Jamie Finn

**Jamie C. Finn** is the author of best-selling book, *Foster the Family*, and *Filled: 60 Devotions for the Foster Parent’s Heart.* She is the founder and President of Foster the Family and the founder of the Filled Gathering. Her popular social media accounts offer a glimpse into the real life of a foster parent and provide encouragement to tens of thousands of foster and adoptive parents. She lives in Sicklerville, New Jersey, with her husband, Alan, and their 7 children through foster care, adoption, and birth.

Jason Johnson

Jason is a writer and speaker who encourages families and equips church and organizational leaders on their foster care and adoption journeys.
He currently serves as the National Director of The Pure Religion Project with Christian Alliance for Orphans. In his work he develops resources, coaches leaders and teaches in a variety of contexts on church-based ministry structures, organizational leadership and strategy. He is also a sought-after speaker for churches, retreats, conferences, and events for foster and adoptive parents as well as for those considering getting involved.
Prior to his work at CAFO Jason spent 14 years in church staff ministry, including planting and pastoring a church in Houston. It’s there that his family's foster care journey began.
Jason and his wife, Emily live in Texas with their daughters. He has authored 4 books: Reframing Foster Care, Everyone Can Do Something, The ALL IN Curriculum and Effectively Engaging Churches. You can find many of his resources at www.jasonjohnsonblog.com.

Annika Marek-Barta

Annika Marek-Barta is a former foster youth that spent 5 years in the foster care system. At the age of 26, she was adopted as an adult, displaying the truth that we never outgrow the need to belong. She has volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in Washington state and works as a graphic designer/photographer. Her heart is to advocate for seats to be added to tables as the lonely are invited into belonging.

Ryan & Kayla North

Ryan and Kayla North have dedicated their careers to helping adults create environments where children feel safe, welcome, and loved. Through their work, they have become trusted voices for parents, professionals, churches, and educators, equipping them with the tools to foster healing and connection. Their commitment to empowering caregivers and strengthening families has earned them a well-deserved reputation as leaders in their field.

As Co-Founders of One Big Happy Home, they provide resources and support, offering practical strategies and emotional guidance to help caregivers address trauma, behavior challenges, and attachment issues. Their approach is rooted in empathy, understanding, and evidence-based techniques, creating a space where parents can learn and grow together.

You can hear their thoughts on The Empowered Parent Podcast, which provides insights and strategies to help parents navigate raising children with trauma histories, as well as Better Together, a marriage podcast that offers candid conversations, practical advice, and encouragement for couples seeking to strengthen their relationship. Their warm and relatable style makes their podcasts go-to resources for those seeking wisdom, encouragement, and practical guidance.

You can learn more about their work at onebighappyhome.com and follow them on social media @onebighappyhome

Peter Mutabazi

**Peter Mutabazi** is the founder of Now I Am Known, an organization dedicated to providing resources and support to vulnerable children. Originally from Uganda, Peter’s childhood was filled with hardship. At the age of ten, he fled from an abusive home and lived on the streets for nearly five years. Today, Peter is a proud single father to three adopted children—Anthony, Ryder, and Skyler—as well as the many foster children he’s welcomed into his family over the years.

Peter’s powerful and moving journey from street kid to foster father is detailed in his debut book, *Now I Am Known*. As a new author and longtime advocate, Peter has spent the last two decades using his voice for the voiceless, both in the U.S. and internationally. His work and mission is to ensure that every child is seen, heard, and valued. He believes every child deserves to feel known and loved, no matter where they come from.
Learn more about Peter at www.nowiamknown.com and follow him on social media @fosterdadflipper.

Renaut Van der Riet

If you find me at home, you’re likely to see me carrying heavy bags of food for the chickens or turning compost because Brooke is passionate about gardening. I love to go zip lining with my kids through the backyard adventure course we built together and make waffles with them on Saturday mornings. Every day I am thankful I get to wake up alongside them and explore the freedom for which Christ has made us free.
I came to know and serve Christ in a military home in South Africa during the apartheid era. By the time I was in high school, I had discerned that God was inviting me to pastoral ministry, so after graduation, I enrolled in Bible college in the Washington, DC, area. I met my wife, Brooke, there, and shortly after getting married in 1996, we moved to California, where I served as a student ministries pastor until we sensed God calling us to plant a church in Florida. We founded Mosaic Church in Winter Garden in 2002 with the goal of meeting the spiritual and tangible needs of the local and global community. It is an overwhelming privilege to watch Mosaic’s story unfold and, with it, to see lives changed along the way.
This incredible adventure I’m living with Christ has brought some amazing opportunities. Brooke and I were able to adopt four of our eight kids from Axum, Ethiopia. That journey inspired us to found Axum Coffee Company, a growing chain of coffee shops and restaurants whose goal is to fund justice and mercy initiatives, as well as Love Made Visible, a nonprofit organization that equips families, individuals, churches, and agencies to care for orphans and vulnerable children across the United States and worldwide. Most recently, I am developing The ReStory, a website aimed at providing gospel clarity to followers of Christ by extending them an invitation to tumble headfirst with me into the wonder of the freedom for which Christ has set them free.

Katie Faris

Katie Faris is the author of four books including her new devotional, *Every Hour I Need You: 30 Meditations for Moms on the Character of God*. She is also a contributing writer to the Gospel Coalition and the Focused Pastor. As a speaker, she meets the challenges of parenting with personal, biblical reminders of God's provision and providence. A pastor's wife and mother to five, Katie lives with her family in New Jersey where they love day trips to the shore. To learn more, visit katiefaris.com.

Kayla Moffitt

Kayla Moffitt is totally and completely… exhausted! As a mom to five siblings adopted from foster care and a baby girl by birth, her days are spent sipping unintended cold coffee in the carpool line, changing diapers, and hunting for every missing left sock (she has plenty of right ones if you need one!).
Kayla lives in Tennessee and serves as National Programs & Communications Coordinator for Foster the Family where her passion for advocating in the foster and adoption space is fiercely fueled. As a TBRI Practitioner, she especially loves walking alongside caregivers in their pursuit of trauma-informed care.
Kayla is married to her middle-school sweetheart, Jerad, and still treasures the note she wrote him after hearing George Strait’s “Check Yes or No.”
*Spoiler: he checked yes!*

Jerad Moffitt

Jerad Moffitt is a devoted husband, proud father of six, and a lifelong dreamer with a passion for living boldly. Married to his middle school sweetheart, his life is rooted in deep relationships, adventure, and the belief that life is meant to be fully embraced in the present—not someday.

With a career spanning leadership roles in medical device development as a C-suite executive to hands-on work in local farming and goods stores, Jerad thrives at the intersection of innovation, community, and authenticity. He’s equally at home in a boardroom, on stage with his band, or out fishing on a quiet morning.

An avid outdoorsman and a self-described “wannabe cowboy country boy,” Jerad carries his love for the land and his commitment to honest hard work into everything he does. His leadership philosophy centers on empowering others to pursue their passions fearlessly, challenging the notion that life should follow a single, “normal” path.

Whether he’s leading a team, writing music, or raising his children to dream without limits, Jerad’s mission is clear: to inspire those around him to live with courage, purpose, and joy.