Jamie Finn
Jamie Finn is the author of bestselling book, Foster the Family, the Founder and President of Foster the Family, the host of the Real Mom podcast, the founder and owner of Goods and Better, and a sought-after speaker for retreats, conferences, and events for foster and adoptive parents. Her popular social media accounts offer a glimpse into the real life of a foster parent and provide encouragement to thousands of foster parents. At any given moment, Jamie is a mother to five to six children, including her two biological children and three children adopted through foster care. She lives in Sicklerville, New Jersey, with her husband, Alan.
DAVID PLATT
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical, a ministry that exists to equip Christians to be on mission. David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, and Don't Hold Back. He is also the author of several volumes in the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Resources from David Platt and Radical can be found at radical.net.
KIMBERLY GLAUDY
Kimberly Glaudy is a resident of Houston, TX who has worked in youth and community development organizations for over 20 years. She received her Bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology and coupled that with a Master's in Organizational Management and Leadership. Kimberly's dedication to serving others led her to career opportunities working alongside homeless families, Somali refugees, children and youth in state custody, minor females who survived sex trafficking, as well as lay church members. In 2018, Kimberly joined the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University. In this position, Kimberly taught Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) to service providers in various sectors throughout the United States and globally.
Today, Kimberly leads a therapeutic group practice dedicated to meeting the clinical needs of underserved population and people of faith. When Kimberly is not providing therapy, training, or participating in public speaking engagements, she is making great memories with her wonderful husband or with one of her five dynamic adult children.
Annika Marek-Barta
Annika Marek-Barta is a former foster youth who spent 5 years in the system before aging out. At the age of 26, she was adopted as an adult, displaying the truth that we never outgrow the need to belong. She now volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in Washington state, does freelance photography and graphic design, and is a part of the Dream Makers team, a nonprofit that comes alongside youth who aged out of the foster care system. Her heart is to advocate for the foster care and adoption realms and to see seats added to tables as the lonely are invited into belonging.
Keri Richmond
Keri Richmond is a passionate advocate for children and families in both her personal and professional life. After being in Ohio’s foster care system off and on for four years, and being adopted into an abusive home, as an adult, Keri has become an active leader for foster care reform as an international speaker, podcast host, policy expert, and advocate. Keri is particularly passionate about healing from intergenerational trauma, helping others to understand the impact of unhealed trauma, and exploring ways for those of us who have experienced intergenerational trauma to be the cycle breakers our families have been waiting for. In addition to her work with UR, in 2020, Keri joined the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to serve as the organization’s first-ever, Manager of Child Welfare Policy in Washington, D.C. Keri’s advocacy has led her to Washington, D.C., where she spent time with the United States Senate and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute sharing recommendations for systems change with Congress and the White House. Keri has also given a TEDx talk entitled, “What can you learn from a trashbag?”
Lydia Berkey
Lydia is an adult transracial adoptee from Michigan. Lydia has spent the last four years working in child welfare as a permanency and adoption caseworker. She also uses her Instagram platform @becominglydiafaye to cultivate brave spaces for adoptees to share their unfiltered feelings about their adoption. And educate Adoptive Parents on steps to take in becoming a multiracial family, the importance of racial mirrors, and helping their adoptee navigate racism. Lydia is passionate about bridging the emotional and racial gaps between transracial adoptees and their adoptive parents
Kristen Thomas
Kristen is a foster/adoptive single mom who also aged out of the foster care system herself as a teen. She is currently in graduate school in pursuit of her license in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Regent University. While Kristen has recently closed her foster home to pursue higher education, her doors have remained open to other aged out foster youth as they transition into programs and or stability.
Kristen and her adoptive daughter Elise have been featured in a PBS Special with Lidia Bastianich which highlights Kristen's overcoming incredible odds and adversity. In 2008, Singer and Songwriter Matthew West wrote the song "The Story of Your Life" to honor the testimony of Kristen following Jesus in the midst of aging out of foster care. Above all, Kristen is loving being a mom and pursuing her passions of seeing systems and communities transformed in their care of vulnerable populations.
