About Adoption Rhode Island

Alex joined Adoption Rhode Island as a Permanency Specialist in the Teen Focus program in 2017. Prior to joining ARI, Alex worked as a home-based case worker at Communities for People. His experience includes work with youth of all ages in various domains throughout the state of Rhode Island. Alex has a strong passion for working with teens to assist them in reaching permanency and stability.

Email: aderita@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x326

Allison joined the Adoption RI team with 15 years of experience working with children and families within the residential care setting.
Before joining the ARI team, Allison enjoyed volunteering for the Forever Siblings Summer Camp as a camp counselor and photographer. In addition to her professional experience, Allison is also an adoptive parent of two beautiful children.
Allison’s belief is that all children thrive through the power of connection, love and support; Every child deserves to feel they are understood and that they are important.

After 10 years as one of our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Recruiter, Angela has transitioned to our Support Team working with adoptive families in our Preserving Families Program. Angela has extensive experience working with children in the child welfare system of all ages under a wide range of circumstances. She is excited to be working with families in this role, helping to ensure permanency for children and families impacted by adoption.

Email: agomes@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x321

Through a grant from Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Angela helps find families and connections for children in the Rhode Island foster care system using the WWK child-focused recruitment model. Angela has previous experience working in child welfare in Philadelphia and brings knowledge and compassion about foster care and permanency. Angela believes every child deserves a healthy, permanent connection in their life to support them and help discover their full potential.

Anissa Latifi, MSW, LICSW joined Adoption RI in 2022 after years of work in the foster care field in RI. She has experience in a range of practice settings (family court, homes, community and schools). Anissa received a master’s degree in clinical social work from Boston University in 2019 and specializes in complex trauma and attachment disorders. As a social worker Anissa is passionate and committed to providing children and families touched by foster care and adoption with education, advocacy, support and high-quality clinical care from a permanency and adoption competent lens.

Bernie has been at Adoption Rhode Island since 2002. She is the mother of nine, seven of her children having been adopted. Bernie’s own life experience and knowledge of the adoption community helps make her a valuable part of our team. She plays a dual role at Adoption Rhode Island by also providing assistance to the Office Manager.

Email: bhicks@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x304

Beth has over twenty-one years experience working directly with waiting and adoptive children & families, both helping to keep them hopeful as they wait, and supporting them throughout the adoption process. As Program Manager, Beth will continue to provide support, education and advocacy to the children and families we serve. She is passionate and committed to helping children in DCYF care find forever families through adoption and/or guardianship.

Email: bcapron@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x313

Please take a few minutes to listen to Beth Capron, Manager of Adoption & Permanency Services at Adoption RI, to learn more about becoming a pre-adoptive family and the processes that follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=vCRH_SnYAQc&feature=emb_logo

Bridget joined the Development Team at Adoption Rhode Island in November 2012, bringing with her a background in development, working with children and marketing. As a mother of three boys, Bridget knows the importance of a loving family. She utilizes all facets of her background to ensure that the children in foster care are given the same opportunities for happiness as any other child.

Email: bgieseke@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000×324

Catie Allard, CAGS, LMHC joined Adoption RI in 2017. She brings a set of diverse clinical skills and knowledge from a variety of settings (homes, community, schools, hospitals) with children and families and a strong interest and experience in foster care/adoption-related concerns. Catie holds Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Mental Health Counseling from Salve Regina University. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Catie is dedicated to and passionate about providing support, advocacy, education, and intervention to children and families in need. Catie believes in the power of human connection and tailoring a compassionate, holistic approach to working with each individual and family.

Catie received a 90-hour yoga teacher certification from CorePower Yoga in Denver, Colorado in 2011 and implements mindfulness into many of her practices. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, art/writing, hiking, flower gardening, and spending time with her cat, dog, and friends/family.

Email: callard@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x310

Claudia joins the Adoption Rhode Island team as a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Adoption recruiter. Claudia comes to ARI with 21 years of child welfare system experience; working with a variety of youths and families during her tenure in a residential facilitate. She assisted youth and families with support building, positive and effective communication and advocacy. Claudia has the belief that all children deserve to have a loving and supporting family to rally around them, helping to provide guidance, support and a chance to be a “kid” regardless of the challenges.

