ACRC’s International Direct Care Summit 2026

Lisette joined ACRC in 2020 after serving on the board of directors as the Public Policy Committee Chair for several years. In addition to leading ACRC’s advocacy efforts, Lisette builds coalitions and strategic partnerships and she utilizes her experience and skills to provide expert-level guidance, policy analysis, practice support, facilitation, strategic planning, and consultation services to ACRC’s membership and non-member systems, agencies, and associations.

Previously, Lisette was the Vice President of National Advocacy and Public Policy for the national nonprofit Boys Town, where she advocated for effective federal and state policies related to child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and health. Lisette’s foundational experiences are in direct care, and she joined Boys Town in 2007 as a Family Teacher caring for girls in foster care and boys committed to the juvenile justice system in a family-style, community-based, therapeutic residential program. Prior to Boys Town, Lisette worked in North Carolina as a program director at a therapeutic residential wilderness program and later as a community organizer focused on quality early childhood education and parental involvement in schools.

Lisette serves on several national policy committees, coalitions, and working groups. She is a mayoral appointee to the Washington, DC Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. Lisette regularly facilitates conversations and shares policy and practice insight and expertise with local, state, national, and international audiences.

Lisette received her B.S. in Science from the Eberly College of Science at Penn State University. She earned her J.D. at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, where she was a Leadership Scholar and Schweitzer Fellow, a pro bono law clerk representing children with special needs, a student attorney at the National Association of the Deaf, and a legislative intern with the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Isaac Etter is a keynote speaker, trainer, and coach for entrepreneurs who've experienced early childhood trauma. He also works at the intersection of adoption, foster care, and belonging. He's also an adoptee, which means the work isn't theory to him. It's his life.

Isaac helps adoptive and foster parents, educators, child welfare professionals, and leaders understand their kids form their sense of self long before they have the words for it, and how we respond to that shapes whether they feel safe enough to be known. He doesn't teach perfection. He teaches presence, and how to stay in the room when things get uncomfortable.

His talks blend story and framework, because a good story makes an idea real, and a good framework makes it usable.

Off stage, Isaac is dad to an amazing 5-year-old, supports entrepreneurs in finding their next level, and is writing a book on grief and loss for adoptees.

Amanda Pryor, MSW, LCSW, CSAYC is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a graduate degree from the Indiana University School of Social Work. She specializes in working with children and adolescents who exhibit sexually problematic or harmful behaviors, bringing years of clinical experience and compassion to this complex area of practice.  Amanda currently serves as the Executive Director of Advocacy and Training Alliance, where she oversees credentialing services and provides specialized training for professionals addressing sexual behavior issues in youth. She is credentialed through the organization and plays a key role in advancing best practices in the field.  In addition to her leadership role, Amanda is a Representative on the Board of the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA) and holds the distinction of ATSA Fellow. Her work is deeply informed by a commitment to ethical care, trauma-informed practice, and professional sustainability.  Amanda is also a 200-hour trained Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance.  

Dereje Zeleke serves as the Ethiopia Country Director for All God’s Children International. He brings extensive leadership across the INGO sector, with expertise in combating child trafficking, advancing safeguarding, and managing trauma-informed transition centers. Dereje has a strong record of building partnerships with government, civil society, and international stakeholders to drive systemic change in child welfare, while leading with a relational style grounded in best practice and cultural competence. Currently a PhD candidate, Dereje holds a Master of Social Work, a Master of Arts in Leadership, a BA in Management, and is a TBRI® Practitioner and Mentor.

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Angelyn Salyer brings 8+ years of international development experience leading growing global orphan care and child welfare initiatives. She currently serves as the Africa Programs Director at AGCI, leading the planning and implementation of holistic intervention programs and operations in collaboration with local staff and partners. As a TBRI Practitioner, Angelyn comes from a background in Global Health, and is passionate about creating programs that alleviate poverty, address critical challenges, and strengthen relationships within families.

