Administration
April Steele, J.D.
Executive Director
asteele@childshare.org
818.649.8019
April joined the staff of Child S.H.A.R.E. in 2008 as Executive Director. April’s passion for children in the foster system developed as a practicing attorney who represented abused children while they were in the custody of the state. Seeing a tremendous need for safe and stable homes for children, April shifted her focus away from legal advocacy and towards organizations that were working to find and support foster and adoptive families. Her experience as a small business owner, children’s advocate, pastor and lawyer uniquely suit her to lead the organization. April holds a Bachelors in History and Political Science from LeTourneau University, a J.D. from Gonzaga University and is a licensed minister in the Church of the Nazarene. She is wife of one, mother of two and spends most of her free time watching old movies or doing laundry.
Julie Anderson, CAE
Assistant Executive Director
janderson@childshare.org
818.649.8003
Julie joined the Child S.H.A.R.E. staff in March 2012 as the Assistant Executive Director. She has spent the majority of her career in the non-profit world as Director of Administration for the Resource Development Dept of the Family Research Council in Washington DC, Volunteer Coordinator for Catholic Social Services in Redding California and Vice President of Administration for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events™ in Dallas Texas. Julie is a certified association executive (CAE). Her bachelor’s degree and graduate studies are in Education. She has always had a heart for children and looks forward to helping make a difference in the lives of abused, abandoned and neglected children through the mission of Child S.H.A.R.E. Julie is a pastor’s wife, mother of two and grandmother to four beautiful little girls. She enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with family and friends
Lydia Smith
Director of Operations
lsmith@childshare.org
818.649.8009
Lydia’s interest in foster care began when she was 15 years old and her parents became foster parents. She was able to see her family providing a safe home for children, which influenced her decision to foster/adopt someday.
She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Christian Heritage College and almost holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from California Baptist University. As a result, she worked as a Counselor and Social Worker, which furthered her desire toward helping children. After working for 10 years in direct service, she returned to school and earned a Master’s degree in Business Management at the University of Redland’s School of Business.
In September 2008, Lydia joined Child S.H.A.R.E. as Director of Operations, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the agency. Lydia is happily married and enjoys various activities with her husband such as trying new restaurants in the LA area.
Phyllis M. Utterback
Executive Assistant
putterback@childshare.org
818.649.8010
Phyllis received her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Psychology at Point Loma Nazarene University, in San Diego California. Throughout her career, Phyllis has focused on assisting those in need. She has provided pain management and therapy at a dental office, worked in the education system with pre-school through high school and currently oversees her congregation’s women’s bible studies.
Phyllis’s work as an Accounting Assistant and as a Legal Assistant in a Family Law Office, coupled with her active involvement in her church have uniquely prepared her for her current position as Executive Assistant to Child S.H.A.R.E.’s Executive Director, April Steele. Phyllis is widely credited as “keeping it all together” in the front office of Child S.H.A.R.E.
Phyllis also has a passion for working with children, she has worked with Pasadena Christian School and Sunrise Pre-School. Phyllis has been happily married to her loving husband, Jim for 26 years. As Jim explains, “Living with Phyllis is like living in an I Love Lucy episode.” Next to working for April Steele, her favorite job remains her role as Mom to her daughter Sarah and her son Avery.
Program Services
Amanda Turek Bell
Director of Family Support
abell@childshare.org
818.649.8016
Amanda joined the Child S.H.A.R.E. team in May 2008 after working for non-profit organizations for 5 years in the field of domestic violence prevention and intervention. She is a state certified domestic violence advocate and is regularly called on to speak on related issues. Viewing the epidemic of domestic violence and child abuse as closely linked social services, Amanda naturally transitioned into foster care advocacy when she joined Child S.H.A.R.E.
Initially as the Special Events Manager, and now the Director of Family Support, Amanda channels her exuberant energy into connecting with families in-person and over the phone, hosting monthly Resource Groups and planning annual family support events. Utilizing her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of California at Santa Barbara, Amanda regularly contributes to the print and viral media publications at Child S.H.A.R.E. Amanda is currently working toward her Master’s Degree in Leadership from Azusa Pacific University.