Email: cdefaria@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x329

Darlene is a nationally recognized nonprofit sector leader, innovator and change maker who has dedicated her professional life to improving the lives of children impacted by abuse, neglect and trauma. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Providence College, Master of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts, Certificate in Non- Profit Leadership from Harvard University, Kennedy School and is an alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses entrepreneurial program. For more than 35 years, Darlene has worked in both public and private organizations developing services to address the behavioral health and child welfare needs of children, youth and families as well as advocating on a local and national level for improved child and youth serving programs, policies and practices.

Darlene is the CEO and Executive Director of Adoption Rhode Island, Acting Director of the Center for Advanced Practice at ARI and a national child welfare consultant. Darlene is a strong advocate for trauma –informed, adoption and permanency –competent services and is a consistent voice for laws and policies that best serve the unique needs and strengthen the contributions of the adoption, kin and foster care communities. During her career, she has developed, managed and implemented many government and philanthropic- funded programs and initiatives.

Darlene is the Vice Chair of the National Adoption Exchange Association, a Board member of the Voice For Adoption and a member of the National Family Builders Association. Darlene also serves as the Chair of the Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families and a member of the Rhode Island Child Fatality Review team. She has served as a mentor for numerous emerging leaders in Rhode Island. Darlene has been recognized with a Congressional Angel in Adoption award for her commitment to children waiting for adoption and an award from the Attorney General’s office for her commitment to child abuse victims.

Email: dallen@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x301

Donna Rivera came to Adoption RI in February 2008, bringing over 10 years of marketing communications management, website and IT expertise, and graphic design and production experience as well as a passion for building families through adoption. “I’ve learned first hand, there are so many children out there who need families and so many hopeful parents who may not know that state adoption is a mutually beneficial option.” As an adoptive parent of three beautiful children,Donna understands and appreciates the process from all sides and is proud to be a part of the amazing team that is Adoption Rhode Island.

Email: drivera@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x309

Emily joined the Adoption Rhode Island team in October 2014, with a career devoted to working with children and teenagers with special needs in foster care and adoptive homes. Her relationship with Adoption RI stems back to 2003, where for nearly a decade, she worked in the Families for Children treatment foster care and adoption program at Communities for People, first as a Social Worker and then as the Director, responsible for the training, licensing, and clinical support oversight of foster and pre-adoptive families. Through her experiences in this program, as well as her collaboration with Adoption RI, her passion for permanency has only grown through the years, with the mantra that there is a family for every child and a child for every family.

Emily has also spent time working in RI System of Care, where she gained knowledge and experience in systems development and service array building. Outside of her time with Adoption RI, Emily has a small private practice and currently works, as a Lead Clinician, with the Therapeutic Sports Program, working with youth with diverse mental and emotional health needs through the use of sports.

Email: elyon@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x308

Gabriel joins the Adoption Rhode Island team as one of the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Adoption Recruiters. Gabriel has 19 years of experience in the child welfare system. He began his career in a boys’ group home gaining experience while working in collaboration with the DCYF system and juvenile justice. He continued his work with a community based outreach program as a caseworker, and later supervisor, serving at-risk youth all over the state of Rhode Island. Gabriel believes that serving children and families, and promoting self-efficacy and positive self esteem will help them to live their best lives. Gabriel is looking forward to assisting the youth in the foster care system and helping bring families together.

Email: gtoro@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x322

Heather is part of Adoption Rhode Island’s Development Team in the role of Communications and Fundraising Associate. Heather uses her background as a journalist and writer to help tell Adoption Rhode Island’s story. She further assists the Development Team with event planning, digital marketing, and fundraising.
Email: hsillins@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x361

Jennifer joined Adoption RI as Director of Development and Community Relations in April 2016. She has been dedicated to the welfare of children and families throughout her career as an educator and fundraiser and is passionate about the belief that every child deserves hope, love and the opportunity for the best possible future. She comes to the Adoption RI team from San Miguel School where she was Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives for the past ten years. Jennifer brings experience as a teacher, program director, and fundraiser from her work with San Miguel School, Goodwill RI and the Providence Public Library. She has two children and takes pleasure in time spent with her family and friends, especially enjoying all that living in Rhode Island has to offer.

