Conference Presenters

Grace Bagwell Adams

Grace Bagwell Adams, Ph.D., MPA, is an associate professor of health policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia. She earned her undergraduate degrees in history and political science at Converse College (a women’s liberal arts college) in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She is a Double Dawg–she obtained her master’s in public administration and Ph.D. in public policy in the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia.

Her expertise is in public policy analysis and program evaluation, and all of her work has the common thread of examining how to mitigate vulnerability. Current projects include work on postsecondary access to education for youth experiencing foster care, the SNAP (food stamp) program, the opioid epidemic, and serving as Principal Investigator for the Athens Wellbeing Project. She lives in Athens with her husband, Clayton, her daughter, Bonnie, her son, Teddy, and her dog, Rosie. 

Arden Bakarich

At the Fanning Institute, Arden works as a Program Coordinator in youth leadership with a focus on supporting youth in foster care through the Education and Training Voucher Program. Her role involves the management of hundreds of eligible student accounts as well as coordination with state specialists and post-secondary institutions to verify student aid/need and manage documentation to support financial aid. She also serves as a support for the EMBARK program.

Before joining the Fanning Institute, Arden worked in community outreach and child advocacy at Athens Oconee CASA. Arden obtained her bachelor’s of social work from the University of Georgia in 2018. She plans to return to school at Kennesaw State University in Fall 2024 to pursue her master’s in conflict management. 

Melanie Barner

Melanie Barner has been in the respected field of social services for approximately ten years. Mrs. Barner’s prior work experience began with working as a foster care case manager for the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), and later transitioned over into the field of education. Mrs. Barner has passionately served and represented at-risk youth populations throughout her career, while also providing professional development to staff on how to better understand federal statutes that protect the educational outcomes of the students that they serve.

Mrs. Barner now serves as a Grants Program Consultant for the Foster Care Education program and Neglected and Delinquent programs for the Georgia Department of Education. Her current position grants her the opportunity to build partnerships with stakeholders and establish program initiatives that echo throughout the state of Georgia. Mrs. Barner’s passion and primary goal is to support students who have been disproportionately impacted by circumstances outside of their control. 

Jason Bedgood

At the Fanning Institute, Jason works in the area of youth leadership with a focus on supporting youth in foster care through the Education and Training Voucher Program. He also supports youth leadership programs that serve the state of Georgia and surrounding areas. This includes working with planning teams and providing accounting support, logistical management, programmatic assessment and reporting. In addition, he serves community development, professional development and other projects designed to enhance leadership awareness and skill development throughout Georgia and beyond.

Prior to joining the Fanning Institute, Jason was an engineering and architectural drawing and design instructor at Eagle’s Landing High School and East Jackson High School. Outside of his time at Fanning, Jason supports area youth programs by serving as a community coach for local schools and recreation departments, and he leads a 5th grade group at a local church. 

Jamie Bennett

Dr. Jamie Bennett is the co-founder and Executive Director of Cetera. Dr. Bennett has a decade of experience in direct practice, training, and consulting for organizations that aim to improve outcomes for young adults leaving foster care. She holds a doctorate in educational program development, a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work, and a coaching certification through the International Coach Federation.

Dr. Bennett has coached dozens of college students from foster care and led the Fostering Success Coach Training, developing curriculum and providing training to hundreds of education and child welfare professionals working with students from foster care in several states. Dr. Bennett also provides consulting to nonprofit and government systems related to youth engagement, coaching, and best practices to increase resilience and well-being among youth.  

Robin Brooks

Robin Brooks is currently the Director of the Educational Programming, Assessment and Consultation (EPAC) unit within the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). She has been with DFCS for over 10 years. She was an Education Support Monitor for five years before being promoted to District Education Manager for the North District and then promoted to Director. Robin and her team advocate for the educational well-being of the youth in foster care.

Robin currently holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in mathematics.  Robin has a passion for education and believes every child should be the best they can be. 

Donjai Calhoun

Donjai Calhoun is the Interim Well-Being and ILP Services Director at the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. He supports the well-being of youth with child welfare involvement by ensuring the provision of appropriate early childhood, education, health, and transitional services. He received his Master of Social Work with a focus on Child Welfare Leadership from Georgia State University.

Donjai is most passionate about ensuring all youth have access to high-quality services across the child welfare continuum that help mitigate the effects of trauma and promote a pathway to successful adulthood. He has over 19 years of youth development and programming experience. 

Miyanna Clements-Williamson

Miyanna Clements-Williamson received her Bachelor of Science in Integrative Studies in 2022 and is now a second-year Master of Social Work student at Kennesaw State University. She is currently Interning at the Atlanta VA providing evidence-based therapy to veterans and working with CARES as their Graduate Research Assistant.

Miyanna is expected to graduate in May 2024 with her Master of Social Work and is currently looking to find a role where she can expand her social work skills post-graduation. 

