ABOUT FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN
Friends of the Children is a nationwide organization that breaks the cycle of generational poverty. The National Network Office supports chapters and affiliates, and leads national efforts to scale the model so that more of our nation's highest-risk children receive a Friend.
Our Values
Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, Friends, and program teams, but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers, and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, and manage; and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views our most vulnerable youth.
Put Children First
We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth’s needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.
Build Relationships on Love
We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and culturally-informed practice. We don’t give up easily, and take a no matter what approach to our work. We commit for the long-term. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy, and healthy communication. We believe that we build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful, and meaningful.
Commit to Empowerment
We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.
Pursue Goals Relentlessly
We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.
Demand Equity
We acknowledge the historical and present injustices impacting marginalized communities. We demand equity from ourselves and from our community. We insist that all people have the necessary support to achieve all of their hopes and dreams. We amplify the voices of our children, families, and communities. We bring together different experiences, skills, and backgrounds to provide opportunities to overcome personal, systemic, and institutional barriers.
NATIONAL STAFF
Terri Sorensen
Chief Executive Officer
Carmi Brown
Chief Program Officer
Erinn Kelley-Siel
Chief Officer of Expansion and Policy
Abby Weast
Chief Operations Officer
Eric Gabrielson
Chief Expansion Officer
Mary Rennekamp
Chief Development Officer
Susan Walsh
Director of Research and Strategic Impact
Spencer Hill
Director of Programs
Ariane Le Chevallier
Director of Marketing and Communications
Sarah Beiderman
Director of Innovation
Cheryl Jones
Director of Human Resources
Angela Groves
Director of Strategic Impact and Grants
Ashlan Glazier-Anderson
Digital Marketing Manager
Emily Nestor
Database, Project Implementation and Grants Manager
Holly Huillet
Database Administration Manager
Susan Dearborn, CPA
Controller
Heather Schefter
National Board Liaison/Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer
Rachel Howell, CPA
Senior Accountant
UC Nwaekwe
HR Generalist
Ednaly Jimenez-Gomez
Accounts Payable Specialist
Mary Kashmar
Senior Expansion Development Specialist
Erin Wellington
Database Support Specialist
Kelsey Riordan
Administrative Support Specialist
Carly LaPorte-Fuselier
Accounts Payable Clerk
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Greg Goodwin
Board Chair
Chairman, Wayne D. & Joan E. Kuni Foundation
Vancouver, WA
Don A. Washburn
Board Co-Vice-Chair
Chairman of the Board, Amedisys, Inc.
Portland, OR
George Granger
Board Co-Vice-Chair
President, AT&T
Portland, OR
Cynthia Grant
Board Secretary
Advisor, WRG Foundation
Portland, OR
Michael Feldser
Board Treasurer
Retired Senior Vice-President and COO of Food and Household Products Division, Ball Corporation
Malvern, PA
Peggy Maguire
Board Member at Large
Senior Vice-President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Palliative Care Solutions, Cambia Health Solutions, and President, Cambia Foundation
Portland, OR
Clinton Moloney
Board Member at Large
Managing Director Sustainability Solutions – Americas, Engie Impact
San Francisco, CA
Duncan Campbell
Founder
CEO, The Campbell Foundation and Retired CEO, Campbell Global
Portland, OR
Erica Baird
Co-founder, Lustre and Retired Partner, Office of General Counsel, PwC
New York, NY
Gary Clemons
Executive Director, Friends of the Children–New York
New York, NY
Karie Conner
Vice President and General Manager, Men's Division, Jordan Brand, Nike
Portland, OR
Ellen Frawley
Partner, GMMB
Washington, DC
Stephen M. Graham
Managing Partner, Fenwick & West LLP
Seattle, WA
Thomas Keller, Ph.D.
Duncan & Cindy Campbell Professor for Children, Youth & Families, Graduate School of Social Work, Portland State University
Portland, OR
Thomas Lee
Executive Director, Friends of the Children–Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Sharon Maghie
Retired Director, Microsoft Corporation
Clyde Hill, WA
John Miner
Managing Director, Pivotal Investments
Portland, OR
Henry G. Morriello
Partner, Head of Structured Finance & Transportation Finance, Arnold & Porter LLP
New York, NY
Bryan R. Parker
CEO and Co-founder, Legal Innovators
Washington, DC
Dan Saltzman
Retired Portland City Commissioner
Portland, OR
Bruce A. Schoen
Retired Chief Financial Officer, Anthem Memory Care
Portland, OR
David Shapiro
CEO, MENTOR
Boston, MA
Shane Wall
Retired Chief Technology Officer and Global Head of HP Labs, HP Inc.
Portland, OR
Vanessa Wilkins
Founder, Future School Lab
Sisters, OR
DJ Wilson
President and CEO, DJ Wilson Consulting; Retired President and General Manager, KGW Media Group
Whitefish, MT
Reports & Tools
Research on the impact of youth and families in foster care
A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Long-Term Professional Mentoring Program for Children at Risk: Outcomes Across the First 5 Years
Return on Investment Study
Business Plan
Friends of the Children Consolidated Financial Statements August 31, 2018
Friends of the Children Form 990
Investor Report (2018 Annual Report)
Impact Report (2019 Annual Report)
Foster Our Future
Our work in foster careEMPLOYMENT
Friends of the Children is committed to the communities we serve, to equal employment opportunity, and to diversity in our workplace.
National Jobs
We currently have no open positions on our National team. Please check back regularly for updates.
Chapter Jobs
Detroit
Klamath Basin
Director of Development and Marketing
Lane County, Oregon
Los Angeles
Los Angeles (Antelope Valley)
New York
Southwest Washington
Utah
Thank you for your interest in Friends of the Children.