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Educated and raised in Senegal in a large family of entrepreneurs. He had the opportunity to travel to Europe for work and decided to relocate to Italy once he learned more about the culture and the similarities with the African culture. He integrated very well and built an African Italian family while developing his cultural mediation skills. At first, he worked for an Italian entrepreneur in the hospitality industry and then decided to embrace the social world and support the immigration processes in Italy. As a trained cultural mediator and social worker, fluent in French, Italian, English, and Wolof, he supervises residential care services as a coordinator, primarily with unaccompanied minors. Holds both Italian and Senegalese citizenship. With a strong peace keeping thrive, he is also active in interreligious dialogue as a facilitating element in luminous inclusion experiences. He is very dedicated to all the legal papers of kids, as well as very committed to maintaining active relationships with their families of origin in order to safeguard their identity and cultural roots. A.D. has been part of GEOS Foundation since 2023.

Born, educated and raised in Morocco in a large family dedicated to education. He is a citizen of the world and immigrated to Italy in his early adulthood to attend the University of Turin and achieve a bachelor's degree in language and cultural mediation. With an innate drive for social work and education, he is very committed to building individual projects with unaccompanied minors and their families of origin to make sure there is no pressure coming from parents’ expectations.

An expert in Maghreb countries and their cultures, he is very active in interreligious dialogue as a facilitating element in luminous inclusion experiences. As a cultural mediator and social worker, he is fluent in Arabic (both spoken and written), in Italian, English, and French. He holds outstanding skills in de-escalation processes with reference to the difficulties happening in residential care programs that host together kids coming from the Maghreb Area and Sub-Saharan Africa. A.M. has been part of GEOS Foundation since 2023.

Kelly Berger, LCSW-C, is Executive Director of the Caminos Programs at Everstand, where she leads a national continuum of care serving vulnerable youth, including unaccompanied children, survivors of trafficking, and youth involved in child welfare systems. A licensed clinical social worker, certified trauma professional, and clinical supervisor, Kelly has spent nearly two decades developing and expanding trauma-informed, culturally responsive programs that support children and families navigating complex transitions. What began as an unexpected opportunity to work with unaccompanied children became a defining part of her professional and personal journey. Through her work, Kelly has come to believe that every child, regardless of where they come from or why they arrive in care, deserves to feel safe, welcomed, and comforted as they navigate what comes next. She credits the resilience, courage, and hope of the young people she has had the privilege to serve with continually reminding her of the power of connection, belonging, and community in shaping brighter futures.

Dolly Williams, LCMHC/NCC, LRT, CTRS, has dedicated over 26 years to New Hope as the Director of Recreation Therapy, where she leads with compassion, innovation, and a deep commitment to holistic healing.

A proud alumna of Winston-Salem State University, Ms. Williams earned her undergraduate degree in Therapeutic Recreation and later pursued a Master’s in Counseling from Webster University, followed by advanced post-graduate studies in School Counseling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

For the past 18 years, Ms. Williams has served as a therapist in various group homes across the Greater Charlotte area, offering individual, group, and family counseling services. Her work focuses on helping youth and their families navigate trauma, instability, and mental health challenges with compassion and clinically grounded support. She lives by her personal and professional motto, “Healing Thru Fun,” and has presented at numerous national conferences on the clinical benefits of recreation therapy—advocating for leisure interventions as a vital tool in emotional regulation, rehabilitation, and youth development.

In addition, Ms. Williams has spent the last eight years as an adjunct professor in WSSU’s Recreation Department, mentoring future recreation professionals and shaping inclusive, evidence-based practices in therapeutic programming.

Ms. Williams currently serves on the North Carolina Board for Recreation Therapy Licensure, where she helps uphold professional standards, advocate for the field, and support the development of future practitioners across the state.

Guided by WSSU’s motto, Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve, Ms. Williams has always embraced service as a core value. She joined Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in the spring of 1993, drawn to its legacy of sisterhood and civic engagement. She remains an active and financial member of the Delta Zeta chapter in Charlotte, where she continues to uplift her community through outreach and advocacy.

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Keith Webb began his career in residential services in 2014 and has since held a variety of direct care and leadership roles across human service organizations. He began as a Residential Child Care Worker before advancing into a supervisor role, then into program leadership, including serving as Assistant Director of a latency-aged group home and later as Director of two separate group homes serving both latency-aged and adolescent youth.