Jessica Mathisen
Jessica Mathisen lives just outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and three kids (two through biology and one through adoption). She is a former elementary school teacher and a lover of people. As a writer, Bible teacher, podcaster, and coach, her passion is to communicate God's love to others through words and relationships. Her most favorite things are hanging with her family, eating chips and salsa, and reading good books. She has written several books, two which specifically encourage foster parents to pray through the journey—Fostering Prayer and Praying for Your Foster Children. You can get to know her more at www.jessicanmathisen.com and follow her on Instagram.
Melissa Corkum
As an adoptee and adoptive mom, Melissa Corkum provides insight and resources to adoptees and their parents through her writing, coaching, and speaking. She is a TED Speaker, Safe and Sound Protocol Practitioner, Cultivate Connection Facilitator, and Certified Enneagram Coach. Additionally, she co-authored Reclaim Compassion: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Overcoming Blocked Care with Neuroscience and Faith. Melissa and Patrick live in Maryland and have six kids and two grandchildren.
Raquel McCloud
Raquel has been cultivating adoption and kinship care resources for the past two years; inspired by her own lived experience as a child of kinship care, birthmom in reunion and kinship adoptive mama. Encouraged by the community she built on social media, she began writing a series of children’s books focused on adoption and kinship care which were digitally illustrated by her then twelve year old daughter.
Raquel is both creative and passionate and struggles to sit still so after hosting a few CASA trainings, she enrolled in a trauma and resilience certification program at Florida State University with a hope to further her education and understanding in a way that will equip her to better serve the community she is so eager to advocate for.
Her passion to use her story to help others began over a decade ago with high school ministry and followed her as she and her family uprooted from their hometown and piled into their first camper. She and her husband live nomadically with the two daughters they parent, a loyal pup and two chunky guinea pigs…When Raquel isn’t writing, podcasting or creating her absolute favorite thing to do is spend time in nature, especially on an empty beach somewhere on the east coast but a waterfall hike is a close second. No matter where she is, she especially loves laughing, exploring and making memories with her husband and three daughters.
Mandy Litzke
Mandy Litzke is Founder/Executive Director, Safe Harbor Orphan Care Ministries, Speaker, wife & mom to 17.
Born into the tragedy and hopelessness of addiction and abuse, hear her story of rescue and redemption; experiencing God's healing grace & transforming what could become bitterness into blessings. Called to an unimaginable journey of faith and obedience to live out loud James 1:27.
Danisha Keating
Danisha Keating is an author, CEO, Business owner, and keynote speaker. Ever since she could remember, Dr. Keating has been passionate about education and helping others achieve success. As a former foster youth, she has learned the importance of furthering her education and building a network of people around her. Danisha has written two books: "From Foster to PhD: Letters from a suitcase" and "Faith through the Desert."
At 24 years old, Danisha became the guardian of 5 of her siblings and has journeyed through single parenting for 4 years before meeting her husband Mark. Together, they finished raising the youngest and now have their daughter Harper. Danisha created a concept of "From Foster to _____" to encourage foster youth and advocates of foster youth to strive for their dreams and goals. She reminds foster youth of the importance of finding something they are passionate about and giving it all they can.
As a professional business consultant and coach, Dr. Keating believes in sharing her knowledge with others to help them grow and find the return on investment: Their own success.
Dr. Keating believes that education goes far beyond a degree, it's a way of living. She started working with businesses and organizations to help them improve their process to increase revenue and retention of business.
Ann-Maura Hinton
Ann-Maura Hinton, MS Ed, Ed Therapist, TBRI Practitioner is the director of Bridge Educational Service, a ministry of Lifeline Children’s Services. She has over thirty years of teaching experience in a variety of different learning environments with children with learning differences. Ann-Maura is the mother of three grown children and lives in Cary, North Carolina with her husband, Robbie.
Kristen Welch
Kristen Welch is a compassionate leader and accomplished author dedicated to making a meaningful impact on vulnerable families. She is the Founder and CEO of Mercy House Global, a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to empower marginalized communities with life-changing opportunities that create hope.
