Recently, Tom decided to leave his passion for “live” performances to travel on another path that he is passionate about. This passion is to work with children and youth that need a supportive family to let them aspire to their potential. He enjoys networking with others and hopes to find many families who will be supportive of, and participate in, foster care, adoption and the Annie C mission.
Tom is married, has a son that is 24, another son 45, raised through kinship care as well as a college-age daughter who is adopted from Guatemala. In his spare time, he loves organic gardening, photography, raising Great Danes and appreciating the beauty of the planet.
Selina is most passionate about advocating for and beside older youth. She also volunteers for her church community as the youth advisor.
Roger is an active board member for the Mattatuck Museum. He is passionate in his interest in drum and bugle corps. Many weekends you can find Roger and his wife sitting in the bleachers cheering on the musicians.
Roger loves to teach and offers financial literacy classes to youth through M&T Bank. His passion for social justice drives him to work for a better world for young people.
Trayvonn studied Political Science and Philosophy at the University of Connecticut, graduating in 2015. His passion for politics led him to the world of public service where he now works in a U.S. Senate Office and serves as a Commissioner for the City Planning Commission of Waterbury. Trayvonn was also a part of UConn’s premiere First Star Academy program for mentoring and supporting a group of 25 youth in the foster care system achieving Mentor of the Year for impact on the lives of the students. Today, he hopes to reach foster youth feeling uncertainty in their journey for identity and one day elevate from a former foster youth to a Foster parent. What you might not guess at first glance: Trayvonn is a local property manager, is an uncle to 8, and can solve a Rubik’s cube in 90 seconds.
In his words: “I believe that as a foster parent, that I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to care for the children who were placed in my care, and that as foster parents we inspire their dreams, provide them with a sense of security, safety, and self-confidence; we encourage within them a love for life, and help them to find within themselves and others the strength necessary to reach their aspirations.
Being a foster parent isn’t easy, and it’s often accompanied by many unexpected challenges. As a result of entering the system, there are often many social, emotional, academic, physical, and behavioral differences that children have developed to adapt to their lives both before and after entering the system. When children have been placed into the system, it’s essential that a strong network of supports be put in place both for the children and their families, and that all professionals work cooperatively together in order to assure that placement is successful. This can be a difficult undertaking, but one that offers much joy if done correctly, and which remains much less costly than losing a child into the criminal justice system along with the opportunities lost to help a child better their lives.”
After graduating from Danbury high school she attended college at Western Connecticut State University and went on to obtain her J.D. from Roger Williams School of Law. Rachael spent the last five years of her career as an Assistant Attorney General for the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General as one of several attorneys representing the Department of Children and Families.
Making her son and daughter her priority, she left state employment and has begun her own practice focused on child protection matters and various other areas of law. Rachael and her husband Jeff have two beautiful children. Her son, Hunter, is three and her daughter, Hudson, is a year old. They are her world and she shares the struggle of fitting everything else in with them in her blog, Carpaneto Chaos.
Rachael brings her love for networking and socializing to the Annie C. Courtney board as the point person for fundraising.
Since returning to Connecticut, Ken has served as the Regional Administrator for both Region 5 and Region 1 at the Department of Children and Families and the Director of Family Services Strategy at the Department of Developmental Services.
Ken is currently the Executive Director at Benhaven, Inc whose mission is: Enabling people with autism and pervasive developmental disorders to participate in community life, exercise productive control over their own lives, have meaningful relationships and associations, be gainfully employed, and experience happiness and personal satisfaction.
Ken and his husband are avid animal lovers and spend most of their leisure time with their two Standard Poodles, Benjamin and Lena.
Over the years, she has had the pleasure of serving as Board Member/Advisor/Volunteer for organizations seeking to help develop and support youth. During her service, she has served as a Board Member for a community hospital seeking to offer free health services and access to care for low income and displaced families; she has worked and volunteered for organizations to build funding and promote programs for youth advocacy and community engagement, and has used her professional skills serving as Advisory Board Member for the Tennessee Youth Court – to increase advocacy and representation for youth within juvenile detention facilities throughout the state.
Kimberly’s dedication to community service has been both rewarding and enlightening, as she is constantly reminded of the social, developmental, and economic hardships experienced by these families and others. She is excited to work alongside members of the Annie C. Courtney Board, to help raise awareness about the specialized resources we continue to provide members of the foster care community.
Kimberly is a devoted mother to her 8-year-old daughter, Anaiah. When she is not engaged in community activities, you can find her and her daughter taking in the local Nashville cuisine, attending local sports games, or tackling DIY projects.
Beyond her clinical work, Julie’s heart belongs to the cause of vulnerable children in foster care. She believes that every child deserves a loving and stable home environment, and she tirelessly advocates for their rights and well-being. Julie actively engages with organizations and initiatives aimed at improving the lives of foster youth, working to raise awareness and create positive change.
Julie’s passion for mental health and her advocacy for foster youth reflect her unwavering dedication to building a more compassionate and supportive society.
Care, based in Danbury. Most of her career she worked with youth in the foster care system and other young people at risk in organizations such as Living In Safe Alternatives, Waterbury Youth Services, Child
Guidance Clinic of Greater Waterbury (now Wellmore Behavioral Health), and StayWell Health Center. She is passionate about helping disadvantaged youth, especially those experiencing homelessness and
LGBTQ+ young people. To that end, she served on the DCF Regional Advisory Committee for Region 5, on the Governance Committee for the Bridge to Success Community Partnership, Chaired the Waterbury
Homeless Youth Committee, and was on the Executive Advisory Committee for Waterbury based Queer Unity Empowerment Support Team. Jill holds a B.S. degree in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University, and an MBA from the University of Connecticut.
Jill is an avid knitter and a published knitwear designer for books, magazines, yarn and pattern companies in the hobby knitting industry. She also engages in many other crafts including weaving, crochet and jewelry making, and loves to go for walks and to read, especially science fiction books.
Originally from Massachusetts, she lives in Middlebury CT with her husband West and their misunderstood wheaten terrier. They have two adult daughters of whom they are very proud.