Keith currently serves as Director of Milieu Services at Walker where he focuses on creating safe, structured, and therapeutic environments that support the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children. His work centers on strengthening milieu-based treatment, developing staff, enhancing therapeutic programming, and supporting positive outcomes for youth and families.

Keith is a Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) Trainer and CARE Educator. His approach is grounded in relationship-based and trauma-informed care, youth advocacy, and a strong belief in the impact that supportive relationships and environments can have on the lives of young people.

Joanna Bell is currently serving as the Director of Behavior Support and Family Connections for Walker, Inc. in Needham, Massachusetts. She started her career in residential treatment in 2004 and has served in various roles including, direct care staff, residential supervisor and assistant program director before coming to Walker in 2012. At Walker she was the Director of Milieu Services for 11 years and has been in her current role since 2023. Since joining Walker, she has supported youth and families navigating complex trauma and she works closely on transferring strategies that are successful in the program to the home. She is passionate about community involvement ensuring that all kids have access to the same opportunities regardless of life's circumstances. She is an adoptive parent to 3 boys, 2 of which lived in residential care and enjoys sharing her experiences with families as a means of support. 

Jaclyn Yusko is a nonprofit executive and trauma-informed systems leader with nearly 20 years of experience supporting youth, families, and the organizations that serve them. She currently serves as Associate Executive Director for Programs and Services at LaSalle School in Albany, where she oversees residential, educational, clinical, and community-based programs focused on helping young people heal, grow, and succeed. Prior to LaSalle, Jaclyn served as Chief Operating Officer at St. Catherine’s Center for Children, where she helped lead organizational growth, launch innovative programs, and strengthen services across a broad continuum of care. She is also known for her work as a faculty consultant with the Sanctuary Institute, supporting agencies across the country in building trauma-informed cultures and healthier workplace systems. Throughout her career, Jaclyn has been passionate about relational leadership, developing strong teams, and creating environments where both staff and the people they serve can thrive.

Katrina Edmon is the Chief Operating Officer at MCHS Family of Services. She is a licensed clinical social worker who graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with her BS and MSW, and specialized in Brain Behavior and Cognitive Science, and Interpersonal Practice with children and families. Ms. Edmon has over 15 years of mental health experience and has extensive knowledge in strategic planning, program oversight and implementation, and leadership development. Ms. Edmon is most passionate about addressing mental health stigma in the African American Community, fostering powerful leaders in the child welfare arena, and promoting a trauma informed environment through programing. Ms. Edmon is an avid traveler, loves cardio dance class, and enjoys gardening in the spring and summer. 

Dr. Deborah Getz, CYC-P, is a passionate educator and community advocate dedicated to the professionalization of Child and Youth Care (CYC) practitioners. With over thirty years of faculty experience, Deb led the development of the major and minor in youth development to provide graduates from the IU SPH-B youth development major/minor skills and knowledge needed to support the positive development of youth as they enter the job market or pursue graduate degrees. 

As the current President of the Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB), she supports the professionalization of youth care practitioners in the U.S. and Canada, promoting high standards of developmental support for children, youth, and families ensuring that CYC’s have the skills to support youth and families as they navigate today’s challenges. She has extensive experience in curriculum development, design, delivery, and evaluation on topics, including youth development, child exploitation prevention, and community engagement.

Stephen grew up in the U.K. and trained to be a primary school teacher.  Seeking a deeper connection with community, culture and something beyond the mainstream education system he left to live in New Zealand where he has been most his life.

After being involved and leading Rites of Passage Programmes, developing various health/healing practices and leading Several Educational Communities and Specialist Schools he found his purpose, passions and the land that has become his home.  

Māori culture and the wisdom from indigenous stories have had a deep impact on his personal and professional life.  He is passionate about dynamic learning communities, the environment, learning spaces, collaboration and creativity.  In his spare time Stephen is a keen musician and actor and still enthusiastic about playing football when his knees are behaving.  He lives in New Zealand with his wife and has three adult children.