With over 15 years of experience, Kristen has tirelessly worked to address critical issues facing disadvantaged families around the world. Through Mercy House Global, her team has created innovative solutions that provide sustainable support, allowing families to break free from cycles of poverty and adversity.
Beyond her philanthropic endeavors, Kristen Welch is author to six books, including the bestseller "Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World,” and authored the well-known blog, We are THAT family.
Kristen has been married for 28 years and has 3 children. She is in the process of getting licensed to a respite caregiver as she and her husband prepare for an empty nest.
Olivia Hudson
Olivia Hudson has been a military wife for 31 years and has five adult children, four biological, one adopted. She is an active member of the Northern Virginia Church of Christ. She is a bilingual Life Coach, a Certified Competent Communicator by ToastMasters International, and author of the books, “Caring for the Child Within (My journey of emotional healing)” and “From Lemons to Lemonade (Faith building stories from real women)”. She is also a former preschool teacher.
Personal growth is important to her. Her life mantra is: “Live it to Give it.” She believes that before you can help anyone else, you first must start with yourself.
Melissa SMallwood
Melissa Smallwood is a licensed professional counselor and family coach who provides counseling and coaching services to foster and adoptive families. She enjoys combining her personal experiences as a former foster youth, foster/adoptive mom and therapist to offer hope and encouragement to families navigating the often murky waters of foster care and adoption. She also trains new and prospective foster/adoptive parents in West Virginia through Shepherd University and Concord University. Melissa recently relocated from WV to Palm Bay, FL with her husband, Mike and are adjusting to their eerily quiet home since their youngest daughter left for college in August.
Jodi Jackson Tucker
Jodi loves being a wife to Jerry and mom to her large family of world-changers, including nine children, six adopted. In 2009, as she faced the orphan crisis worldwide, God gave her the dream to unite women everywhere who love and serve the orphan. She is the President of Second Mothers, a ministry that serves foster and adoptive mothers and their children in many nations. Jodi previously served as Global Director of Orphan Sunday for the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), is a seminary graduate and Certified Chaplain. She is the author of Second Mother: A Bible Study Experience for Foster and Adoptive Moms and Fasten Your Sweet Belt: 10 Things You Need to Know About Older Child Adoption.
Kayla Moffitt
Kayla Moffitt is a teacher, writer, speaker, TBRI Practitioner, foster care advocate, adoptive mama to five siblings, and the Communications Coordinator for Foster the Family.
Kayla is passionate about keeping siblings together, encouraging foster and adoptive parents, and challenging the harmful stigmas that are often said about the foster care community. She especially finds fulfillment when teaching and training parents to find successful ways to navigate the challenges of parenting children from trauma and hard places.
Kayla is married to her middle school sweetheart, Jerad, and she lives with her family in Charlotte, NC.
Allison Ezell
Allison Ezell is a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant from Dallas, Texas, and the founder of Dwell Pediatric Sleep. She is also a wife and mom of four children - a biological son and daughter and two sons who joined her family through adoption. With a special passion for helping foster and adoptive families navigate sleep issues, Allison brings a unique perspective to her sleep consultations, as she is able to bring a trauma-informed perspective to an industry where it has been desperately needed. Allison's goal at Dwell Pediatric Sleep is to help families identify the root cause of their children's sleep issues and offer practical, science-based solutions and sleep plans that actually work. Allison has a Bachelor's degree in Communication, a Master's degree in education, and she spent many years in the classroom prior to founding Dwell Pediatric Sleep in 2021
Emily graffius
Emily Graffius has over two decades of dedicated service in the faith community and nonprofit world. She brings her own personal experience as a biological and foster adoptive mother of four ranging from kindergarten to teens. It's never quiet in her house. Emily actively contributes to the foster and adoptive community through her role on the local association's board, serving as a Cultivate Connections Facilitator, and applying her skills as a TBRI Practitioner. Despite her experience, Emily remains a down-to-earth mom navigating the everyday challenges of life, while striving to maintain her sanity in the process. She'll make you laugh while also bringing validation to your experience.
