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Tracie Williams is a passionate advocate for foster, adoptive, and kinship families, driven by her belief that it takes a village to raise healthy, happy children. Raised in a loving, close-knit family in Baltimore, Maryland, Tracie has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of community. She feels called to enhance the “koinonia” of Baltimore and the greater DMV area by providing support to families who have long bridged the gap with little to no resources.

With over 20 years of professional experience in cause marketing, business development, and philanthropic initiatives, Tracie has worked with both national and international nonprofits to improve the quality of life for underserved families. Her mission is to expand access to resources for families in the region, empowering them to thrive.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Tracie is pursuing her passion for writing by authoring her first book. She also enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, taking in the local theater scene, and spending time with her family and friends.

Angela is a Florida native where she lives with her husband and four children. Their family has been a licensed foster family since 2019. Angela has a Masters in Nonprofit Management and over 10 years’ experience working with nonprofit organizations. She loves spending time fixing up her 115-year-old historic home and going to the beach every weekend.

Erin is native to Central Maryland and lives in Catonsville, MD with her husband, Dave. They have been married for 15 years and have five sons and one daughter. Before all of the children entered their life, Erin was a foster care social worker with an MSW from University of Maryland, Baltimore. She is passionate about working with children and families from hard places. Erin feels that her experience as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and an outpatient mental health clinician has equipped her to provide wrap around services to children and families.

Jillian and her family live in Baltimore City. She and her husband Tim have been resource parents licensed through Washington County Maryland since 2019. Jillian loves that the community of Foster the Family ensures that families aren't fostering alone and loves walking alongside families through the highs and lows of foster care, and making sure vulnerable children are seen and valued by getting the resources they need and deserve! She has a background in project management, communications, and marketing.

Kristen grew up in Vermont but has planted roots in Maryland. She and her husband Brian have four crazy, wonderful children at home — some biological, some adopted. Her family is a quilt of unique pieces bound together through hurting and healing. She has her degree in education from Union University in TN. She loved teaching before becoming a full time homemaker and mama 13 years ago. Kristen was a Court Appointed Special Advocate [CASA]. She and her husband fostered more than a dozen children separated at the US border. Her mission is to make others feel safe and welcome. She is excited to use her gifts to support families in every facet of foster care.Kristen loves to travel to far away places. But, there's no place like home where there's always a renovation project, a good book to read or something delicious waiting to be baked.

Janel is incredibly passionate about serving marginalized and vulnerable communities in her area. Biblically and ethically, she believes in the duty to support those in dire straits and strives to be apart of the solution by supporting foster parents, families, children, and kin. In her personal life, Janel, her husband, and their three children are actively involved in homeless outreach. They believe that changing how youth view and address socioeconomic issues will create a more compassionate and supportive community. Janel is currently double majoring in Sociology and Psychology at UMGC and has nearly a decade of hands-on volunteer experience.

Karen is extremely passionate about working with marginalized families and has a passion for building community support and awareness. She recently graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Family Science from the University of Maryland and hopes to pursue her Master’s in Social Work soon. Karen has a passion for working with children and has spent her time working as a gymnastics coach and being a part-time nanny.  Her dedication to and love for children and their well-being has led her to understand just how much support and care foster families need, especially those within the DMV. She hopes that her work will make a positive impact on the world of foster care.

Becca Beavers is a teacher, former foster parent and mother to four DC natives. Arriving in DC with plans to get a master’s degree and leave, by God’s grace she has now been here long enough to watch the Nationals win a World Series. As a teacher and foster parent, Becca has learned how to collaborate across differences and build toward community. Becca always has a book in her bag and another on her nightstand, will always say yes to another cup of coffee and loves to chase her rowdy bunch through National Parks.

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Tricia is native to the Washington DC area where she lives with her husband and three kids. She worked in special education before becoming a stay-at-home mom after the adoption of their third child. Their family has been fostering for the last several years and has had the privilege of caring for several children and their families. She's passionate about supporting foster families so they can provide the best support for the children and families they care for.

Mandi and her husband were foster parents for 8 years. She has two daughters who were adopted from foster care and two sons who are currently in the process of being adopted. She has fostered 15 other children who reunified with their biological families. When she first started, she did not know anyone who had fostered or adopted. Though her family felt called to foster care, she also felt very alone in our journey, spending years forming a small community. She is passionate about making sure others have a support system of fellow foster/adoptive parents from the very beginning so they can share in the struggles and joys that are unique to foster care and adoption.

Melanie and her husband, Doug live in Manassas, VA, and have been foster parents for about 9 years. She co-leads the Foster the Family support group in Prince William/Fauquier County and organizes the new stockroom there. Melanie is thrilled to be working with Foster the Family DC in supporting other foster/adoptive/kinship parents and the kids they serve. She believes everyone can do something to serve. Melanie loves reading aloud to her kids, animals of all kinds, and trying to convince her teens that her music is better.

Before leaving the corporate world to focus on her growing family, Angela Mussio was the Manager of Program Development for Reston-based homebuilder, NVR, Inc. She shifted her focus from corporate training and program design to making an impact at her children's school in Rockville, MD. Her passion for fundraising and building community has led her to serve as chair of multiple fundraisers, boards and events.

In 2021, Angela, along with her husband Mike and their three children, decided to become licensed foster parents through Montgomery County. Though the call to "do something" was not an unfamiliar one for Angela, she admits that becoming a foster parent herself was not anything she ever imagined. During the past few years, she has found the resources of FTF, and those whom she has met through its programs, to be an invaluable asset to her and her family.

As a MoCo native, Angela is passionate about FTF's mission of providing wrap-around care for those on the front lines of foster care and she is looking forward to bringing more awareness of the foster community's needs within Montgomery County and the surrounding area.