True change takes place when our community comes together to hear one another, dream big, and share our unique skills and passions. We are grateful for our dynamic team who work together to support the well-being of children in foster care, adoptees, and their families.
Scarlett Aldebot-Green
Chief Executive Officer
206.260.1701
Marisa Melton
Executive Administrative Assistant
206.260.1706
Jason Gortney
Chief Innovation Officer
206.395.4931
Nicole Mazen
Chief Program & Policy Officer
206.260.1720
Deborah Collins
Associate Director of Programs (Parent Support)
Martha Buchta-Spevak
Childcare & Administrative Specialist
Michelle Perry
Family Advocate & Strive Navigator
Dong Nam
Chief Financial Officer
amara@amarafamily.org
206.260.1704
Kelly Lenard-Holcomb
HR Manager
Stephen Grose
Staff Accountant
Anne-Marie Holloway
Foster Care Specialist
Alex Packard
Foster Care Specialist
Brenda Bobadilla
Foster Care Specialist
Celina Rivera
Family Connections Caregiver Mentor
Emily Emerson
Foster Care Specialist
Emily Sigler
Client Services and Compliance Manager
Fiona Lloyd-Muller
Program Coordinator – Family Connections Program
Jenna Abbassi
Foster Care Specialist
Jenny von Veh
Child Placement Coordinator
Katie Biron
Family Connections Program Manager
Katherine McManus
Foster Care Services Supervisor
Kristen Wilson
Foster Care Specialist
Kristina Bates Greene
Foster Care Services Supervisor
Leroy Pascubillo
Certified Lead Mentor Family Connections Program
Mari Halpert
Foster Care Specialist
Mary Schlichter
Foster Care Services Supervisor
Quenby Delgado
Foster Care Specialist
Tricia Lambie
Associate Director of Programs (Foster Care)
Veronica Houff
Foster Care Specialist
Brittney Lee
Kinship Retention & Support Specialist
Crystal Nambo
Kinship Care Specialist
Emani Donaldson
Kinship Care Specialist
JaVonya Stewart
Kinship Care Specialist
Trey Rabun
Associate Director of Programs (Kinship Care)
Bill Jones
Peer Navigator – Aberdeen
Kate Egbert
Parent FOCUS Program Manager
Mandie Higley
Peer Navigator – Spokane
Carrie Bassett
Donor Relations Officer
Domi Watkins
Development and Communications Coordinator
Katie Ferguson
Donor Relations Officer
Madeline Nicholson
Grants Manager
Marcia Jacobs
Communications Manager
marcia@amarafamily.org
206.260.1718
Ruth Tollefson
Chief Philanthropy Officer
amaragiving@amarafamily.org
206.438.3938
Julie Hoffman
Pierce County Early Childhood Court Program Coordinator
Julianne Bukey Peterson
Associate Director, Program Impact and Evaluation
Danielle Hammond
Permanency and Transition Support Specialist
Korrena Cooper-Poe
Youth Development Specialist
Raquanna Williams
Youth Development Specialist
Tiarra Fentress
Associate Director of Programs of Youth Development and Community Support
Sara Wong, President
Senior Director of WW Enterprise Commercial Sales, Microsoft
Lori Langston, Vice-President
Community Volunteer
Ginny Trethewey, Vice-President
Community Volunteer
Peter Woodward, Treasurer
Vice President – Private Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs & Co
Shannon Perez-Darby
Founder and Community Advocate, Accountable Communities Consortium
Sheila Ater Capestany
Director, Children, Youth and Young Adult Division, King County
Hillary Carey
Chief Business Officer, Rwanda Girls Initiative
Ben Danielson, MD
Pediatrician, UW Medicine
Alyssa Farber
Consulting CFO, Seattle Foundation
James F. Johnson
Attorney, Miller Nash
Caitlin Harren
Director, Amazon Sustainability Solutions and Social Responsibility
Chris Kagi
Associate Director, Savills Corporate Real Estate
Rao Lakkakula
Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co
Claudia Miller
Family Engagement Coordinator, Franklin Pierce Schools
Dean Allen
CEO, McKinstry
Joel Benoliel
Senior Vice President, Administration & Chief Legal Officer, Costco Wholesale, Ret.
Bobbe J. Bridge
WA State Supreme Court Judge, Ret.
President and CEO, Center for Children & Youth Justice, Ret.
Brad Brown
Senior Vice President, Digital Retail and Customer Support, REI, Ret.
Jean Enersen
Anchor, KING 5, Ret.
Steve Graham
Managing Partner, Seattle Office, Fenwick & West, LLP
Fred Jarrett
Senior Deputy King County Executive
Robert Moser
President and CEO, Laird Norton Wealth Management
Representative Eric Pettigrew
Washington State House of Representatives
Paul L. Wyckoff
Tech Infrastructure Designer
Amanda Flegel
Community Volunteer
Bruce Dammeier
Pierce County Executive
Carmen Adams
Community Volunteer
Carol Mitchell
Community Volunteer, Institute for Black Justice
Colette August
Tahoma Indian Center
Dan Absher, Chair
President, Absher Construction, Amara Board of Directors’ Advisory Council Liaison
Frank Cuthbertson
Pierce County Superior Court Judge, Ret.
Dr. John Gaines
Community Relations Manager, TPU & President, PDLA
Fahren Johnson
Community Member, Greentrike
Maureen Sorenson
CoordinatedCare
Michael Mirra
Executive Director, Tacoma Housing Authority, Ret.
Lyle Quasim
The Black Collective
Scott Selden
CEO, Selden’s Home Furnishings
Stephen Percer
Public Defender Association
Teresa Ciabattari
Pacific Lutheran University
Toby Joseph
Consultants for Indian Progress
Victoria Woodards
Mayor, City of Tacoma
Deanne Bryan, Co-Chair
Principal Business Operations Manager, AWS Global Events
James Truitt, Co-Chair
Cloud Alliances Manager, Datadog
Sadie Zeller, Co-Chair
Business Consultant and Community Leader
Brett Flegg
Senior Staff Engineer, Google
Chris Kagi
Assistant Director, Savills
Kyle Trethewey
Outside Corporate Counsel, Trethewey PLLC
Sara Wong
Senior Director of WW Enterprise Commercial Sales, Microsoft
Kohei Yamamoto
Partner, Cowan Miller & Lederman
Kara Anderson
MA, Adoption Professional
Rufina Beem Holcombe
Esquire and Adoptee
Lori Holden
Author and Adoptive Parent
Joanna Ivey
Our Chosen Child, Adoptee and Adoptive Parent
Lesli Johnson
Therapist, MFT and Adoptee
Celeste Maier
MS, Confidential Intermediary (retired) and Adoptee
Angela Tucker
Influencer, Author and Adoptee
Jenni Tupu
Fulbright Scholar, Adoptee and Adoptive Parent
Carole VandenBos
Confidential Intermediary and Birth Parent
Marissa Zwelling
Social Worker, MSW, LCSW, Adoptee and Adoptive Parent
Cierra Campos
Felicia Dennis
Taralee Ellis
Keisha Harris
Toby Joseph
Colleen Laupola
Brittney Lee
Claudia Miller
Tara Newton
Kathie Nguyen
Raven Nyland
Stephen Percer
Laurie Pugh-Larson
Hannah Strickler
Dominique Taylor
George Zantua
Driven by our community, our staff works toward meaningful change every day – in our systems, in our culture, and within ourselves. Join us!
Share your time, experience, and skills! We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities in Seattle and Tacoma and would love to have your support.
