Touch A Life Team

Susan Ishmael-Poulos

Director of Marketing and Fundraising

Susan Ishmael-Poulos joined the Touch A Life team full time in November, 2009 as the Director of Marketing and Fundraising. Based in the Dallas, Texas office, Susan works to raise awareness about child slavery and about Touch A Life's programs that are making a difference around the world. In addition, she is the leader behind the marketing and outreach efforts of Touch A Life, and works with individual, group, and corporate sponsors.
Before joining Touch A Life, Susan was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for GetLegal.com, a legal portal that provides Internet marketing solutions for law firms. In addition to website creation and development, search engine optimization for websites and online marketing, Susan's management and leadership experience in print media, advertising, and technology sales in the for-profit sector over the past 16 years are a valuable foundation for her work with Touch A Life.
“The ability to use my professional experience and career to not only influence the life of a child in need, but to completely change it, is the most rewarding gift I could ever receive,” she says. “Touch A Life Foundation is changing children’s lives every day in Ghana, Vietnam and Cambodia, and I am blessed to be a part of it.”
For media inquiries, more information about becoming a corporate sponsor, or for group fundraising efforts, you may contact Susan directly at spoulos@touchalifekids.org.

Rachel Johnson                                    

Director of Project Development

Rachel has worked with Touch A Life since January 2009. Rachel met Pam and Randy while working alongside them at the Village of Hope Orphanage in Ghana in August 2008. She graduated magna cum laude from Pepperdine University in 2008 and worked as a publicist for Crimson Marketing and Public Relations in Los Angeles before joining the Touch A Life team. She also previously interned for NBC and for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital Entertainment Marketing Office.

Rachel lives in Dallas and primarily focuses on coordinating volunteer efforts and projects both domestically and internationally. She is responsible for organizing groups of people willing to serve and leading them on trips overseas as well as facilitating volunteer projects occurring in the greater Dallas area. Additionally, Rachel represents Touch A Life by meeting with donors, supporters and like-minded non-profit groups. She desires to use her background in journalism and public relations to further the causes of the organization. Please contact her at rjohnson@touchalifekids.org for information on volunteering!

Martha Newton

Consultant

Martha joined the Touch A Life team in September 2009 and currently works as a consultant for Touch A Life.

Martha has served with distinction at the highest levels of federal and state government. During her federal government tenure, Martha was the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). At HHS, Martha led the programs that directed refugee resettlement, anti-trafficking initiatives and the legal guardianship and custody of all unaccompanied alien children under the age of 18. She was also responsible for repatriating US citizens in times of crisis—successfully helming the largest emergency repatriation of US citizens from Lebanon since WWII in 2006. Martha was also the Associate Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs at the United States Department of Labor (DOL), where she guided the formulation of international economic, trade and labor policies on behalf of DOL, served as the UN (ILO) voting representative, and directed all international technical assistance programming. Martha has been recognized globally for her expertise in the areas of human trafficking, child and forced labor, refugee assistance and violent crime victimization. Martha began her career in Illinois, where she was the Chief of the Violent Crime Victim Services Division for the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Jennie McLellan

Intern

Jennie is an intern for the Touch A Life Foundation for the summer of 2010 in Washington, DC. She is originally from Aspen, Colorado and is a rising junior at Tulane University. Jennie is a double major in Political Science and Dance. She hopes to attend law school after graduation.

 Jennie’s focus with Touch A Life is examining the organization’s involvement with international law. She will be producing a thorough research project on Ghana and their efforts to put an end to human trafficking. In the fall Jennie will be participating in the University of Virginia’s Semester at Sea Program, and will be able to visit TAL centers in Ghana and Vietnam!