Leadership Team
Sara Rose Salih
Founder & CEO
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Sara Rose Salih is the Founder and CEO of The Usual Artspects, a unique nonprofit organization where creativity meets healing. Sara began her lifelong work in community service helping special needs teenagers during middle school and high school through her school's Partner's PE program. In college she became heavily involved in her sorority's, Sigma Kappa, philanthropic efforts for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Walk to End Alzheimer's, Inherit the Earth, Main Seacoast Mission, and Gerontology. After college Sara volunteered at SafeHaven, a shelter for battered women in Tarrant County.
Sara’s background in film and creative writing at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of North Texas, and the University of London, prepared her for a multi-faceted career as a writer, filmmaker, and abstract artist. In 2013 Sara published Tales of a Sevie, a lighthearted and empowering coming of age book for tween girls. In 2018 she directed, filmed, and edited the promotional video for the Epilepsy Heart Project to deepen public understanding of epilepsy through the medium of art.
The following year Sara produced her own project, Heal The Cause, a powerful Public Service Announcement to create awareness of sexual abuse and trauma. Heal The Cause debuted at the Women in Film Dallas Topaz Festival in 2019. The subject matter of this PSA has always been a cause close to Sara's heart and inspired her to create a local online support group for survivors of sexual assault. The online support group rapidly expanded and now has over 220 members internationally.
At the same time, Sara’s abstract paintings were being featured in shows throughout Dallas-Ft. Worth. In 2021 she created The Usual Artspects and began producing her own art shows—booking venues, artists, musicians, and vendors and coordinating events. Continuing to be inspired by the moving stories of women in the online support group she started, Sara made the decision to combine her art show business with her personal vocation to help survivors of sexual assault. Relying on her nonprofit experience serving on the Board of Women in Film Dallas, Sara transitioned The Usual Artspects into the nonprofit organization it is today, promoting advocacy, awareness, and providing unique artistic programs of healing for female survivors.
Robert Salih
Director of Strategic Planning & Treasurer
Robert contributes broad experience in both business and volunteerism to The Usual Artspects. In the restaurant industry he served as Operations Manager for his family’s restaurant and catering businesses and later as a Management Trainer with Brinker International. Robert managed diverse responsibilities in a unique and multi-
faceted position as Renaissance Manager with Tangram Corporation, a developer of site selection software for major multi-unit companies, including 7-11, Blockbuster Video, McDonald’s, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and others. He has been a residential Mortgage Broker with PrimeLending and a multi-unit property manager with a privately held
real estate group.
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Robert has served in multiple board positions with his church and has experience with several nonprofit programs. He worked with mentally incapacitated Veterans at Ann Arbor House residential facility, helped sponsor underprivileged
children into private schools with Children of India, and co-created Dallas Child Care Outreach to sponsor underprivileged children into accredited YMCA day care facilities. For The Family Place in Dallas, he developed and wrote a one-hour docudrama, Battered Wives: The Next Step, to help show the way for battered women to make the difficult transition from the co-dependence of abusive relationships to safety and self-reliance.
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With The Usual Artspects, Robert determines strategies to implement healing programs for survivors of sexual trauma and is intent on developing an Education and Prevention program to teach parents how to prevent sexual abuse of young children and teens. He applies his business experience, principles, and his passion to serve others to all aspects of the organization.
Executive Board of Directors
Art Show Director & Vice President
Shawni is a self-taught artist and artisan whose creative journey with The Usual Artspects began in 2021 as a vendor. Specializing in glass and textile art, she transforms her mediums into powerful tools for personal healing and empowerment. Her passion for art extends beyond personal expression—she actively contributes to community wellness through volunteering at local schools and animal welfare programs.
In 2023, Shawni joined the Board of Directors for The Usual Artspects, driven by the organization's profound mission of using art as a healing pathway for survivors of abuse.
