Emmalyn Jerome
Emmalyn Jerome serves as the Program Director of Rachel’s House, a transitional
housing program of Lower Lights Ministries, which serves women re-entering
society directly following incarceration. She served as the live-in House
Manager for 4 years and assumed the Program Director role in 2016. The Rachel’s House program is based on a
holistic model that reduces the risks of recidivism by providing safe and
stable housing for up to 24 months along with comprehensive services that focus
on healthy relationships, drug and alcohol recovery, gaining and maintaining
sustainable employment paired with personal financial mentoring, and
spirituality. For the past 18 years, Rachel’s House has been “home” to over 160
women. While Ohio’s recidivism rate is about 28%, for Rachel’s House graduates,
it is less than 8%. Many women have gone
on to work in businesses, earn master’s degrees, and are raising families.
Prior to entering the non-profit sector, Emmalyn spent nearly 10 years
working in the corporate Human Resources function for various global
businesses, primarily focusing on EEO and Affirmative Action compliance and
then later business partner responsibilities. After earning a Bachelor’s degree
in political science from Olivet Nazarene University, she went on and earned a
Juris Doctor degree from Capital University Law School. She has taken Master’s
classes in Religion and Theology from Asbury Theological Seminary. She is a
proud resident of the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus.