Meet Our Storytellers
Keri Hope Richmond
Executive Director
Keri Richmond is a change-maker, storyteller, and passionate advocate for children and families. Her personal experience in the U.S. foster care system and enduring a broken adoption, has driven her to become a sought-after international speaker, podcast host, policy wonk, and advocate for foster care reform. Keri's personal mission is to help people, organizations, and movements understand the impact of unhealed trauma and to empower those who have experienced it to break the cycle.
Keri's work has led her to join the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as their first-ever Manager of Child Welfare Policy in Washington, D.C where she champions the power of lived experience.
Her advocacy has taken her to the halls of Congress and the White House, where she has shared her recommendations for systems change. In addition, Keri has also given a powerful TEDx talk entitled, "What can you learn from a trashbag?"
Keri is committed to making a difference in the lives of children and families.
Adrian McLemore
Armed with a commanding stage presence, and a compelling life story that combines humor and humility, Adrian McLemore has inspired and delighted audiences across the country for more than a decade as a professional speaker and trainer. Widely known for being authentic on stage. Adrian seeks to live out his passion of serving others with his talents, expertise and education through public speaking, podcast hosting, & training/consulting.
As a national strategic consultant, he blends his professional expertise with his unique perspective of lived child welfare experience. He has been highly effective in partnering with child welfare agencies/directors, state legislatures and community stakeholders across the country to improve permanency outcomes for older youth, stimulate family & youth engagement, and implement effective policy strategies that lead to positive system reform and change. Adrian is a program officer with a private non-profit foundation in Baltimore MD.
Cordelia Cranshaw
Cordelia Cranshaw, the founder and CEO of Acts of Random Kindness (ARK), holds a bachelor's degree from George Mason University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland's Advance Standing Social Work Program. She is also a former foster youth and a dedicated foster system advocate, coach, author, and speaker. Furthermore, she has the distinction of being the former Miss District of Columbia USA 2019 and holds a license as a Graduate Social Worker.
Cranshaw's background and life experiences have shaped her into a resilient individual who, despite being one of 18 siblings, spent most of her childhood in foster care. She entered foster care initially at the age of five and then from ages 14 through 21, enduring frequent placement changes and periods of homelessness. Throughout her journey, she defied the expectations of becoming a mere statistic and has instead emerged as a beacon of inspiration. Her dedication to helping others and her resiliency have earned her recognition not only in Washington, D.C. but also across the entire country.
Ivy-Marie Washington
This is Ivy-Marie! The sassy, sweet, yet outspoken southern charm born and raised San Antonio, Texas. There is nothing more prideful, powerful, loveable, fearful or courageous than that of a Texas woman! At the young age of 7 she entered the Texas foster care system. She aged out at the age of 18. After aging out of foster care she received a Degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis on Forensic Science. Her passion to ensure that children that are currently walking the path she once took, has placed her in the same foster care agency where she was once on the other side. As a Foster Care and Adoption Specialist for one of the Nations’ most exciting foster agencies, she currently guides current foster parents and children through this beautiful part of life.
Lino Peña-Martinez
Lino was in the foster care system in CA from the age of 5-18 and then he participated in an extended foster care program till the age of 21 where he also studied the environment, art, and architecture at the University of California Santa Barbara.
After graduating from the UCSB, Lino moved to Boston, MA to mobilize the masses on the frontier of solar energy, as a solar energy consultant through grassroots canvassing door-to-door. After which, Lino dedicated time to the system that raised him and became a caseworker in a residential group home where he did community outreach and delivered wraparound social services to vulnerable populations with The Home for Little Wanderers, a child welfare agency rooted as far back as 1799 with historical ties to Boston Children’s Services, The New England Home for Little Wanderers, Parents’ and Children’s Services, Charles River Health Management and Wediko Children’s Services—some of which tie to contributors like Abigail Adams. Soon after in 2019, Lino took to the national stage to advocate on foster care, juvenile justice, and family-based issues with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute where he also interned with the House Committee on Ways and Means briefing HHS, the White House, and Congress on multisystem interventions and the child welfare system. Shortly after, Lino began his energy federal advocacy career with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce during the 116th Congress. Lino was most recently a Policy Analyst for the Subcommittee on Energy of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce during our nation's passage of landmark legislation to transition our nation to a clean energy economy.
