Ascension Place

St. Anne's Place logo

Ascension Place, Inc. Staff


Julie Kelley
Executive Director
Ascension Place, Inc.
juliekelley@ascensionplace.org


Betsy LaMarre-Maddox
Program Director
St. Anne’s Place
betsylamarre@stannesplace.org


Julia Welle Ayres
Program Director
Ascension Place
juliawelleayres@ascensionplace.org


Julianna Janssen
Community Relations Coordinator
Ascension Place, Inc.
juliannajanssen@stannesplace.org


Nancy Pazahanick
Accountant/Human Resources
Ascension Place, Inc.
nancypazahanick@ascensionplace.org

Meet the Directors

Julie Kelley
Julie Kelley has been the Executive Director of Ascension Place since 1993. She began her career in non-profit work in 1985 in Southern California at Hoffman House, a Work Furlough Program that helped women leaving the prison system reestablish themselves in the community. She also served as a board member of SHAWL, a group home for homeless, addicted prostitutes, and helped open Holland House, a supportive housing program for women on parole. Julie has served as the Treasurer for the Association of Supportive Living Residences since 1997.

Betsy LaMarre-Maddox
Betsy LaMarre-Maddox, LSW, has been the Program Director of St. Anne’s Place since 1997. She began her career as youth worker and spent 8 years at the Minneapolis YMCA where she became a Senior Program Director. Betsy is a voting member and co-chair of the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Heading Home Hennepin Family Housing and Services Network Committee and the Homelessness 101 group, which provides training and education to new volunteers and staff who work with the homeless in the Twin Cities area.

Julia Welle Ayres
Julia Welle Ayres, MSW, has been the Program Director of Ascension Place since 2009. Prior to joining Ascension Place, Julia worked with truant and homeless youth at The Link and seniors and East African immigrants at CommonBond Communities’ Seward Towers. Julia is currently working with both a Heading Home Hennepin workgroup to improve transitions out of supportive housing and with Heading Home Plymouth, an effort to educate and organize members of Plymouth Congregational Church to end homelessness.