Teresa started her career in social work as a Family Services Coordinator (FSC) at the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center. This job ignited Teresa’s interest in working with children and their families, which has been her passion since.

Prior to coming to The Alliance, Teresa worked for the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) for 7 years. She primarily worked as a Child and Family Welfare Services worker, but also has experience working as a courtesy social worker and facilitating FTDMs.

Justin has over a decade of experience as a technical project manager in software development and IT. He was also an English professor and administrator at multiple colleges and universities. He has a Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University, and undergraduate degrees and technical certifications from Bellevue College and The Evergreen State College.

Aimee holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and has spent the past decade working in child welfare.

Aimee’s passion for supporting caregivers began during her time as a DCYF social worker and then as a consultant for DCYF.  Most recently, Aimee enjoyed a long tenure as a foster home licensor for a private agency in Spokane, which resettles and supports refugee children across the world in local, loving families. Aimee also comes to CaRES with personal experience as a kindship caregiver for her teenage nephew.

Adreanna Riley has 13 years of experience in the field of child welfare workforce development and, previous to that, 14 years of experience in bilingual (English/Spanish) social work, primarily with farmworking and immigrant families.

In Santa Cruz County Family Reunification/Family Maintenance, with the Family Preservation Court program, she worked with families for whom drug use, mental health and and/or intimate partner violence were substantial complicating factors, and previously, she provided preventive services with Welfare to Work participants.

Vanessa has worked in child welfare in both non-profit and state service for over 20 years.

Vanessa began working with the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) in 2010. During her time with DCYF, Vanessa worked in several roles including Indian Child Welfare, CPS, CFWS, FAR and Chet.

Wendy started her career in social work at the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, first as a house parent, and then as a family support specialist. This job ignited Wendy’s interest in working with children and their families, which has been her passion since.
 

Kati serves the Western Washington regions for CaRES. Her role is to connect kinship and foster families with each other and with local organizations and partners, helping to assist caregivers in building a network of strong support, education, and community. 

Mandy is the Social Media and Communications Specialist at the Alliance. In Mandy’s role, they coordinate the social media channels of the Alliance, with an emphasis on building a virtual community space for caregivers and professionals involved in the foster care system. They are proud to be a member of the Alliance team and are passionate about supporting the mission of this organization.

Mike has worked for the State of Washington in the child welfare field for 10 years, and worked for 12 years in Indian Child Welfare with his family’s tribe. He helped write and lobby for the passage of the Washington State Indian Child Welfare Act.
 
He has spoken at the local, state and national levels at conferences on Indian Child Welfare issues.
 
He has been working to foster diversity, equity and inclusivity his entire career, in different forms, and is happy to be able to devote all his energy to his passion.