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2009-07-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

At our Richmond Office:

Nadine Marsh-Carter

President/CEO

Nadine enjoys many strong connections to CHS because she is a CHS adoptive parent, former member of the CHS Board of Directors, and attorney who provided legal counsel to families adopting through the agency. Prior to joining the CHS staff, she served as the Executive Director of Volunteer Emergency Families for Children (VEFC). Before working at VEFC, she practiced law at Hill, Tucker & Marsh Law Firm.

Nadine serves as a Trustee of the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation and on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Foundation President’s Council. She was recently appointed as a Hull Fellow in Philanthropy by the Southeastern Council of Foundations. Nadine is also a member of the Virginia State Bar. She has served on several nonprofit boards, including the National Network for Youth Policy Council, the Mid Atlantic Network for Youth (MANY), the Old Dominion Bar Association, and Richmond Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

She has also served on the alumni associations for both the University of Richmond and the T.C. Williams School of Law. Nadine has been a presenter at the National Network for Youth Symposium in Washington D.C., the Business Women’s Network Leadership Summit, the National Host Homes Conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond.

Nadine may be reached by e-mail or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Invite Nadine to speak

Jenn Sgro

Chief Operating Officer

Jenn joined Children's Home Society in November 2005, though she was no stranger to the agency. She is one of the more than 12,500 children who has been adopted through CHS.

Jenn graduated from Hollins College in 1995 where she was President of the Student Government Association and a member of the volleyball and lacrosse teams. Prior to coming to CHS, Jenn worked for ten years in the fundraising field, including six years as Director of Development at the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. Jenn joined the agency as the Vice President for Advancement but in 2008 was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Jenn assists with the overall management of the agency’s direct service components. She works to improve operational efficiencies by developing and maintaining systems and processes. Jenn ensures best practices throughout CHS business processes while implementing organizational and structural changes enabling CHS to execute its mission.

Jenn volunteers for several non-profit groups across the Commonwealth including serving as a former Director for the Hollins University Alumnae Board and as a coach for the Geronimo lacrosse league.

Rochelle Orr-Lee

Director of Finance and Administration

Rochelle joined the Children's Home Society staff in September 2006. She is responsible for budgeting, managing our finances, and overseeing other administrative functions. Rochelle graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. Her background includes being an auditor with Keiter, Stephens, Hurst, Gary & Shreaves, a regional CPA firm located in Glen Allen, Virginia. While there, she gained knowledge of and experience with not-for-profit organizations. She was also the sole accountant for a local law firm located in Richmond, Virginia.

Janet Showalter

Recruitment and Communications Coordinator

Janet joined Children’s Home Society in September 2008 and is primarily responsible for public relations and the recruitment of adoptive parents. Prior to joining the CHS staff, Janet worked as a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, covering everything from breaking news to features. Janet has a communications degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Janet loves animals and has spent time volunteering with several animal rescue groups.

Janet may be reached at email or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Jan Gray

Director of Development

Jan comes to Children's Home Society with a background in development, sales and marketing, and education. She most recently worked at a community college, serving as its Director of Institutional Advancement. Prior to that, Jan served as senior account representative for a privately held radio group of four stations. She began her career as a speech language pathologist, working in public school, clinical, and hospital settings. Jan received her B.A. from Mary Washington College (now University of Mary Washington) and her M.Ed. at the University of Virginia. She has two adult sons and two granddaughters.

Jan may be reached by email or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Kemper Williams Thornton

Development Coordinator

After serving on the Board of Directors of Children's Home Society of Virginia from 1995 to 1999, Kemper was approached by a board member and the Director of Development to establish a Community Resource Board (CRB) to increase public awareness and raise additional funds. As CRB founder, she spearheaded the recruiting of 20 members by May 2006. She was Chair of the CRB for its first annual fundraiser in 2006, which raised over $50,000. Kemper held a second term on the Board of Directors from 2002 to 2007. She joined the CHS staff as Development Coordinator in December 2007 and is excited about sharing her passion for the agency’s mission.

Kemper is a Richmond native and 1989 graduate of the University of Virginia. She has served on the Chapter Board of St. Catherine’s School, volunteered as a Swim Team Representative for Westwood Club’s swim team, and currently is on both the Annual Fund and Capital Campaign Committees of St. Michael’s Episcopal School. Prior to joining CHS , Kemper was a realtor with Long and Foster and a Xerox agent for The Supply Room Companies. She is married and has a son and a daughter.

