Leadership

Board of Directors

Susan Neely: Chair
President & CEO, American Council of Life Insurers

Rita Lewis: Vice Chair
President, RML Strategies

Brian Graff: Treasurer
CEO, American Retirement Association

Susan Hirschmann: Secretary
CEO, Williams & Jensen      

Kim Carver
Senior Vice President Government Relations, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Co.

Marty Durbin
Senior Vice President of Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Kelly Gage
Director of Advancement, Nomi Network

Sarah Gesiriech
Principal, 127 Strategies / Former U.S. Government Special Advisor on Children in Adversity / CCAI Advisory Council Chair

The Honorable Mary L. Landrieu
Former U.S. Senator of Louisiana / Senior Policy Advisor, Van Ness Feldman LLP

Joyce Rogers
Senior Vice President of Government and External Relations, AmeriHealth Caritas

Andrea McDaniel Smith
Partner, CarterBaldwin Executive Search

Russ Sullivan
Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP

Advisory Council

Sarah Gesiriech, Chair
Principal, 127 Strategies

Jelani Freeman, Vice Chair*
Attorney

Lauren Behsudi
Senior Advisor, Administration for Children and Families / Casey Family Programs

Dan Berger
Attorney, American Academy of Adoption Attorneys

Lisa Boudreau*
Director of State Policy, iCivics

Allison Coble
Director of Programs, Faith to Action Initiative

Ian Forber-Pratt
Director of Global Advocacy & Growth, CERI

Dr. Sharon Ford
Director of Foster Care and Adoption, Focus on the Family

Philip Goldman
Founder and President, Maestral

Bethany Haley
Former Executive Director, CCAI

Daniel Heimpel
Founder and Board Chair, Fostering Media Connections

D.J. Jordan
Senior Vice President, Pinkston Public Relations

Kathy Nuebel Kovarik
President, Sagitta Solutions L.L.C.

McLane Layton
Founder, Equality for Adoption Children (EACH)

Jaia Peterson Lent
Deputy Executive Director, Generations United

Jedd Medefind
President, Christian Alliance for Orphans

Amnoni Myers*
Consultant, Public Speaker, Author

Jennifer Perry
Executive Director, Children's Action Network

Emily Chapman Richards
Former Executive Director, ShowHope

Debbie Riley, LCMFT
CEO and Co-Founder, Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.)

Rebecca Robuck
Policy Director, ChildFocus

Christopher Baker-Scott*
Executive Director, Sun Scholars Inc.

Rita Soronen
President and CEO, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Kathleen Strottman
Partner, Glen Vista Partners LLC

Nicole Taylor
Executive Director, Congregation for Kids

Rebecca Vahle
Executive Director and Founder, Family to Family

* designates alumni from the CCAI Foster Youth Internship Program® elected by their peers to serve in this leadership role.