Transitions Into Care: Best Practice for a Skillful Admissions Process    Diane Lamond is currently serving as the Director of Admissions for Resource Residential Treatment Facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. She started her career in residential treatment in 1998 and has served in various roles including direct care staff, clinician, clinical director, director of operations and director of admissions over the course of her career . Her research interests include the therapeutic alliance, treatment compliance,reduction of coercive interventions, and improving residential outcomes. She lives in Greenwood Indiana.

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Raised in foster care and residential facilities, Delman Williams has turned lived experience into advocacy and leadership. After experiencing homelessness for two years, he connected with Hillsides' Youth Moving On (YMO) program at age 20 and began building a path toward stability and service. Since then, Delman has served on the YMO Board of Directors and YMO PRC Youth Board, became a certified instructor, and led a parenting program for low-income families in Pasadena. Outside of Hillsides, Delman's work earned him the "Youth Advocate of the Year" award from ACRC, where he now serves as the incoming President of Voice of Lived Experience, continuing to uplift youth and families through leadership, advocacy, and systems change.

Christina Sackett is the Hull’s Voices Liaison at Hull Services, where she brings both professional expertise and lived experience as a caregiver to her son who faced mental health challenges. As a certified Peer Support Specialist, Christina uses her lived experience to build trust, connection, and collaboration between families, youth, and service providers.

 In her role, she chairs Hull’s Voices ~ Child, Youth, and Family Advisory Council, which is made up of former youth and family members who have received services through Hull. Christina works alongside families and young people currently engaged in Hull’s programs, ensuring their perspectives help guide meaningful change within the organization.

 Drawing from years of experience facilitating peer-led groups, educational sessions, and community initiatives, Christina is passionate about creating spaces where people feel heard, valued, and empowered. Her work focuses on embedding person and family centred approaches at all levels of service, reducing the power imbalance families often experience in systems, and fostering genuine partnership across care teams.

 Beyond her professional role, Christina has contributed her voice and leadership to numerous advisory councils and community initiatives. She is dedicated to advancing compassionate, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented practices that honour lived experience as expertise.

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Audrey Bethel is an experienced educator, school counselor, and clinical leader with more than 15 years of progressive experience at The Wediko School supporting adolescents through education, clinical programming, transition planning, community integration, and preparation for adulthood. She also loves how her professional role has evolved over the years to include interdisciplinary collaboration, staff supervision, team building, and program development. Audrey appreciates living among the trees, lakes and rivers of her New Hampshire homeland where she loves to practice yoga, play in the snow, pick berries, dance, and eat healthy food.

Femi Olawuyi is a dedicated mental health professional serving as a Campus Coordinator at Wediko, NH, with the Home for Little Wanderers. In September 2022, Femi’s desire to explore and learn more about the diverse and more advanced approach to mental health care necessitated his moving from Nigeria to the USA. Since that time, Femi has worked collaboratively with students and staff to develop programs that strengthen community and enhance educational experiences. He is recognized for his ability to connect people, solve problems, and create meaningful opportunities that support both individual growth and organizational success. Femi is a leader in the Home’s international community, connecting people with resources and providing emotional support. Femi keeps Circles with youth and staff at Wediko, actively supporting the agency’s Restorative Practice initiative.

Sharon Kibogy holds a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from The Catholic University of Eastern Africa. Sharon spent 13 years working in her native Kenya as a community/medical social worker. In 2022 Sharon shifted her professional focus to children’s mental health and took a position as a residential counselor at Wediko, New Hampshire, with the Home for Little Wanderers. She worked with 15- to 18-year-old boys before quickly being promoted to Residential Dorm Supervisor, overseeing the youngest cabin. Sharon has helped organize cultural events for international staff for the past three years, and co-kept Restorative Circles at Wediko and agency wide. Sharon began a master’s program in mental health counselling at Framingham State University this January.

As a former practicing criminal and civil law attorney and higher education executive, Thompson brings over 20 years of DEI experience and passion for social justice to nonprofit work. Thompson earned a BA from Colgate U and a JD from Suffolk Law School. Currently, Naomi serves as the Director of DEIB for the Home for Little Wanderers, where she incorporates Circle practices to build community and resolve conflict. Naomi is the proud mother of her son, Benjamin.