In his volunteer capacity, Lino sits as Board President of Sun Scholars Incorporated a nonprofit he helped found aimed at alumni of foster care and in college in the state of Connecticut. Lino also helped found and coordinates digital operations for Unbelievably Resilient. Lino also has had the privilege of speaking to and training volunteers, social workers, and caregivers around the country on using software to build permanent relationships for at risk youth with the non-profit Connect Our Kids.
As a national advocate Lino is passionate about movement fusion and partnerships and aims to create a community of results and compassion amongst partners. Lino says the foundation of his resilience and personhood is service to others by way of time, energy, patience, flexibility, and a whole lot of unconditional love.
Maraide Green
Meet Maraide! She is from Costa Mesa, CA and loves being outdoors, either hiking or swimming in the ocean. She studied Political Science and Film at UCLA. A college education was her dream while growing up in foster care, and she is very proud to have graduated in June 2020. A highlight in Maraide’s career is working on the film Instant Family, in which she was able to combine her past experiences in foster care with her current interest in film production. The process helped Maraide realize her passion for removing the stereotypes associated with kids that grew up in the foster care system. She hopes to use this platform to remind youth in foster care of their resilience and potential. In the future, Maraide has experience working for a nonprofit supporting current and former foster youth and as a director’s assistant.
Nate Baca
This is Nathanual, but he goes by Nate. He was born in Santa Ana, California and is currently a restaurant manager in Southern Oregon. He also volunteers with local and national non-profits. Nate has always been an outdoorsman, any time he can be on the water or on the mountain with his two dogs and girlfriend is considered a great day.
Growing up with a large family he has gained a large personality. His grandparents raised him and he grew up living with eleven people in a three bedroom house till he was twelve. After Nates grandma passed his family experienced some more hardships. He ended up in a group home where he met his science teacher who turned out to be his future adoptive mother. Then he was put into a foster family in Mission Viejo,CA at the age of sixteen. He was then finally adopted into his loving forever family at the age of twenty.
Having the support of his amazing family and all the great people that he has met throughout the years has given him tremendous opportunities to be a voice for foster care children and teens. Being raised by his grandparents was a very important part of what has helped shape who he is today. He is looking forward to continuing to work with non-profits in the future. One of his dreams is to help improve the foster care system and to set up transitional housing for children who are getting close to aging out of foster care. Teaching them basic and essential skills (cooking, taxes, housing, ect.) so they can adapt into society easier. He is a very motivated individual who has a passion to advocate for youth in foster care.
Ria Esteves
Ria Esteves serves on the Board of SUN Scholars a nonprofit geared at serving former foster and adopted youth at pursuing higher education. Esteves is a graduate from Rampo College of New Jersey with her Bachelors degree in Social work, is an Americorps Alumni, and is passionate about social equity and housing. Esteves presented and published a child welfare policy report to Congress & The White House in 2019. Ria currently works for Optimal Solutions Group a research firm specializing in social policy.
Slam Anderson
Slam Anderson is the Outreach Director for The Kitchen Table Literary Arts Center a nonprofit that specializes in building appreciation and sustained support for Black women and women of color literary artists. As a Spoken word artist and writer, Slam works in the community to promote literacy, self-empowerment and LOVE. She has competed in regional and national poetry competitions in California, North and South Carolina; including the 2012 National Poetry Slam (NPS) in Charlotte, NC and the 2015 National Poetry Slam (NPS) in Oakland, CA. Slam was the recipient of the 2019 Florida Coalition For Children (FCC) “Outstanding Youth” Award for her work as a workshop designer and facilitator at, A Kid’s Place (Foster home) in Brandon, FL. She is originally from Alachua/Gainesville, FL.
Make a donation.
It all begins with you. And it’s all about amplifying the voices of those with lived experience in the foster care system. We guarantee that your generous donations will go directly into efforts that lead to systemic change, tear down harmful stigmas, and build people up.