Kemper may be reached by e-mail or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Debra M. Wilson

Child Placing Supervisor

Debra joined Children's Home Society of Virginia in November 2006 as the Child Placing Supervisor. Prior to joining CHS , she worked at Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, Inc. from 1994 to 2006 as a social worker and then as the Director of Child Welfare. She continuously carried a caseload providing pregnancy counseling and adoption services. In addition, Debra was employed by New York Foundling Hospital in New York City for 14 years as an adoption social worker, supervisor, then Director of the Adoption Unit. There she provided adoption services, worked with birth parents who voluntarily placed their children as well as those birth parents who involuntarily had their rights terminated. The children ranged from toddlers to school age.

Debra is also a member of ADOPT – Adoption, Development, Outreach, Planning Team — a voluntary child advocacy group committed to promoting and assuring the right of children in Virginia to permanent homes through advocacy, education, legislative activities, and examination of practice issues.

Debra may be reached by e-mail or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Krista McCulloch

Wendy's Wonderful Kids Recruiter

Krista graduated from Mary Baldwin College in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in child psychology. After graduation, she worked as a kindergarten teacher and then a Head Start teacher. Krista then became interested in child welfare and took a position as a family stabilization worker with the Richmond Department of Social Services.

Before joining CHS in August, 2009, Krista was a child mental health family case manager with Richmond Behavioral Health Authority. Krista is excited to take on the role of Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter. As a recruiter, she focuses her efforts on finding permanent families for children in foster care.

Krista may be reached by email or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Laura Ash-Brackley

Program Director, Partnership for Adoptions

Laura is a licensed clinical social worker with seventeen years of experience. In the past, she supervised the independent living program in Baltimore County’s Department of Social Services, worked in medical social work, as well as in private practice. She joined CHS in October 1999 to work with the grant-funded program, Partnership for Adoptions.

Laura can be reached by email or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Amanda Mathews

Social Worker, Partnership for Adoptions

Amanda graduated from James Madison University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in social work. A year later, she earned her master’s in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. During her year in graduate school, Amanda completed an internship at Henrico County Department of Social Services in the area of Child Protective Services. After graduation, she worked at Hanover County Department of Social Services as a social worker in Child Protective Services, where she completed family assessments and investigations. Amanda was with Hanover DSS for three years. She joined CHS in August, 2009 to work with the grant-funded program, Partnership for Adoptions.

Amanda may be reached by email or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Ashley Hughes

Social Worker

Ashley graduated from Randolph-Macon College in May 2006 and received her MSW from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2008. While at Randolph-Macon, Ashley served as a member of the steering committee for Dance Marathon, a fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network. She served as co-chair for the Fundraising Committee and the Family Relations Committee. While working on her Master’s degree, Ashley completed internships with the Adult Career Development Center and Coordinators 2 Inc. She also spent a summer abroad in the Dominican Republic studying international social work.

Ashley may be reached by e-mail or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Emily Ruppert

Social Worker

Emily joined Children’s Home Society in September, 2009 with seven years of experience in pregnancy counseling and five years experience in adoption. In 1998, Emily graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College with a bachelor's degree in Communication and in 2001 graduated from Liberty University with a master's in counseling.

While in graduate school, Emily worked as a counselor for the Liberty Godparent Home and as a case worker for Poplar Springs Hospital. In 2001, Emily joined the staff of Bethany Christian Services in Charlottesville, VA where she served in a variety of positions including pregnancy counselor and adoptive family case worker. In 2004, Emily co-facilitated the opening of Bethany in Richmond, VA where she served as pregnancy counselor, adoptive family worker, and director until November 2006. While working at Bethany, Emily also served as a Master Trainer for the National Council for Adoption for three years.

Emily returned to school in 2006 to pursue an endorsement in School Counseling. She served as a middle school counselor for one year. Emily may be reached by email or by calling the Richmond office at 1-800-247-2888 or 804-353-0191.

Fredericksburg Office

Tamra M. McCoy

Senior Social Worker

Tamra became a foster care worker for the Richmond office in June 1990. Her previous social work includes foster care at Newport News Social Services. She also worked as a Medical Social Worker at Norfolk Community Hospital and in a variety of capacities at Brunswick Social Services. She also worked with battered women and at-risk teenagers.

Tamra does adoption and pregnancy counseling work as well as some public relations. She relocated to Fredericksburg when the office was opened in December 2000. Since then, she has provided services to clients in the northern Virginia area.

She is a part-time radio announcer and is a school mentor through Rappahanock Big Brothers Big Sisters. Tamra can be reached by e-mail or by calling the Fredericksburg office at 540-226-0583.

Staff

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