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Staff
Amara's staff
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Adrienne Farrow, Finance ManagerAdrienne has worked at Amara for more than 10 years. Prior to accepting the position of Finance Manager, Adrienne held a job as a bookkeeper for a manufacturing company for 10 years. Adrienne loves everything about her job at Amara, especially being part of the agency’s mission and interacting with the supporting staff. |
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Andrea Fullerton, Director of DevelopmentAndrea joined Amara in July 2006, bringing eight years of nonprofit development and communications experience and a Bachelor’s of Communications from the University of Washington. Andrea’s passion for helping children has led her to professional and volunteer positions both locally and abroad, including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Cross Cultural Solutions. Andrea also has a Specialty Breads and Desserts degree and spent two years as a professional baker in Seattle. She is an amateur knitter with a penchant for making (and eating) large bowls of pasta. Her other favorite activities include chasing after her children with her husband and going out to breakfast. |
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Anne-Marie Patrick, Adoption and Foster Care SpecialistAnne joined Amara after four successful years of working with foster children in Eastern Washington. Two of those years were spent working with adolescent males in a residential treatment facility as well as two years working with a private foster care agency, providing intensive case management for children in therapeutic foster homes. She holds a Bachelor’s of Psychology from Central Washington University and a Master’s of Social Work from Eastern Washington University. Anne’s personal dream was to work in the adoption field since she was so fortunate in life—she was adopted as an infant by an amazing couple. After working in foster care, Anne was ready to move into the field of adoption so that she could succeed in fulfilling dreams for children in need of loving “forever” families. In her spare time, Anne enjoys spending time with family and friends, shopping, and traveling. |
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Carol Mikkelsen, Director of ProgramsCarol first joined Amara in 2002, serving as Operations Manager for over two years. After a brief hiatus working for the City of Seattle, Carol was delighted to be welcomed back home to Amara as Director of Programs. With a UW Bachelor’s of Social Work and Master’s of Public Administration, Carol brings to her job the combined perspectives of direct service and management. Carol has a long and varied professional background in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, as well as many years of experience volunteering with children, youth, and young adults. She loves sparring with her teenage daughter, dancing with her partner, learning to play in a circle of drummers, and just getting outside. |
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Catherine Olson, Adoption and Foster Care SpecialistCathy joined Amara in July 2007. She brings with her numerous years of professional experience in child welfare services and special needs adoption. She has worked for public, private and nonprofit organizations working with foster care, child protection, licensing and, in the most recent five years, with special needs adoption. She earned her Bachelor’s of Social Work from Moorhead State University in Minnesota. Cathy and her family recently moved to the Seattle area after growing up in Northern Minnesota and living and working in North Dakota for the past fifteen years. Cathy enjoys spending time with her husband, three children and the family dog, engaging in activities like camping, biking, walking, and watching movies together. She also enjoys traveling, reading, playing volleyball and watching football. |
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Cynthia Williams, Adoption and Foster Care SpecialistCynthia is an Amara mainstay and has served the agency since 1986. She has worked in youth counseling and parent education in a variety of staff and management positions throughout her career. She enjoys being a bridge for young parents to find the resources and support they need in order to reach their goals and become self-sufficient parents for their children. A highlight for Cynthia is when past clients contact her or she sees them in the community doing great things in their lives. Cynthia’s hobbies include sewing, reading, writing, playing tennis and bargain shopping. |
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Dianna Zaorski, Adoption and Foster Care SpecialistDianna joined Amara in January of 2008 and brings with her several years of professional experience working primarily in the for-profit sector. Dianna’s passion for the welfare of children led her to volunteer on the advisory board of a homeless shelter for women with children and to become a mentor for at-risk youth in community. These activities ultimately led her to make a career change into the field of social work. Dianna’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s of Sociology from Rutgers University, a Master’s of Public and Corporate Communications from Seton Hall University, and a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Washington. Dianna continues to volunteer in the community, most recently on behalf of victims of domestic violence. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, playing with their dog, reading, listening to music, running, and traveling. |
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Emily Sigler, Administrative SpecialistEmily previously worked for Amara as a work study student from 2003 to 2005 while finishing her Bachelor’s of Social Work degree from Seattle University. She then spent two years working for Childhaven as a Therapeutic Child Care Worker for children who have been abused, neglected or drug affected, many of whom were in foster care. Emily worked for Amara once again as a work study student from 2007-2008 while finishing her Master's degree. After briefly working for the Department of Social and Health Services, Emily was thrilled to be enthusiastically welcomed back to Amara once again, where her passion for child welfare began! In her spare time, Emily enjoys traveling, reading, scrap booking, TV watching, spending time with her friends and family, and petting her cats Sabrina and Oliver. |
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Gretchen Langmaid, Adoption and Foster Care SpecialistGretchen's passion is working with families, and she is excited to pursue this work as part of the team at Amara. Gretchen came to Amara after serving as a social worker at the University of Washington Medical Center. Her focus there was on low-income pregnant women, high risk pregnancies and premature infants. Gretchen has also worked with families of children with a cancer diagnosis at Seattle Children's Hospital, and as a mentor to a child in the foster care system at Ryther Child Center. Through her work in the medical field, Gretchen has developed special interest in helping families with issues of loss and grief and attachment. Gretchen earned her Bachelor’s of Psychology at Pomona College in Claremont, CA, and a Master's of Social Work at the University of Washington. A native of the California Bay Area, Gretchen enjoys Seattle for its natural beauty and accessibility to the outdoors. In her spare time, Gretchen enjoys vegetarian cooking with her partner, hiking, snowshoeing and yoga. She can often be found in a local coffee shop reading or catching up with friends. |