Email: jfoster@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x319

Kaelin joined the Youth Transition Services team as Permanency Specialist in October 2023. She is contracted through Communities for People and will be working closely with DCYF’s IMPACT Mentor program. Her role will be helping youth find permanent figures in their own lives and hope to sustain that relationship for a lifetime. She holds a bachelors in criminal justice and sociology but has taken on more roles in the sociology field. She worked at Boys Town of New England for 2 years working with at risk behavioral youth. After Boys Town, she worked at the Bradley School South County for 2.5 years as a classroom behavioral specialist. She worked with non verbal, ABA, students specifically with kindergarten through 5th graders. Kaelin has loved working with kids her whole life and really dove into learning more about the child welfare system and youth in the system after graduating college. She’s grateful for every job opportunity she has accepted and hopes to make an impact on at least one youth’s life. “To help support and care for a child in a broken system, you must first get to know and learn about who they are as a human, first.”

Kat has over 15 years of experience in human services, including community engagement; systems advocacy; organizational and program development; government relations and policy analysis; and administrative leadership. As the Manager of Program Development and Youth Transition Services at Adoption Rhode Island, she is responsible for the organization’s outcomes and evaluation planning, organizational and program development, as well as continuing to grow the organization’s work to improve permanency and education outcomes for youth and young adults exiting foster care. She also assists with development of ARI’s Center for Advanced Practice and revamping the Adoption and Foster Care Certificate Program. Kat also serves as Adjunct Faculty at Rhode Island College School of Social Work, where she has instructed several master’s and bachelor’s level courses related to macro social work practice and also provides off-site MSW supervision for second-year MSW students with a macro concentration. Kat earned her BSW and MSW from Rhode Island College School of Social Work and earned her License in Clinical Social Work (LCSW) in RI in 2018. She completed the All Adoptions Consulting and Training (AACT) Certificate, and is an Adoption Scholar through the Rudd Adoption Research Program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has presented in various workshops, trainings, and community presentations and has also assisted with communications and fund development planning.
email: ktavares@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x325

Lenka came to Adoption RI in October 2015, bringing over 20 years of experience in bookkeeping and accounting, 17 of those in the nonprofit world. Born in Czech Republic, Lenka is speaks fluent in two languages.

In her free time, Lenka enjoys spending time with her family and their dog Rosie. She also enjoys going for long walks, jogging and cooking.

Email: ltrahan@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x305

Lesley joined Adoption Rhode Island in 2020 as a Permanency Specialist for the Teen Focus Program. She has previous work experience with youth and families through her time working at a foster-care agency. She has a passion for working with youth in foster care as well as advocating for their needs. She believes that every youth deserves to have permanency and supportive relationships in their life.

Marcie Baker-Hinds has over 25 years of experience working in child welfare. During her time at Adoption Rhode Island, she has notably earned the Most Outstanding Recruiter award as a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, completed the Minority Professional Leadership Development program sponsored by AdoptUsKids and Spaulding for Children. She is one of the 44 Ujima Leaders and participated in the Core Certificate program at the Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP). She is dedicated to the preservation of families and helping them remain connected, especially siblings. As a kinship adoptive parent of siblings, she understands firsthand, the complexities yet the importance of children, youth and young adults maintaining their connections to family and community. Her strong passion and commitment to helping others build and maintain supportive networks to help them navigate lives journey is highly evident in her work. The connections that have been fostered with the youth and their supportive networks have helped the youth and young adults to be more confident and stable in living on their own.

Matt joined Adoption Rhode Island in May 2024 as an Education Specialist in the Teen Focus program. Before his work at ARI, Matt was an educator for seven years working mostly with high school students. As a teacher Matt realized he had a passion for mentoring youth and preparing them for the transition from teenager to adulthood. Matt believes in using his position to be a voice for his students as he guided them, using education as a tool. Matt will continue to be an advocate for youths’ education as a member of ARI.

Meaghan Menard is an Adoption and Permanency Specialist at Adoption Rhode Island with 10 years of experience helping children in foster care achieve permanency and lifelong connections. In 2012 she began working with children in the foster care system through the MA Department of Corrections and has continued her work with families separated due to abuse and neglect. Previously a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Recruiter (through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption), Meaghan uses her experience in Child-focused Recruitment to ensure that each child she works with is connected with permanent, loving adults. She also believes in the importance of youth feeling connected to their culture and identity and strives to ensure youth understand their story. Meaghan is a mother of two children and believes in the unique, individual needs of each child. She believes every child should know they are loved and valued exactly as they are.

