Jason Weber

Jason serves as the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) National Director of Foster Care Initiatives. Jason wants to live in a world where people build great things together rather than good things by themselves, and where there is more than enough for children and families in foster care. Jason has helped to write and produce several books, bible studies, and other tools all created to serve churches as they care for hurting kids. He is the author of the new book Until There’s More Than Enough: Working Together to Transform Foster Care Where You Live and is the host of the brand new More Than Enough Podcast. Jason currently lives in Plano, Texas with his wife, Trisha, and their five kids.

Dr. John DeGarmo

Leading international foster care expert, consultant, and TED Talk speaker, Dr. John DeGarmo, has worn many hats throughout his career. These hats include working in the music and radio industries, teaching high school and college courses, and being engaged in sports entertainment. However, his deepest passion has always been serving vulnerable children and families. A foster parent of over 60 children through the years, Dr. DeGarmo serves as the director of The Foster Care Institute and is the founder and national development director of Never Too Late, a residential group home for boys in foster care. He acts as a consultant to foster care agencies and an expert witness to legal agencies across the United States and internationally. Dr. DeGarmo is the author of several books related to foster care, including The Little Book of Foster Care Wisdom: 365 Days of Inspiration and Encouragement for Foster Care Families; the best-selling book Faith and Foster Care; The Foster Care Survival Guide; The Church and Foster Care; The Foster Parenting Manual; Fostering Love; and the foster care children's book A Different Home: A New Foster Child's Story. He is a High Content Speaker and informative trainer on the foster care system and travels extensively across the globe meeting with foster parents, child welfare workers, churches, schools, and organizations. Dr. DeGarmo has appeared on several TV programs including CNN, Good Morning America, and ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and PBS stations. He writes and contributes regularly to multiple magazines and publications. Dr. DeGarmo is married to Dr. Kelly DeGarmo, who hails from Australia, and the two of them have six children, both biological and adoptive. They have fostered dozens of children over the years and are currently foster parents to three siblings, bringing their household to nine children. Drs. DeGarmo are the recipients of the Good Morning America Ultimate Hero Award and the Up with People Everyday Hero Award. They were, also, honored with their city's Citizens of the Year Award. Additionally, Dr. John DeGarmo has been honored with a Hero of the Homeless award, the Olivet College Distinguished Alumni Award, and is an Exceptional People recipient.

Lynn Johnson

Lynn Johnson is currently the President of ALL IN Fostering Futures. This is a non-profit agency focusing on driving national initiatives that empower communities, non-profit agencies, faith-based organizations, government, and businesses to combat the crisis of children aging out of the foster care system, adoption, poverty, and human trafficking. She brings determination, passion and a strong belief in the dignity of all people no matter the challenge before them. Her only passion greater than serving vulnerable and exploited populations is her deep faith in Jesus Christ. Prior to this work Mrs. Johnson was the Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families in the US Department of Health and Human Services. In this Senate confirmed position, she led a large agency with a budget of over 59 billion dollars and over 60 programs to improve and enhance the lives of our most challenged children, individuals and families. Prior to this position, Mrs. Johnson ran her own firm consulting on issues pertaining to mental health, high-risk youth, developmental disabilities, child welfare, and early childhood education. She was Chief of Staff to Lieutenant Governor Jane E. Norton and was Deputy Director for Policy as well as Policy Advisor on Human Services issues to Governor Bill Owens. Mrs. Johnson has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a master’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University. She is a graduate of the Federal Judicial Center National Leadership Development Program and the Senior Executives in State and Local Government through the Harvard Kennedy School for Executive Education. She has been married for 37 years and has three adult children.

Pastor Chad Cobb

In 2008, Pastor Chad Cobb left a career in the engineering industry to join a group of friends and fellow believers to begin a new campus of River Ridge Church in Teays Valley. Over the last 14 years, he was given a front row seat as God has expanded His Kingdom and impact through this gospel outpost in Putnam County. The Lord has blessed Chad and his wife, Sarah, with 5 great kids and one spoiled Goldendoodle. For reasons no one understands, in his free time, Chad enjoys chasing after poor shots on the golf course and rooting on his beloved Mountaineers.