In her work in child welfare in Boston, MA, Elizabeth Woodruff has poured her energy into practices that embrace transformative responses to harm, keep families together, and reduce out-of-home mental health treatment. Over the last 13 years, Elizabeth has kept Circles with youth, caregivers, employees, and her own family. Elizabeth is a tireless advocate for aligning mental health service delivery with the values of Circle practice, Power Literacy, and Restorative Justice. 

Amanda Quiroz-Guajardo is the CEO and Founder of Off To A Good Start, LLC, where she provides training and consultation focused on strengthening family engagement, culturally responsive practice, and meaningful partnerships with children and families. With nearly 30 years of experience supporting families and professionals across early childhood, behavioral health, and family-serving systems, Amanda brings both practical expertise and a deep commitment to honoring culture, identity, and lived experience. Her work places particular emphasis on engaging Latino families and fathers, reducing barriers to participation, and helping organizations move from simply involving families to building authentic, trusting partnerships. Through her training and facilitation, Amanda equips professionals with practical strategies to create more inclusive, healing-centered environments where families feel seen, respected, valued, and connected.

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Laurann Young, MA, LPCC-S has worked in the field of mental and behavioral health for over 20 years. She started her work in Cincinnati, Ohio as a Clinical Case Manager. Laurann became a licensed clinician in 2007 and has provided therapy in homes, day-treatment, private practice, school, and residential settings to children, adolescents, and families. She has worked at The Village Network in Ohio for over 10 years and currently serves as the Director of Program Development and Fidelity for Residential Services.

Bryan A. Funk, MA, LPC, LMHC has worked in the field of child welfare and juvenile justice for over 30 years. He started working for CPS in the State of Indiana as a case manager. He has provided therapy in-home, outpatient, and in residential care to children, adolescents, and families. He has been a licensed clinician since 1997. Bryan has worked at Bethany Christian Services Ridgeview residential treatment program in Grand Rapids, Michigan for 25 years. He is currently the Clinical Program Director in the program.

Jessica R. Agyekum, LISW-S has more than 20 years of experience in the field of child and adolescent mental health. She began her career with an organization that provided a continuum of care, where she worked across outpatient mental health treatment, home-based services, and residential treatment programs for young children exhibiting problematic sexual behaviors. For the past 18 years, Jessica has served at The Village Network, continuing her specialized work with youth who display problematic sexual behaviors. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to providing effective, evidence-based interventions that support the well-being of children, adolescents, and their families. Jessica currently serves as a Regional Clinical Director, where she provides clinical leadership, oversees behavioral health services, and supports the delivery of high-quality care across programs. 

Kathleen is a Filipino counselor based in the Metro Boston area who specializes in utilizing creative arts approaches to inform their clinical practice. Kathleen is also an affiliated educator at MAGIS Creative Spaces in the Philippines, one of the local pioneering expressive arts therapy organizations founded in 2013. Kathleen has experience in various health climates (thanks, COVID!) with clients of all ages, bringing her practice into academic, corporate, and even spiritual settings, with a significant focus on displaced youth and marginalized communities. Kathleen currently works as a clinician through the Home for Little Wanderers at their Children’s Community Support Collaborative.

Megan Andrews is the Director of the Child and Family Services Employee Assistance Program (C+FS EAP). A clinical social worker, she has helped lead the program's growth over the past decade. Megan brings experience in private practice, agency leadership, and 25 years as an adjunct faculty member at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. She partners with organizations to expand access to mental health resources, strengthen workplace resilience, and support leaders through critical incidents, substance use concerns, and high-risk employee situations. Megan is a frequent local and national speaker on workplace mental health.

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Ryan Dempsey is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Strive Community Care and Chair of the Board of the Community Restorative Centre. Ryan is a passionate and dedicated Social Worker (accredited with the AASW) with extensive executive experience in the family preservation, Out of Home Care, disability, and criminal justice sectors. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University and Bachelor of Business from Australian Catholic University. 