Dawn Cooper

Dawn Cooper is the Assistant Vice Chancellor of College Access Initiatives at the University System of Georgia. She serves as PI and Project Director for Georgia’s first-ever GEAR UP Georgia grant. Additionally, Dawn provides leadership and support for the Georgia Early College Initiative, FAFSA Task Force, USG Summer Program for Youth in Foster Care as well as several other University System and state of Georgia efforts to increase college access and success of under-resourced students. She has served as Director of College Readiness, Community Outreach Director for Georgia’s College Access Challenge Grant, and Assistant Director of the “Education GO Get It” initiative at the University System Office. In addition, she was formally the Director of the PREP (Postsecondary Readiness Enrichment Program) initiative at Georgia State University.

In all of her positions, Dawn works to ensure that all students regardless of their experiences, have access to the programs and resources required to make a successful transition to and through college and to fulfill their career goals. A native of Orangeburg, SC, Dawn received her Bachelor’s Degree in African American Studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and her Master’s Degree in Education from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. 

Amanda Foster

Amanda Felice Foster is a Tennessee native who has been living in Georgia since 2017. She received a B.S. in sociology from Austin Peay State University and an M.S. in family studies with a concentration in family life education from Texas Woman’s University.

Amanda’s career in social services has included medical case management, health education, foster care case management, policy development and implementation, and a host of “other duties as assigned”. Her roles at DFCS have included Rev Max Specialist, Foster Care Case Manager, Foster Care Supervisor, and her current role as GARYSE Program Manager. She brings about 20 years of formal and informal foster care advocacy which includes being a foster parent, a lived experience panelist at Foster Parent Conferences, and educating the community about the experiences of youth in and exiting the foster care system. 

Sara Gamez

Sara Gamez, Ph.D. is an immigrant from Guatemala, a first-generation college graduate with lived experience in foster care. She is a co-founder of The Foster Scholars and has spent 20 years as a student affairs professional in higher education leading campus-wide, regional, and national efforts that advocate for access and equity to support student retention and success. Gamez’s research interests are primarily on the experiences of foster youth in college. As a scholar-practitioner, she is passionate about serving first-generation, low-income students who have lived experience in foster care, have experienced homelessness or food insecurity, or come from the undocumented community to access resources, empower themselves through education, and graduate from college.

Gamez holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Cal State University Long Beach, a master’s degree in educational counseling from the University of La Verne, and a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Cal Poly Pomona. 

Sam Garman

Sam Garman is a Senior Youth Engagement Consultant for Cetera, supporting the work of the Thriving Families Safer Children initiative, a Senior Consultant with Maddy Day LLC and Associates, and a Senior Trainer for the Fostering Success Coaching Institute. He lives with his family in sunny Arizona. Sam has over 15 years of experience supporting youth in overcoming obstacles to thriving futures. Before becoming a Senior Youth Engagement Consultant, he worked for the Maricopa Community College District, overseeing all their programming supporting students who experienced foster care at their 10 colleges. He was also the Director of Programs at New Pathways for Youth, supporting youth with mentoring to reach their educational dreams.

Sam holds an undergraduate degree in communication and a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership from Arizona State University. He also obtained a certification in positive youth development from the University of Arizona, is a certified Youth Resilience Coach, and is an ICF-certified coach. When he is not working, Sam can be found hanging out with his three sons, hiking, woodworking, or doing projects around the house. 

Ebony Harris

Ebony Harris is a dedicated advocate for foster youth, an accomplished author, a philanthropic entrepreneur, and a seasoned success coach. With a profound commitment to facilitating the success of others, Mrs. Harris brings over 25 years of invaluable experience in the field of child welfare. In her previous role as the State Independent Living Program (Chafee) Director for Georgia’s Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services, Ebony spearheaded initiatives in independent living, foster, and youth transitional services. Ebony’s passion for empowering youth is evident in her leadership of programs offering housing and supportive services to homeless families and youth transitioning from the child welfare system. Recognizing the crucial role of support networks in youth achievement, she emphasizes the importance of holistic support systems.

Educationally, Ebony holds a life coach certification from Coach Training Alliance, a Master of Arts in Organizational Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. 

Mary Havick

Mary Havick has over 25 years of service with the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Georgia and her Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mary currently serves as the Deputy Commissioner for Child Welfare. 

Angela Hoffman-Cooper

Angela E. Hoffman-Cooper, Ph.D. candidate, is an advocate, educator, and scholar. Aging out of foster care fueled her determination and her life’s work supporting youth with experience in foster care in their pursuit of education. Angela has experience working in several higher education settings including program design and implementation of campus-based support programs for students with experience in foster care. She has also led youth empowerment workshops, advised students, and taught courses on human-centered design thinking, psychology, sociology, sexuality, and gender.