Katie Clark
Katie is an adoptive mom to three awesome kids, ages 6, 9, and 13. She is also an adoption consultant who helps families hoping to adopt waiting children from foster care. Through her adoption consultations and her YouTube channel (Adopt Informed), she provides education for prospective adoptive parents and encouragement for those already in the trenches of adoptive parenting. Katie is passionate about equipping parents to adopt older children, teens, and sibling groups who are waiting in the foster system. By supporting adoptive parents, she strives to play a part in establishing healthy, loving homes for children adopted from foster care.
Erin Bouchard
Erin is the owner of Trauma Based Parenting. She helps foster and adoptive parents learn and understand early trauma and attachment and how it’s behind their children’s toughest behaviors.
Christina Reese
Dr. Christina Reese is a therapist, author and presenter on topics of attachment and trauma. She is an adoptive mother and understands not only the clinical interventions and theories about attachment but also the day-to-day application of them in real life.
Jesse Boykin
As a foster parent in NJ for 10 years, I cared for over 50 children and adopted 2 of them through the foster care system. When I am not caring for my 5 forever children (ages 6-21), I spend my days directing the NJ branch of Foster the Family. It is a passion of mine to see foster and adoptive moms receiving support, education, and encouragement through personal relationships and support group settings.
Liz Grubb
Liz is currently the Education Coordinator with Mental Health America of Lancaster, developing and training on mental health education in schools and the community. She has a Masters Degree in Higher Education with professional experience as a Student Affairs professional, emphasizing community development and student development. She has additional training certificates as a TBRI caregiver, Enhanced Trauma Awareness, and a QPR Instructor. Liz is the cohost of the 2 Adoptive Mamas podcast. She lives in Lancaster with her husband and two children, both brought home through international adoption.
Sarah Dillon
Sarah is the cohost of the 2 Adoptive Mamas podcast. She is on the leadership team for Tapestry Ministry for foster and adoptive families at Calvary Church (Lancaster, PA). Sarah is a former Student Affairs professional within Higher Education with a Masters Degree in Higher Education with a specific focus on student development; and now serves as an adjunct professor and higher education development consultant. Sarah lives in Lancaster with her husband and parents two domestically adopted children.
JT Olson
JT Olson is the founder and president of Both Hands Foundation -- a faith-based non-profit serving orphans and widows. With over 153 million orphans worldwide and the costs of adoption on the rise, their mission is to fulfill James 1:27 by serving orphans, widows, and Christian adoptive families.
Their purpose is to help Christian adoptive families fund their adoptions by coordinating a service project fixing up a widow’s home. The vision is to see the day when finances are not an obstacle for Christian families who are led to adopt, while simultaneously serving every widow in need of home repairs.
JT and his wife Sara have been married for over 39 years and have five children (four bio and one chosen): Jeff, Daley, Nick, Max, and Grace. They reside in Brentwood, TN, just south of Nashville.
AMY DIMARCANGELO
Amy DiMarcangelo is the author of Go and Do Likewise: A Call to Follow Jesus in a Life of Mercy and Mission and A Hunger for More: Finding Satisfaction in Jesus When the Good Life Doesn't Fill You. She is an adoptive mom and lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children. She is also a graduate student at Westminster Theological Seminary, where she is pursuing an MA in Theological Studies.
Elaine Shenk
Elaine Shenk is an adoptive mom of four now adult children and a grandma of two. She and her husband lived and taught internationally for seven years of their married life. She has been working in the adoption field professionally for fifteen years but her personal experience has enriched and given her insight which aids her communication and encouragement to families as they seek to have healthy connected relationships with each other. In the course of her own parenting, she has worked through a wide array of situations like transracial adoption, domestic infant adoption, foster care/foster care adoption, open/closed adoptions, birth family relationships, medical needs, mental health needs, depression/anxiety, facility/psychiatric hospitalizations, educational needs, autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities and keeping your marriage healthy through it all! Elaine co-authored a book with Dr. Christina Reese titled Leveling Up: Adoptive Parents and the Adult Adoptee published by Crosslink in 2022. This book is for professionals, adoptive parents and adult adoptees and is both instructional and inspirational in nature. It encourages both parents and adult children to continue to work toward connection and attachment through the launching stages.
