Meet Our Executive Director
Tara is a Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist, Certified FEMM Instructor, and RN Sonographer.
When she was just five years old, Tara told her Grandma Gertie she wanted to be a doctor so she could, “Give shots in the butt.” She found out later it’s nurses, not doctors, who are mainly tasked with giving injections and so she’s been a nurse for over 20 years. The past ten years have been dedicated to the area of sexual health (where she administers antibiotic injections to those positive for gonorrhea and is thus living the dream!).
Beyond a response to a childhood aspiration, Tara realized she is passionate about serving sexually active, at-risk men and women. She joined Connect Medical Clinic in the summer of 2018 and became Executive Director in January 2021.
“I am always impressed with the bravery of our patients. It takes guts to make an appointment to talk about the most personal aspects of one’s life: their sexual health. I am committed to ensuring Connect is a non-judgmental and safe place and a trusted partner in the community for sexually active men and women dealing with the consequences of their choices surrounding their sexual health.”
Tara has lived in Dickinson since 2008 along with her husband, three children, and fur baby LilliPup.
Meet Our Advancement Manager
With a strong passion for the disenfranchised and building strong communities, Mark Billings joined CMC this past summer as the first advancement manager.
He has worked with six nonprofits during the past 20 years in a variety of roles and has initiated numerous community projects in his home state of Illinois and Dickinson, where he worked with more than 100 volunteers from the local African immigrant community in creating the city’s first cultural mural.
Married for 27 years with three young adult children, Mark is an elder and congregational chair at Living Word Fellowship in Dickinson.
Meet Our Office Manager
Ann Marie has been with the Connect non-profit since the doors first opened in November, 2015. With a heart for the mission to serve and educate those in need, especially for unplanned pregnancies, Ann Marie has seen many changes and growth over the years and is honored to continue serving the mission.
A native of Dickinson, Ann Marie returned to Dickinson in 2009 after living in MN and CT for several years. She and her husband, John, have six amazing adult children on Earth, and one in Heaven.