ZeroV Appoints Tisha Pletcher as Next CEO

ZeroV is pleased to announce Tisha Pletcher as its next Chief Executive Officer, effective December 15, 2025. 

Tisha has centered her career around addressing the needs of survivors and supporting survivor advocates. She began her career as a ZeroV program administrator and now returns as CEO, bringing 27 years of expertise in leading initiatives to address sexual and intimate partner violence.   “It is an honor to be able to lead this organization and build on the work of all the advocates who came before me,” Tisha said. “ZeroV and its partners have brought the work of survivor advocacy so far in the previous decades, often overcoming significant challenges. Yet there is more that needs to be done to increase survivors’ access to safety, healing, and financial security. This work is just as important now as it was over forty years ago when this organization was founded. Working together as a coalition and as a state united against violence, we have the power to continue making our communities safer for survivors and for everyone.”

Andrea Robinson, chair of the ZeroV Board of Directors, expressed the board’s confidence in Tisha's experience, approach, and ability to lead ZeroV into the future. 

“On behalf of the ZeroV Board of Directors, I am delighted to welcome Tisha Pletcher as our new Chief Executive Officer,” Andrea said. “She brings a wealth of experience, vision, and leadership that will guide our organization into an exciting new chapter. We look forward to working closely with Ms. Pletcher to continue advancing our mission and creating meaningful impact for survivors.” 

For the last 10 years, Tisha has served as director of the Prevention, Education, and Advocacy on Campus and in the Community (PEACC) Center at the University of Louisville, where she spearheaded the relaunch and expansion of the Green Dot bystander intervention program. Tisha has also served more than 23 years as a coach and consultant for several ZeroV member programs and the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP), providing training, technical assistance, course development, and coaching to enhance organizations’ capacity to provide trauma-informed care. During her time at ZeroV, then known as the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, Tisha managed a rural domestic violence grant from the US Department of Justice, coordinated the coalition’s statewide advocate training program, and trained more than 2,000 advocates statewide and nationally. 

"ZeroV has such a rich history of survivor advocacy here in the Commonwealth. When I think about all of the advocates across Kentucky, I think about how we have so much wisdom and experience across our member programs and our partner agencies and organizations, and so many people who are leaders in what they do every day. I am excited to work with them to continue leveraging their strengths and knowledge to impact the lives of survivors,” Tisha said. 

Tisha holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy (1997) and multiple certificates in training and coaching. She has also received multiple awards for her work to support survivors, including a Staff Excellence Award from the University of Louisville School of Medicine (2022), a Presidential Team Impact Award from the University of Louisville Office of the President (2022), and a Sexual Assault Awareness Month Award from KASAP (2024). 

Tisha’s appointment concludes a five-month national search process completed by a ZeroV board search committee in consultation with Benefactor Group. Tisha succeeds Angela Yannelli, who retired on August 31, 2025.  

Photo of Tisha Pletcher

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ZeroV is the federally-designated state domestic violence coalition for Kentucky, dedicated to creating safe lives and thriving futures for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and their children. We are grounded in the belief that IPV is interconnected with all other forms of violence, and we will only fully eliminate IPV when we change the cultural and social norms that allow and sanction it.  ZeroV also represents and supports 15 regional member programs that provide statutorily mandated victim services to survivors of IPV in all 120 counties of the Commonwealth. As a Kentucky united against violence, our work will persist until the violence in our state is zero. 

Contact: Allison Brown, [email protected]