She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in Spanish and Social and Behavioral Studies from Michigan Technological University and her master’s degree in educational leadership and policy with an emphasis in Student Affairs Administration from the University of Utah. She has continued her studies and is a Ph.D. candidate in the Higher Education Leadership Program at Colorado State University. Angela has experience leading several nonprofit higher education and research-focused organizations. Currently, Angela serves as the Director of Admissions at Montana Technological University. 

Anjala Huff

Anjala (she/her) is enthusiastic and passionate about building capacity within communities to systematically provide marginalized youth and families with the tools and resources needed to thrive. She has worked with youth, families, and individuals experiencing homelessness for over 15 years. Anjala advocates for social equity and inclusion for all individuals and believes that co-creating with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other special populations is essential to finding a solution.

Anjala received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and later attended Wayne State University where she received her Master of Social Work degree. 

Kizzy Lopez

Dr. Kizzy Lopez has 17 years of experience in higher education in academic and student affairs as a champion for educational equity for underserved students, particularly those who have experienced foster care or homelessness. Dr. Lopez currently serves as Interim Associate Dean in the School of Arts and Sciences and in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. She is also an Assistant Professor in Social Work at Fresno Pacific University.  

As a practitioner, Dr. Lopez led the effort to create a campus-based program for foster and homeless youth at Fresno State known as the Renaissance Scholars Program (RSP) and for Promise Scholars at Fresno Pacific University. These programs are designed to increase college access and graduation rates for foster and unaccompanied youth attending the university.  

Lauren Padgett

Lauren Padgett currently serves as Director of Kennesaw State University CARE Services. Lauren joined the CARE Services team in May 2022 as Assistant Director of CARE Services. Prior to KSU, Lauren served for three years at the Kansas Attorney General’s Office as the Batterer Intervention Program Unit Coordinator where she certified and monitored program compliance with the Batterer Intervention Certification Act.

Prior to that role, she served as a case manager for families in the child welfare system and was a Site Manager for a Harvard University study on the long-term impact of legal debt on indigent clients and their families. Lauren holds Juris Doctorate and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Oklahoma.  

Sharonda Porter 

Sharonda has worked in multiple child welfare system disciplines for over 25 years. 

She is currently the Director of Transitions for the Multi-Agency Alliance for Children/MAAC where she has been employed for 13 years.  She works alongside many talented and innovative team members who will be supporting her in the current presentation. 

Colleen Puckett

Colleen Puckett lives in Snellville, Georgia with her husband, Derek, and six children ranging from ages 20 to 1 month. After her own experience, she saw a need for support for parents and families navigating the child welfare system. Colleen became the first Parent Navigator in Georgia in 2012, providing peer support to parents who are currently walking their journey through child welfare in Georgia. Colleen began working with Good Legal Firm, LLC as a Parent Navigator and Manager of Client Care after her family’s time in the child welfare system.  She began Families’ Anchor, LLC alongside her husband to provide support for Georgia parents walking through the child welfare system with support groups, and peer support.

In addition, Colleen is the host of the podcast, “The ‘F’ Word: Foster Care,” providing a space for families and stakeholders in child welfare to share their stories and experiences building a conversation of evolution and unity. Colleen has been a member of the Georgia Parent Advisory Council since 2020 representing Region 13.  

Jershaun Roberts

Jershaun Roberts currently serves as the GARYSE Chafee Supervisor with the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). Her professional social services journey began as a CASA Volunteer in 2008 with Dougherty County CASA as a CASA advocate. Soon after, she was hired as the Advocate Supervisor and then Program Director where she was responsible for all case and volunteer advocate management. In her position with Dougherty County CASA, she worked hard to build community awareness, strong volunteer support and an excellent relationship/collaboration between DFCS, the Juvenile Court system and other organizations in which to assist youth currently in Foster Care gain permanency. In 2014, she became the Volunteer Engagement Manager with Fulton CASA, where she helped build a CASA culture for volunteer advocates. From CASA, Jershaun went on to be a life coach for Teen Parent Connection and then Program Director, providing teen parents with assistance with their development of self-esteem, parenting skills, and empowerment toward self-sufficiency.

Jershaun earned a B.S. in human services from Kaplan University and became a Board-Certified Human Services Practitioner 

Kim Skobba

Kim Skobba is Meigs Professor in Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics at the University of Georgia. She is also the director of the UGA Center for Housing and Community Research.

Skobba specializes in the long-term housing experiences of lower-income households, small-town housing and neighborhood conditions, and community and economic development in nonmetro areas. Her published research has played a vital role in deepening the knowledge of the barriers to and the impact of housing access, particularly among lower-wage workers, people on fixed incomes, and youth with foster care and homelessness experience. 