Secretary
Ronique is a Registered Nurse and passionate advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. With 10+ years of experience, she began her career in Atlanta's Pediatric ER, performing rape kits and supporting victims. She holds an MSN in Forensic Nursing and previously worked at a DV/SA shelter in Harnett County, NC, where she conducted community education and worked with a Sexual Assault Response Team for rural communities. Through SART she accompanied victims to hospitals and court.
As a survivor herself, Ronique has continued to seek opportunities to support survivors through The Usual Artspects since 2024 by being a donor, fundraisers, attending programs, participating in art markets, and by now contributing as a member of the Board of Directors.
Advisory Board
Dr. Lavinia Masters is a pioneering advocate and survivor of sexual assault who has significantly influenced legislative reforms in the United States regarding the processing of sexual assault evidence kits. Her efforts were instrumental in the passage of the Lavinia Masters Act in Texas in 2019, which mandates the prompt testing of rape kits. Dr. Masters has emerged as a prominent leader in the movement to address the backlog of untested rape kits and to enhance the handling of sexual assault cases by law enforcement agencies. Beyond her legislative advocacy, Dr. Masters has played a crucial role in educating courts and legislators in both the United States and Africa on the financial and legal requirements necessary to combat violence against women. Her advocacy work spans raising awareness, supporting survivors, and championing policy changes aimed at improving the criminal justice system's response to sexual assault. In 2023 Dr. Masters was inducted to the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.
Dr. Kari Leavell is a licensed psychologist and the owner of Grapevine Psychology where she provides therapy services, clinical supervision and consultation, and customized employer wellness programs to small businesses. She is an active member of the Texas Psychological Association, serving as a committee chair, board member, and president-elect.
Dr. Leavell earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2006 as a first-generation college graduate. She completed her master’s degree in 2010 and PhD in 2013 in Counseling Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Dr. Leavell obtained a postdoctoral Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology in August 2023 from Alliant International University, and will pioneer as a prescribing psychologist when legislation allows.
Prior to pursing graduate training, Dr. Leavell worked for the Sexual Assault Resource Center in Bryan, Texas, formerly known as the Rape Crisis Center, Brazos Valley. She served as the Director of Outreach Programs where she provided crisis counseling and community education about dating and intimate partner violence, sexual assault awareness, and primary prevention of sexual violence to the 6-county Brazos Valley region.
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Faith is a licensed professional counselor certified in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  She earned her Master of Arts in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University. Her expertise includes serving survivors of traumatic crime (including sexual assault, sexual abuse and domestic violence), depression, grief, anxiety, self-harm and women’s issues.  She enjoys using expressive art techniques with clients as they begin the journey of processing difficult thoughts and feelings. 
Robert J. Sadler is a former Dallas Police Officer and master Crime Analyst who has interacted with hundreds of survivors of sexual assault and physical abuse. With an expertise gained from broad experience, he developed a training primer on the inherent elements of abusive behavior: the Circle of Abuse. He has long advocated for the use of therapeutic creative Processes-the core competency of The Usual Artspects- to enhance the wellbeing of survivors traumatized by sexual assault and physical abuse.
He became widely recognized in Dallas law enforcement when he formulated groundbreaking predictive crime analysis techniques that led to the apprehension of one of Dallas’ most infamous criminals. The so called
“Friendly Burglar Rapist” eluded police to commit over 80 offenses, the majority of which were aggravated sexual assault, before Robert’s innovative methodologies helped capture and bring the horrific felon to justice. Robert chronicled the grinding three-year odyssey to track and arrest the serial perpetrator in his behind-the-scenes true crime book: The Friendly Burglar Rapist, One Step from Murder.
A prolific writer, Robert has authored a continuing series of over 30 crime novels: The Black Book Investigations of Michael Grant & Associates. He has penned 22 short stories, 8 volumes of poetry, and is an artist and photographer with over 1,000 photographs and original images.
He served our country as a Vietnam Veteran, was recognized by D MAGAZINE as one of Dallas’ top-ten Private Investigators, and is a Rotary past-president. An accomplished speaker, he has lectured and presented
seminars across the country.
Art & Vendor Markets Team
Rhonda Parsons
