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Who We Are

OUR NATIONAL TEAM

Full and part-time staff dedicated to serving you from our office in Bloomington, IL and beyond.

Jami
Kaeb

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Adoption, foster care, and advocacy were not part of Jami’s dreams for her life, but God changed her heart when He made her aware, and she is passionate about helping others become aware too! She and her husband Clint are parents to their seven children (five through adoption).

Holly
Gnuse

MINISTRIES DIRECTOR

Holly grew up with a heart for adoption but didn’t know much about foster care. God used an internship with a child welfare agency to make her aware. Coupling that experience with knowing the joy of the Gospel, Holly is passionate about connecting the local church to the foster care community. Holly and her husband, Scott, were married in 2013 and are enjoying the crazy adventure of life together.

Quinn
Brewer

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Quinn loves good stories no matter what shape they take, including video games, books, and podcasts. He is passionate about creative ministry, helping to communicate the work God is doing to the world. He and his wife Emily were married in May of 2020 and love spending time with their dog Koda, doing ministry with college students at ISU, and eating good food.

Mellissa
Foster

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

God ignited Mellissa's passion for the foster community through impactful stories from friends affected by foster care. Witnessing transformative change in vulnerable children and families, she sees this as an opportunity to embody Jesus' love. Connecting people with local Christ-centered support brings her immense joy. Mellissa, alongside her husband Jonathan, raises four children, emphasizing the importance of serving as a family. They reside in Florida, cherishing outdoor adventures and beach time.

Becky
Nelson

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Becky enjoys spending time with friends and family, and has a big heart for caring for those around her. With a strong background in office management, Becky loves creating a welcoming environment for all to enjoy. She spends her time outside of work reading, hanging out with her husband and kids, and baking pies!

Sarah
Wilson

COMMUNITY SPECIALIST

Growing up with foster siblings, Sarah was exposed in small doses to the realities of foster care. As an adult, Sarah and her husband Jonah felt a desire to be foster parents and had their eyes opened to the world of child welfare. She is passionate about caring for families in need and bringing awareness to her church and community. Sarah enjoys exploring new places, trying new restaurants, volunteering at church, and spending time with family and friends.

Jody
Vanderburg

ADVOCATE COACH

While getting to volunteer at a camp for little girls in foster care, Jody's heart was awakened to opportunities to love this unique community. She became passionate about bringing the hope of Jesus to children, vulnerable adults and agencies. She has developed foster care ministries within her local church and is so excited to help others do the same. She enjoys exploring the outdoors with her dog, Max, and traveling the country to visit her precious nieces, nephews and cousins.

Liz
Archambault

ADVOCATE COACH

Liz's foster care journey began before she was born as her mom was a social worker for fostering families at a child welfare agency. When she was 11, she decided she wanted to be a social worker too. She lives just south of Boston on the coast, with her best friend/husband Josh, their daughter whom she gave birth to, their son whom they adopted from foster care, and girl/boy twins whom they are currently fostering. Liz joined the TFI family as an Advocate in 2017, and it is a joy for her to serve God by combining her love of the foster care community with her background in social work as a coach for TFI Advocates.

Anne
McClane

CREATIVE PRODUCER

Anne was introduced to adoption at 18, when her brother was adopted. It wasn’t until much later that another sibling became a foster parent that she learned about the foster care system. She enjoys hanging out with her family and you’ll often find her sipping an iced matcha and dreaming up exciting new house projects. One of her deepest passions lies in creative design and clear messaging. Whether it's revamping a room, crafting a compelling message, or finding innovative solutions to everyday challenges, she thrives on the art of making things beautiful and meaningful.

Ashley
Barbush

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

From the time Ashley accepted Christ as a college freshman, she’s been passionate about making an impact for Christ. After doing campus ministry for four years, she wanted to pursue this passion in a way that aligned more with her detail-oriented gifts and trauma-informed faith, which God had been putting on her heart. So, when she learned about TFI and that they were hiring an Administrative Assistant, it felt like a perfect match. Ashley, in her role as an Administrative Assistant, is excited to care for TFI advocates and assist the national TFI team for the sake of the foster care community. Ashley spends time outside of the office creating beauty, baking, practicing yoga and laughing with her husband, Jake, and their friends.

Marla
Ringger

BOOKKEEPER

Foster care and adoption are near and dear to Marla’s heart because 9 of her 15 grandchildren are adopted, 3 from foster care. Being an avid fan of the The Forgotten Podcast, she rarely misses an episode and she enjoys volunteering at TFI every Wednesday to help with the bookkeeping. She also loves to read and play tennis. Marla and her husband, Gary, serve together on the Board of Directors for TFI.

OUR BOARD

A NETWORK OF INDIVIDUALS WHO BRING THEIR UNIQUE LEADERSHIP, FOSTERING, AND BUSINESS EXPERIENCE TO TFI.

Marla
Ringger

Foster care and adoption are near and dear to Marla’s heart because 9 of her 15 grandchildren are adopted, 3 from foster care. Being an avid fan of the The Forgotten Podcast, she rarely misses an episode.. She also loves to read and play tennis. Marla and her husband, Gary, serve together on the Board of Directors for TFI.

Jesse
Casler

Jesse Casler is the Chief Operating Officer of HOPE International. He has worked in finance, accounting, operations, and administration across Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Jesse is deeply committed to caring for those in need and alleviating poverty through microfinance.

Josh
Jeffrey

Josh is the CEO of Clear Design Group, president of the non-profit, Network of Us, and a bi-vocational pastor at Journey Church, all located in Central Illinois. He and his wife, Diana, have been married over 20 years and have two teenage daughters. Josh has worked with businesses, non-profits, and churches for 20+ years on creative strategy to bring clarity to mission and vision.

Selena
Whitley

Selena has been married to her husband Tony for 26 years. Together they get to do lots of amazing ministry through their local church where Tony serves as Family Pastor, through their local foster care community, and through Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Their most important ministry, however, is parenting their five kids that God provided biologically and through adoption. Selena enjoys all sorts of craft and homestead hobbies as well as hiking, nature, and being outdoors. Homeschooling her kids is one of the most surprising blessings God has ever thrown her way.

Dan
Loggans

Dan serves as the Pastor of Ministry Leadership at Calvary Baptist Church (Normal,IL), and has formerly served as a church-planter and church-revitalizer in WI. He and his wife, Maegan, have been married for 19 years and have been blessed with four children. Dan recently earned is M.Div. in Great Commission Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has a passion for seeing the church equipped to share the Gospel with their neighbors and the nations.

Jami
Kaeb

Adoption, foster care, and advocacy were not part of Jami’s dreams for her life, but God changed her heart when He made her aware, and she is passionate about helping others become aware too! She and her husband Clint are parents to their seven children (five through adoption).

“We are here to equip you to be a voice for the forgotten.”


– JAMI KAEB, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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