Marcy Stidum

Marcy Stidum, LCSW, MPA is the Assistant Vice President for Student Wellbeing and currently oversees Campus Awareness, Resource and Empowerment (CARE) Services, the Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery, Counseling and Psychological Service, Health Promotion and Wellness, and Sport and Recreation at Kennesaw State University.

Marcy’s efforts in supporting students at KSU has earned her numerous state and regional awards including the Georgia College Counseling Association’s 2011-2012 Clinical Program of the Year Award, Atlanta Magazine’s 2014 Innovation Index Award, KSU Department of Residence Life’s 2014-2015 SOAR Award, the 2017 Cobb Community Collaborative Policy Council on Homelessness William E. (Bill) Hanson Collaboration Award and most recently, the 2021 KSU Positive Impact/Service to the Community Staff Award.  

Anthony Stover 

Anthony Stover is a leader in youth engagement with over two decades of experience. Anthony’s accomplishments include being recognized as the 2022 Casey Excellence for Children Award winner and starting Stever Consulting. He is also a core member of the Foster Youth In Action Network. In addition to his work in youth advocacy, Anthony is also the author of three books.

Anthony’s dedication to advocating for youth in foster care is rooted in his own experiences. After entering foster care at age 11, Anthony faced many challenges but found stability through his social worker, Grady Jenkins, his mother figure and mentor, Angela Stover, and Families First.

Anthony earned an associate’s degree in computer technology and a bachelor’s in project management. Anthony and Angela are now legally a family after an adult adoption. Anthony is recognized for his work influencing key statewide policies with Georgia House Resolution 789 and has been honored as a Fosterclub All-Star. He served on the board of Foster Care Alumni of America, the National Alumni and Foster Youth Policy Council, and was recognized by the Georgia Congress for his work with House Resolution 789. Finally, Anthony has also worked as a relief parent at Families First, giving back to children just as his social worker gave to him.

Erin Thomas

Erin Thomas is a birth parent with lived experience in child welfare involvement, substance abuse, mental health, and incarceration. Her parental rights were terminated after her release from prison and then reinstated after a period of self-directed recovery and rehabilitation. Today, she celebrates over eight years of recovery from substance abuse challenges and serves as a mentor and advocate to her peers currently experiencing similar life challenges.

She is employed as the Assistant Director at The Connection Forsyth, a Recovery Community Organization in Forsyth County. She is a Certified Peer Specialist-Mental Health/Addictive Disease and recently earned the designation of Certified Peer Specialist-Parent through the Georgia Parent Support Network. She is formally trained in both Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid and has completed trauma-informed care and cultural competency training. She is also a Whole Health and Wellness Coach. In 2021, Thomas was recognized as a Reunification Hero both in Georgia and Nationally by the American Bar Association. She serves Region 2 on the Parent Advisory Council. 

Lori Tiller

Lori’s focus is on leadership capacity building for nonprofit, youth and community organizations, leadership development for underrepresented populations and technical skills in evaluation design and group facilitation. She collaborates with many on-campus departments to aid in their strategic planning and implementation processes, she works with a variety of specialized county- and school-based youth leadership development programs and she works with both nonprofit and community-based organizations building their leadership capacity, governance processes, planning initiatives and volunteer management skills.

She also currently co-leads the Embark Georgia Statewide Network, a group of higher education institutions supporting young people experiencing foster care or homelessness in their academic endeavors.

Renni Turpin

Renni Turpin is a doctoral student at the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. Committed to removing barriers to college access for historically marginalized students, Renni works as a graduate research assistant for Embark Georgia. Previously, Renni served in AmeriCorps while earning an M.Ed. from Boston University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University.

Kelly Whitmire 

Kelly Whitmire, LCSW is a Grants Program Consultant with the Georgia Department of Education. In this role, she provides guidance to districts throughout the state of Georgia related to ensuring educational stability and academic success for students experiencing homelessness. Whitmire was integral in the launch of state-level programs using American Rescue Plan funds to remove access barriers and provide access to services for students across the state of Georgia in the areas of academic assistance and mental health. Whitmire has over 16 years of experience working with students experiencing homelessness.

Before employment with the Georgia Department of Education, Whitmire served as the homeless liaison in Bartow County Schools for 15 years. Whitmire also has experience working with the Department of Family and Children Services and providing therapeutic counseling services to children and families. 

Lauren Wright

Lauren Wright is the Director of Programs and Outreach with The Scholarship Academy (TSA). In her role, she oversees all programming related to grant-funded projects and directs the AmeriCorps program. With over 13 years of experience in the college access space, Lauren’s expertise spans K-12, higher education, and nonprofit sectors. Her mission revolves around uplifting and advocating for today’s youth, supporting them in unlocking their potential for postsecondary success.

Lauren, a native of Schaumburg, Illinois, is a proud alumna of Indiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing. Beyond her professional accomplishments, she is married with two beautiful daughters.