Email: mmenard@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x328

Melissa Santoro is a licensed independent clinical social worker in RI who has specialized in providing sexual abuse specific treatment, training and clinical supervision since May 2004. She has held many leadership positions for a non-profit agency, focusing on outpatient services for children, teens and adults impacted by trauma. Mrs. Santoro has shared her expertise and knowledge through professional training, mentoring and consultation with service providers, stakeholders and higher education institutions statewide. She is the co-founder of Pathway to Resilience; Experts in Trauma Treatment Consultation & Training, engaging in high quality training and consultation, specific to topics regarding trauma informed and best practices, helping to reduce risk and liability associated with providing mental health services.

Mrs. Santoro’s early work includes supporting families formed through adoption, providing education and support to adoptive parents and professionals, and working with homeless youth as a part of an independent living program. She has facilitated a number of local and national trainings for parents and professionals regarding sexual abuse specific topics and other child welfare issues. Mrs. Santoro has co-authored several publications, specific to supporting families impacted by sexual abuse. She has engaged in several media interviews focusing on child mental health and trauma.

Michelle joined our Accounting Department in 2023 as Bookkeeper. Michelle’s experience in bookkeeping and office management spans over 20 years, with a focus on giving back to the community.

When not at ARI, Michelle enjoys spending time with her son and continuing to share her over 20-year realtor expertise.

Nicole Fiero is the Chief Program Officer at Adoption RI with almost 20 years of experience serving low-income and marginalized populations in pursuit of educational opportunities. As a school leader in an urban public school, Nicole led school improvement strategy, teaching and learning initiatives, professional development, and teacher coaching with a focus in trauma-informed practices and emotional intelligence. Pri-or to leadership, Nicole taught math, math intervention, and 2nd and 3rd grades, beginning her career as a Teach For America corps member in the South Bronx. Nicole serves as the vice chair of the board of directors at the Nonviolence Institute in Providence, RI, and she is an adjunct professor at College Unbound. Nicole loves yoga, Shea High School Varsity basketball, and spending time with her husband and sons.

Email: nfiero@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000

Sara joined Adoption RI in July 2022 as Permanency Specialist on the Teen Focus team, after previously working inpatient with adolescent youth. Sara was drawn to Adoption Rhode Island and the Teen Focus program by her passion for the mission, coupled  with the belief that youth and young adults are resilient and can succeed when given the opportunity.

She is excited about her role at ARI and the chance to help older youth in care prepare for adulthood.

Shannon Doherty is an Extreme Family Finding Coordinator at Adoption Rhode Island with over 20 years in the child welfare field, In this role, Shannon is helping youth and families understand their permanency goals, reconnect with supportive people in their lives, and find a sense of belonging. Specializing in search and engagement, Shannon uses her experience to collaborate with youth, families, a private investigator, and providers in order take a deep dive into the family tree and past supports of youth who are in the care of the state child welfare system. The goal is to find, engage, and reconnect each youth with siblings, family members, and caring adults from their past in order for the youth to have long lasting support and understanding of their story.

Email: sdoherty@adoptionri.org
Tel: 401.865.6000 x307

Meet Shannon below as she talks about the adoption process…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75bYTw5J998&feature=emb_logo

Susanna joined Adoption Rhode Island as an Education Specialist in the Teen Focus program in 2024. Prior to joining ARI, Susanna has had 15 years of experience working with children from all walks of life; With a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Susanna has held roles working with children in hospitals, schools, and local non-profits. She firmly believes every child deserves to have access to quality education and is dedicated to breaking down barriers to make it more accessible through trauma-informed holistic support and advocacy.

In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike whenever possible (especially around local parks), watching sitcoms with her cats, and preparing/sharing meals with loved ones.

Tara joined Adoption Rhode Island as Administrative Assistant in November 2023 and was recently promoted to Human Resources & Operations Coordinator. She enjoys greeting every person who comes through the door and assisting each department in both HR and daily operations.

Tara brings with her a variety of administrative expertise having held many roles in the office of a homecare agency for senior citizens. Prior to that Tara worked with children, both as a nanny and in daycare centers.

Tara is also an adoptive parent of a beautiful son. She believes in compassion, allowing others to feel heard, providing a safe and respectful space for collaboration and growth, and was drawn to ARI by the Mission and Values.