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Heidi Adams, Development CoordinatorHeidi graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelor’s of History in 2005, and joined the wonderful staff at Amara in 2006. She is originally from Santa Cruz, California and although she misses her family every day, she loves Seattle and considers the Pacific Northwest her home. In her spare time, Heidi knits incessantly and spins yarn while watching old movies. When she isn’t crafting, she enjoys reading, running, hiking, yoga, playing with her spoiled cat, and spending time with her husband. |
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John Morse, Executive DirectorJohn's background includes a Sociology degree from Northwestern University and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Washington. Much of his professional life has been spent in the for-profit sector, as a founder of Fratelli’s Ice Cream and as one of the owners/directors of Pyramid Breweries. His nonprofit experience includes six years on the board of Kindering Center and two years working with Global Partnerships. John feels that it's truly a privilege to have a chance to participate in Amara’s mission of ensuring that children grow up in permanent, nurturing environments. John was born into a family that eventually numbered twelve children, and he now parents five children, ages 13 to 20, with his wife, Janet. |
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Joy Patzke, Adoption and Foster Care SpecialistJoy comes to Amara with six years of experience in the social services arena along with a love of working with nontraditional families and children with special needs. Her background includes several years providing intensive therapy to children with Autism, working with youth that have emotional and behavioral issues, and providing therapy and case management to children in the foster care system. Joy has also served as a mental health clinician for couples, families, and individuals with chronically mental disorders. Her education includes a Bachelor’s of Psychology from the University of Colorado and a Master’s of Marriage and Family Therapy from Pacific Lutheran University. In Joy’s spare time she enjoys spending quality time with friends and family, traveling, reading, napping, attending live sporting events, and shopping. |
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Julia Dunham, Foster Care Program CoordinatorThroughout her career, Julia has been blessed with the privilege of supporting foster children and their families. Through private agency foster care programs, she has served as a treatment aide, case manager, licensor, recruiter and foster parent trainer. Julia particularly thrives when focused on the “social” aspect of social services. She has worked as a mediator for parents and teens, facilitator, and workshop leader. Over the years, Julia has nurtured her writing and creativity by serving as a volunteer marketing coordinator, developing curriculum, and consulting. She was a founding board member of Blue Skies for Children, a Whatcom county-based organization based on Seattle’s Treehouse. Julia is a trained mediator and has a Bachelor of Arts entitled, “Political and Legal Advocacy for Youth” from Western Washington University. Outside of her career and volunteerism, “play” for Julia is consuming film, literature, and art as well as experiencing the quiet joy of traveling in countries in which she does not have to listen to her own voice so much. |
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Kaki Kesterson, Pregnancy and Parenting CounselorKaki spent most of her childhood in Texas and has lived in Washington for 20 years. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and has a Bachelor’s of Psychology and a Master’s of Counseling Psychology. Her professional experience includes family advocacy in public schools, outreach crisis therapy, counseling in a psychiatric hospital, and psychotherapy in community mental health. She has specialized training in domestic violence. Her hobbies include being with her husband and two teenage children, British cottage gardening, baking, reading, history, archeology, and cultural exchange with Asia. Her passion is supporting people as they transition through important life choices. Her role as Pregnancy Counselor with Amara allows her to do just that! |
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Kira Schreiber, Administrative SpecialistKira graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s of Sociology and a minor in Public Health and joined Amara in June 2007. She was originally born in Alaska but has had the pleasure of spending most of her years growing up all over the Pacific Northwest. Kira enjoys hanging out with her fabulous friends and family, watching movies, playing Frisbee, swimming, traveling, hiking, and cooking. |
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Lon-Marie Walton, Adoption SpecialistLon-Marie first became involved with Amara’s Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Program in 1992 as a teen parent educator with the Seattle Public Schools, and became an adoption social worker for Amara in 1999. Lon-Marie has a Master’s of Education, specializing in early childhood special education and needs assessment. She has over 20 years of experience working with children, teen parents, and families in a variety of roles, including: childcare teacher, supervisor, program manager, and parent educator. She has also worked in hospice with grief and loss, as well as with the homeless. Lon-Marie is an avid gardener and occasional weaver of rugs. |
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Mary Lingenfelter, Adoption and Foster Care SpecialistMary joined Amara in January 2007 after many years of working in the social services field. She has spent her professional career working with at-risk adolescent youth, domestic violence survivors, homeless families, and chronically mentally-ill individuals. She was adopted at age three from South Korea, and grew up in the Seattle area. Mary holds a Bachelor’s of Sociology from the University of Washington, and a Master’s of Counseling from Seattle University. She spent much of her graduate research and focus on clinical adoption issues, as well as running a therapeutic group for adult adoptees. Mary has recent experience working as a social worker with an international adoption agency, and is thrilled to be part of the Amara team with its innovative vision and commitment to excellence. Mary enjoys rollerblading with her dog around Greenlake, running, watching movies, volunteering with animals, and knitting. In her spare time, she also enjoys drawing dog cartoons, some of which have been recently featured in ‘Animal Fair’ magazine. |