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A trusted and values-driven People and Culture executive with over two decades of experience leading enterprise workforce strategy, organisational capability, and cultural transformation across complex community services organisations. Guided by a People First, Impact Always philosophy, Kitty partners with Boards and Executive Leadership Teams to align people strategy with organisational direction and deliver sustainable performance outcomes. Kitty brings a strong blend of strategic insight and human-centred leadership, integrating workforce planning, organisational design, and leadership capability to strengthen organisational performance and service delivery. Recognised for fostering psychologically safe, accountable, and inclusive cultures, she has led large-scale transformation, organisational restructures, & workforce growth initiatives that improved engagement, enhanced governance and compliance, and strengthened long-term organisational capability.

Loku is an accomplished, human-centred People and Culture executive with more than 20 years of strategic and operational leadership experience. An MBA-qualified Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), he has led significant organisational transformation, workforce design and technology-enabled change across the community services sector. Loku brings deep expertise in culture, employee relations, leadership development and talent strategy. His pragmatic, people-focused approach builds capable leaders, engaged teams and positive employee experiences, strengthening organisational performance and supporting the delivery of high-quality care.

Sarah MacLeish is the Founder and Director of The Arches Foundation. Her career in the human services sector has spanned frontline practice, operational and executive leadership, organisational development, workforce strategy, policy, and system reform, giving her a deep understanding of the factors influencing outcomes for vulnerable children, young people, families, communities, and the workforce that supports them.

Working across state, national and international forums, and drawing on qualifications across business, public policy, organisational leadership, and community sector management, Sarah combines strategic insight with extensive practical experience to drive transformational change, strengthen service capacity, and improve outcomes. She has led the design and implementation of innovative practice frameworks, workforce wellbeing systems, and quality improvement initiatives, contributing to research and reform across residential care, youth services, mental health, and community services.

Sarah is passionate about trauma-informed practice and ensuring lived experience voices are heard. Through The Arches Foundation, she continues to advocate for more effective systems, capable workforces, and better outcomes across the sector.

Darren Giddens is a Founder and Co-Managing Director at The Arches Foundation.

Since 1990, Darren has worked with young people, families, staff, and stakeholders in the fields of residential youth work, outreach, and family support. Darren completed a Degree in Applied Social Studies in Social Care from the Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland in 1994. 

He began his career as a youth worker, working directly with disadvantaged youth and parents from various backgrounds in the community, before moving into management roles in organisations wherein he was responsible for all aspects of care of young people living in residential placements. A highly skilled manager, Darren has a proven track record of guiding the professional development of his staff. He provides support for clients engaged within the child protection sector, as well as consultancy to organisations in the Human Services Industry.

Lisette joined ACRC in 2020 after serving on the board of directors as the Public Policy Committee Chair for several years. In addition to leading ACRC’s advocacy efforts, Lisette builds coalitions and strategic partnerships and she utilizes her experience and skills to provide expert-level guidance, policy analysis, practice support, facilitation, strategic planning, and consultation services to ACRC’s membership and non-member systems, agencies, and associations.

Previously, Lisette was the Vice President of National Advocacy and Public Policy for the national nonprofit Boys Town, where she advocated for effective federal and state policies related to child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and health. Lisette’s foundational experiences are in direct care, and she joined Boys Town in 2007 as a Family Teacher caring for girls in foster care and boys committed to the juvenile justice system in a family-style, community-based, therapeutic residential program. Prior to Boys Town, Lisette worked in North Carolina as a program director at a therapeutic residential wilderness program and later as a community organizer focused on quality early childhood education and parental involvement in schools.

Lisette serves on several national policy committees, coalitions, and working groups. She is a mayoral appointee to the Washington, DC Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. Lisette regularly facilitates conversations and shares policy and practice insight and expertise with local, state, national, and international audiences.

Lisette received her B.S. in Science from the Eberly College of Science at Penn State University. She earned her J.D. at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, where she was a Leadership Scholar and Schweitzer Fellow, a pro bono law clerk representing children with special needs, a student attorney at the National Association of the Deaf, and a legislative intern with the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.