Meet Your Team
Tifanie Petro
Child and Family Services Director
Tifanie Petro, MS, serves as Child and Family Services Director, overseeing Community-Based programming for Children’s Home Society. She provides oversight for the Children’s Home Child Advocacy Center, Children’s Home Society’s statewide Prevention program, Therapeutic Foster Care, Adoption Services, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, intensive case management, and outpatient counseling services.
Tifanie works to collaborate with partners across South Dakota, serving on boards, leading advocacy efforts and facilitating community partner meetings. She delivers prevention and awareness trainings to professionals, community agencies and the general public in the areas of child abuse and trauma related topics at local, state, national and international speaking engagements.
Tifanie believes that by empowering children we can create resilient families and communities. She received her BS degree in psychology from Black Hills State University, her MS in public health from Capella University, Minnesota, and her MS in human services from Capella University, Minnesota.
Nichole Knepp
Assistant Program Director, Outpatient Clinical Therapy Services
Nichole is the Assistant Director for Clinical Outpatient Therapy Services, with specializations in Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoptions Services. Born and raised in Nebraska, she has a BS in psychology with a minor in human development and family relations and a master’s degree in community counseling, both from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Nichole is a National Certified Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Qualified Mental Health Professional, Social Worker and is working towards her LPC-MH.
She is also nationally recognized as an NTI Adoption Competent Therapist. Nichole has 21 years of experience with CHS as a Unit Director and Family Therapist at the Black Hills Children’s Home campus, and now within our Outpatient Therapy Clinic. Prior to moving to the Black Hills, Nichole was with a community based agency, working with children in treatment foster care, outpatient counseling and multi-systemic therapy.
Nichole supervises clinical staff with a hope-centered and trauma-informed perspective. She adheres to and supports policies, programs and practices that positively impact systems and communities around children and families.
When Nichole has free time, she enjoys traveling with her family, camping, boating and being outdoors.
Jenica Faal
Family Development Specialist
Jenica Faal is the Family Development Specialist. She is from Colorado but has called South Dakota her home for almost a decade. Jenica received her bachelor’s degree in non-profit communication from Colorado State University and her master’s degree in early childhood education. Jenica is also a Licensed Social Work Associate and Trust-Based Relational Intervention Practioner.
Jenica has worked with youth in many different capacities. She has taught pre-school and worked with teenagers for 10 years and has worked with youth experiencing foster care for the past seven years. Jenica’s responsibilities as the Family Development Specialist include training and education for adoptive and foster families. Jenica also works to recruit and license families interested in pursuing foster care. Jenica is a current foster parent and can share her foster care experiences with families in training.
In her free time, Jenica enjoys being outdoors with her dog Reggie Wade. Jenica and Reggie paddle board, camp and enjoy hiking as much as they can. Jenica and Reggie are working on their goal of visiting each of the National Parks throughout the U.S.
Megan Powell
Case Manager specializing in Therapeutic Foster Care, Rapid City
Megan Powell is a Therapeutic Foster Care and Post-Adoption Case Manager. She received her bachelor’s in human services from Black Hills State University and is a Licensed Social Worker. In fall of 2025, Megan will begin the Master of Social Work program at The University of South Dakota.
She is a strong advocate for children’s voice in treatment and placement planning. This advocacy is driven by success stories of foster and adoptive families in her personal life. Prior to joining the CHS team, Megan worked in a clinical therapy setting and has experience in building caregiver/child and patient/provider relationships.
Outside of the office, Megan enjoys spending time with her fiancé, Austin, and their infant son, Theo. Megan loves to plan trips to see family, puzzles, DIY projects, exploring the Black Hills and being on the water.
Morgan Jurgens
Case Manager specializing in Therapeutic Foster Care, Sioux Falls
Morgan was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She earned her social work degree at the University of Sioux Falls in 2017. Morgan is a certified Therapeutic National Adoption Competency Mental Health professional.
Morgan is passionate about providing therapeutic, individualized care to families and children to ensure the overall well-being and successful permanency outcomes of her clients. Her responsibilities include providing in-home support, consulting, and collaborating with her team to ensure success of both the families and children and completing appropriate evaluations to ensure an accurate level of care is provided. Additionally, Morgan is certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Moral Recognition Therapy.
Outside of work, Morgan enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and being outside.
Jennifer Wallace
Outpatient Therapist specializing in Therapeutic Foster Care, Rapid City
Jennifer is an Outpatient Therapist, with specializations in Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoptions Services. She was born and raised in South Dakota. She has a BS in human development and Family studies, minoring in leadership and management of nonprofit organizations from South Dakota State University. Jennifer has also earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of South Dakota.
Jennifer is nationally recognized as an NTI Adoption Competent Therapist. She has 13 years of experience with CHS as an Assistant Team Coordinator, Residential Youth Counselor, and Therapist. She has additional experience working with children as a paraprofessional, helping individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, and serving veterans facing homelessness.Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and volunteering for her church. Jennifer’s favorite pastimes are bowling, softball, and playing pool.
Alex Capell
Outpatient Therapist specializing in Therapeutic Foster Care, Sioux Falls
Alex is a Therapeutic Foster Care and Post-Adoption Therapist. Born in Minnesota and raised in South Dakota, he has a BSW in social work with a minor in criminal justice from the University of Sioux Falls and a master’s degree in social work from the University of South Dakota. Alex is a Licensed Certified Social Worker and is currently working to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Private Independent Practice.
He is also nationally recognized as an NTI Adoption Competent Therapist. Alex has five months of experience with CHS as a Community-Based Therapist and working as a Residential Therapist in Sioux Falls. Before moving to work for Children’s Home Society, Alex spent more than five years working in inpatient and residential treatment facilities at Sequel Transition Academy and Avera Behavioral Health. While with Sequel Transition Academy Alex worked with adolescents within DSS and DOC in South Dakota. At Avera Behavioral Health, Alex worked with Children, Adolescents, and Adults in their psychiatric and addiction units.
Alex’s responsibilities include providing individual therapy to children and a family component addressing the strengths and needs of the children in their care. He uses many therapeutic interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT, Theraplay, Trust-Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) and building attachment.
When Alex has free time, he enjoys traveling with his family, golfing, spending time with friends, sports and being outdoors. Alex has been married to Alexis for 3 years, and they share one child.