Proudly boasting of her status as a shining example of a foster child success story, Amanda states that she “won the adoption lottery” when welcomed into the Turek family. Amanda and her identical twin sister Christy were adopted as infants through Holy Family Services in Pasadena, California. Amanda is a newlywed, she and her husband Duncan, a botanist, enjoy hiking in the desert, reading and eating their favorite food, french fries.
Lauren McKinley
Director of Recruitment
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside Counties
lmckinley@childshare.org
818.649.8014
Lauren has had a passion for working with children for as long as she can remember. After graduating from Wheaton College, her desire to learn about how to most effectively meet the needs of children around the world led her to Fuller Seminary where she is currently finishing a Master’s Degree in Cross Cultural Studies with a specialization in Children at Risk. Lauren joined the Child S.H.A.R.E. team in September 2009 with extensive experience in partnering with church leadership and lay leaders to coordinate outreach events in their communities. This experience in working with a broad spectrum of churches stirs her to believe that the Church is a community of people that can make a great impact on the lives of the children in the foster care system. She treasures the privilege of walking alongside churches as they build flourishing foster/adoptive ministries. Lauren is married to a wonderful husband, Khalid, and together they plan to adopt in the future.
Bob Levy
Los Angeles County Recruiter
blevy@childshare.org
818.649.8018
Working for Child S.H.A.R.E. has been the ongoing work that God started when Bob was a boy. At an early age, Bob found himself in the foster care system. It was painful to be without his family, but through the experience he learned a lot about when it means to be a family. While in foster care, Bob moved to 4 different homes in 2 years. Switching schools and friends was hard on him, but eventually Bob was reunited with his father. Bob didn’t really think about foster care or adoption until he himself was already the father of three, and watched a short Child S.H.A.R.E. video.
Bob says, “That’s when the light went on!” He and his wife Carlotta have been foster parents to 4 children and have adopted their daughter through the help of Child S.H.A.R.E. “We can’t imagine trying to do this without the support and community of Child S.H.A.R.E. And now there is no greater privilege and honor that I could have than being able to devote my days to finding healthy, loving homes for children who are just like me.”
Jenna Harding
Los Angeles County Recruiter
jharding@childshare.org
818.649.8020
Jenna arrived at Child S.H.A.R.E. from Montana in June of 2009. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho, Jenna moved to California to further her education. Compelled by her passion for social justice, Jenna has traveled through Taiwan, the Czeck Republic, Guatemala and Peru working to encourage education,
development and equality among its’ citizens. Jenna is proud to combine her deep Christian faith with her life-long passion to care for and educate children with Child S.H.A.R.E. Through her role as the Los Angeles County Recruiter, Jenna is honored to assist Child S.H.A.R.E. in securing successful futures for abused children. Jenna is currently pursuing her Masters degree
in Education from Point Loma Nazarene University.
Gustavo Gonzalez
Tri-County Recruiter
ggonzalez@childshare.org
714.485.0945
Gustavo’s passion for foster care and adoption stems from his missions work in Palestine, where he served children that were cared for by the United Nations. He also served for three years in Colombia and worked with abandoned children assisted by Youth with A Mission. Gustavo has received several awards for his service to orphaned children in both in Palestine and Colombia. Gustavo also worked for two non-profits in Orange County where he worked for more than 7 years with families and children. After watching so many children end up in the foster care system because of neglect and abandonment, he decided to pursue a career with an organization that would be pro-active in seeking loving homes for children in need. Gustavo is bilingual in English and Spanish and has worked as a certified interpreter. Gustavo received his BA in Leadership & Ministry from Vanguard University in 2010. His diverse background makes him uniquely qualified to succeed as Child S.H.A.R.E.’s tri-county Recruiter of Latino Families.
Madeline Anich
Orange/Riverside County Recruiter
manich@childshare.org
714.485.0946
951.571.9571
Madeline’s passion to fight for the needs of orphans and children in foster care was sparked through her relationship with the children previously in foster care that are now in the home of her own family. They served as a foster family for 3 years and went on to adopt two amazing children internationally with the help and support of Child S.H.A.R.E. Madeline pursued a degree in psychology with the heart to use her skills to help restore and redeem the wounded lives of adopted and children in foster care and graduated in May 2011 from California State University Long Beach with her BA. Madeline’s personal experience as well as volunteer experience with a variety of non-profit organizations and foster family agencies led her to join the Child S.H.A.R.E. team as a recruiter in the O.C. and Riverside counties in October 2011. During her free time, Madeline loves to go hiking with friends, practice yoga, cook, and spend time with her family.