Amber Fancher

Amber, along and her husband Matt have co-led the kids' ministry at their local church for over 20 years. This past year she started a Family Advocacy Ministry at their church and they are currently serving 5 families. In addition, she has volunteered and now works for CASA of Marion County where she advocates for children in abuse and neglect cases and works with the judge, legal team, and CPS workers to make sure the kids have the best outcomes possible. She has a passion for kids from hard places and has a desire to help kids break the cycle and live happy and healthy lives.

Darien Karenbauer

Darien is a former foster youth & transracial adoptee who spent 6 years in the foster care system from ages 10-17. After his adoption at age 17, he became passionate about sharing his story to bring hope to youth in foster care and to activate and empower people to step up to serve vulnerable youth and families. He is most impassioned on trauma-informed care and having well-equipped foster and adoptive parents to decrease disruptions as well as increase empathy for biological families. Darien and his family were the subjects of the Archibald Project and Foster Care Film titled "Take a Chance on Me." Outside of sharing his story & wanting to make change in the foster care system, Darien is passionate about being a first responder and a father. When he’s not working as an Emergency Medical Technician on an ambulance, he’s home with his 6-month-old son, Leo. Darien’s hope is for his testimony to break down stereotypes for youth in care & those who grew up in the foster care system while also pointing to Jesus for the ultimate healing.

Matt Peiffer

Adopted with his two sisters, Matthew Peiffer went through 13 years of abuse by his adoptive parents before entering foster care at 16 years old with his two sisters. After eight foster homes in two years, he found the courage, determination, and passion to speak up and use his voice to help others who went through similar experiences. After losing his younger sister to suicide in 2016 he began working on national policies to ensure no young person had to go through the abuse that he and his sisters had. He won his first national award in 2019 with T-Mobile, which provided funding to start his own non-profit, A VOICE FOR KIDS INC. He has impacted more than eight different pieces of legislation, worked with the Department of Justice, has won Congressional awards, and was on the front page of USA TODAY in August speaking about his failed adoption and foster care experience. Matthew loves to spread happiness and smiles everywhere he goes and is known in his community as Muncie’s Smile Man. He believes everyone from the cashier at Walmart to the Law Enforcement officer on the street can prevent child abuse!

Lucan Phillips

A young man who went into the foster care system at the age of nine months old. As this young man grew up in the system, he faced a plethora of challenges and faults that statistics showed he’d never overcome. Not only did this young man surpass all odds, but he graduated college as a professional chef, and accomplished a bachelor’s degree in business and management. This was possible due to the incredible mentors he had in his life. They believed in him even when he didn’t believe in himself. Lucan has been involved with many community and leadership organizations including: - Eckerd Connects Project Bridge - A & E Auto- Cars for the needy - The Twig Cares - Keys 2 Independence - Selfless Love Foundation - One Voice Impact - Dale Carnegie - Sunshine Health - Goodwill Although this list may seem copious, Lucan Phillips has set out to create resources for youth impacted by their past. To accomplish this goal Lucan Phillips is employed with the Safe Children Coalition Foster Care System as a mentor. Mentoring youth and peers and implementing success into their life’s story. This is just the beginning! “One thing I’ve learned about life; Accept reality as it is or fight to change it!” – L. Phillips

Keri Hope Richmond

Keri Hope 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 having a traumatic childhood, as an adult Keri Hope has become an active leader in foster care reform. In 2020, Keri Hope joined the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to serve as the organization’s first-ever, Manager of Child Welfare Policy in Washington, D.C. In addition, Keri Hope also serves as the Executive Director of the nonprofit, Unbelievably Resilient, an organization comprised solely of alumni of the foster care system. Unbelievably Resilient is dedicated to using storytelling to change the negative narrative surrounding foster care by sharing their journeys of moving from trauma to triumph. Before her work with AAP and Unbelievably Resilient, she worked as a lobbyist in the policy shop at Arnold & Porter, focusing on child welfare, education, technology, and defense policy. In 2017, Richmond gave a TEDx talk titled, "What can you learn from a Trashbag?"

