillian doyle
tampa bay chapter president
Gillian is a current nursing student with a degree in communications and a passion for helping others navigate vulnerable moments in their lives. Guided by empathy, she believes in creating spaces where people feel heard, valued, and supported without judgment. Her pursuit of nursing builds on her background in communications, bringing together a commitment to understanding others and a desire to provide compassionate, person-centered care.
Contact: gillian@thepulseinitiative.com
OUR SOCIAL WORK INTERNS
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OUR SOCIAL WORK INTERNS 〰️
IRELYNN
Irelynn is a social work student at UALR and currently completing her internship with The PULSE Initiative. She’s passionate about advocating for children and families, connecting people to resources, and LGBTQ+ rights. At PULSE, Irelynn is hoping to learn more about connecting people to resources, supporting people in the community, and substance use and recovery. Long term, she hopes to get her LCSW and become a medical social worker. A few things she’d describe about herself are, she is very growth oriented and loves meeting new people and having new experiences, She also loves to thrift, go on random adventures, and spend time with her family and friends, & She’s a music fanatic!
WHITLEY
Whitley Christopher is a Social Work Intern with PULSE Initiative, where she is passionate about supporting individuals, strengthening communities, and advocating for positive change. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Social Work and is expected to graduate in May 2027. Through her internship and academic experience, Whitley is developing her skills in advocacy, communication, community engagement, and connecting individuals with resources. She is committed to serving others with compassion, empathy, and a strong dedication to the social work profession.
AMANDA
Amanda Jimerson is currently working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, with plans to pursue a Master’s Degree as well. She has a Bachelor’s in Psychology, with a minor in Social Justice in Education. Working in education and public service for 8 years, she has developed a skill set of working with diverse groups. Amanda is passionate about people’s acess to resources and education. When she is not working in her community, she enjoys reading a good book with a coffee surrounded by her plants and an Earthy scented candle burning.