Monica L. Robinson

Monica Robinson is the Foster WV Advocate and RidgeKids 45 Coordinator at River Ridge Church Teays Valley. Monica was approached in 2022 to help start a new family advocacy ministry at River Ridge Church Teays Valley with the purpose of recruiting and supporting local foster/adoptive and kinship families. Monica became an Advocate with Foster WV and helped launch the ministry in the Fall of 2022, serving five foster/adoptive/kinship families by the end of the year. In addition to being an Advocate, Monica serves as a Team Leader and care community member in two of the care communities. She is also the coordinator for the 4th and 5th-grade classes at the church, overseeing the weekly volunteer leaders and helping with the curriculum for K-5, plus loving on the 4th and 5th graders each Sunday. She has attended River Ridge Church since 2004. Monica started out as an attorney, practicing many years in the private sector in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio representing both defendants and plaintiffs in civil litigation. She then took a turn in the public sector in West Virginia as General Counsel for the West Virginia Lottery, Deputy Director for the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Director of the Office of Human Resource Management for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR). She was also an Adjunct Instructor at Marshall University for several years in the Paralegal Program. Monica has been married for almost 25 years and is a mom to three girls: a Sophomore at the University of South Carolina, a Sixth Grader, and a Second Grader. The younger two girls were adopted from the West Virginia foster care system. In 2016, Monica moved to Bristol, England with her family so her husband could help serve with Young Life International and Young Life Africa. They moved back to West Virginia in 2018. Monica has traveled to many countries including Kenya, Haiti, Colombia, and Scotland as a short-term missionary. She was born in Germany when her father was serving in the Army. Monica received her B.S. in Business Administration and Juris Doctorate degree from West Virginia University.

Pastor Wayde Wilson

Pastor Wayde Wilson has been in full-time ministry for 38 years and has served as Lead Pastor at Trinity Assembly of God in Fairmont for 6 years. He is the author of “Circle of Swords,” a book that challenges men to be warriors for Christ. Pastor Wayde has led and inspired his church members to be the hands and feet of Jesus by reaching out to those in their community, especially foster children and families. He has championed The Cause Family Advocacy Ministry at Trinity, and is passionate about seeing churches step up and work to end the foster care crisis in America.

Pamela M. Woodman-Kaehler

Pamela M. Woodman-Kaehler is the Office Director for the Foster Care Ombudsman unit within the Office of Inspector General, WV Department of Health and Human Resources. This independent and impartial service is devoted to improving child welfare by investigating and resolving complaints involving foster children and foster parents, monitoring associated legislation and policy, and maintaining an accountable reporting system for the purpose of system-wide improvement. Prior to the Ombudsman role, Ms. Kaehler was a Child Protective Services Worker in Harrison County. Before devoting her career to child welfare, she served in executive leadership and consulting roles with multi-state responsibility for all operational, financial, quality, and compliance functions in complex, outpatient healthcare organizations. Concurrently, Ms. Kaehler was an approved Independent Review Organization by the U.S. Office of Inspector General and performed rigorous corporate compliance reviews for firms operating under federal Corporate Integrity Settlement Agreements. Ms. Kaehler is an active advocate for children and families. In addition to her past service as the state coordinator for the federally mandated Citizen Review Panel for West Virginia’s Bureau of Children and Families, she is a West Virginia DHHR certified foster/adoptive parent and was an active PRIDE co-trainer for new foster/adoptive parents. Ms. Kaehler received a master’s degree in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee and a master’s degree in Social Work from West Virginia University. Ms. Kaehler is a licensed graduate social worker in West Virginia.

Greg W. Clutter

After a 30 year career in business and non-profit leadership roles, Greg joined Chestnut Mountain Ranch as Director of Foster Care Initiatives. As an early supporter of the Ranch, he has served on its Board of Directors. He and his wife Jennifer felt called to do more for at-risk and vulnerable children in West Virginia and both joined the Ranch full time in July 2021, as Jennifer took on a position teaching at the Ranch school. Greg holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a BS in Business Administration from West Virginia University.

Wingate by Wyndham Hurricane

417 Hurricane Creek Rd, Hurricane, WV 25526 (681) 233-2230

Hampton Inn Teays Valley

511 WV-34, Hurricane, WV 25526 (304) 760-7292

Holiday Inn Express Teays Valley

941 WV-34, Hurricane, WV 25526 (304) 757-7177

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