Development
Kiana N. Cornish, MA
Director of Development
kcornish@childshare.org
818.649.8011
Kiana Cornish joined Child S.H.A.R.E. in March 2012 as the Director of Development. Kiana loves fundraising and has spent her professional career working in Development. Before joining Child S.H.A.R.E., Kiana worked for the Disability Rights Legal Center, Constitutional Rights Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Greater Los Angeles. Kiana has a sincere passion for her faith in God, social justice issues and civil rights affairs. Kiana has her Masters of Arts degree in Art History from Columbia University. She also has a dual B.S. in Communications and Rhetorical Studies and African American Studies from Syracuse University. In her free time, Kiana enjoys practicing yoga, traveling, wandering in art galleries and attending lectures and plays.
Korey Madson
Media Coordinator
kmadson@childshare.org
818.649.8013
Korey joined Child S.H.A.R.E. in 2010 as the Media Coordinator. He received his BFA from Art Center College of Design where he majored in Advertising. During his time at Art Center, Korey created and organized charitable events and ad campaigns for several non-profit organizations including, Heal the Bay, LA Foodbank, Union Rescue Mission and Goodwill.
Korey has served as a production artist, designer, and creative intern for an advertising agency and graphic designer. It is natural that Korey has found Child S.H.A.R.E. as he has always had a heart for service and advocacy. His creativity and passion for social justice is evident in every brochure, invitation and other piece of media he touches. Korey also teaches fitness classes and enjoys hiking, running, and going to the beach.
Erin Malone
Special Events Coordinator
emalone@childshare.org
818.649.8017
A longtime Child S.H.A.R.E. donor and volunteer, Erin joined the Development Department at the organization in November 2011. As the Special Events Coordinator, Erin is able to exercise her passion for entertainment and social media as well as utilize her business and marketing skills. Erin earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Business Management and Voice from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Currently enrolled with Northeastern University’s Master’s of Business Administration Program, Erin is now focusing her studies on marketing and innovation entrepreneurship.
Erin has served as the Outreach Coordinator at Burton Snowboards for their non-profit program, CHILL, teaching at risk youth how to snowboard. An avid horseback rider and trainer, Erin has also dedicated time to giving Autistic children a chance to ride horses.
Adopted at birth, Erin feels incredibly fortunate to have been blessed with loving, adoptive parents. As a recent breast cancer survivor, Erin recognizes how precious life is and she is committed to serving others in her community.
Maria Prichard
Development Associate
mprichard@childshare.org
818.649.8012
Maria is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) with a BA in Political Science and minor in Spanish. Her passion for philanthropy was sparked by her mother, who taught her to remain thankful and reciprocate for the blessings in life. Carrying these values close to her heart led Maria to her involvement in a variety of service organizations throughout her time at USC, and ultimately to an internship with the nonprofit organization A Better LA. It was there that she discovered the rewarding work of nonprofit fund raising and began her development education. An advocate for children and their right to safe and loving families, Maria is thrilled to be part of the development team at Child S.H.A.R.E.
In addition to her passion for philanthropy, Maria enjoys running, practicing yoga, attending concerts and spending time at the beach with her family in Santa Barbara. She also writes a blog inspired by her nonprofit involvement and the merging of entrepreneurship and philanthropy.
Yesica Lozano
Family Support Assistant
ylozano@childshare.org
714.485.0942
Yesica joined the Family Support Team at Child S.H.A.R.E. in January, 2012 as the Family Support Assistant. Yesica enjoys connecting with Child S.H.A.R.E.’s foster and adoptive families in her regular phone and email communication with them. Throughout her career, Yesica has thrived working directly with families in need to provide hope, resources and support; she is passionate about fulfilling Child S.H.A.R.E.’s mission. Yesica is a certified Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Advocate. At the East Los Angeles Women’s Center, Yesica provided crisis intervention for both adult and child victims of violence, as well as community outreach presentations. A gifted mentor and an outstanding listener, Yesica also served as a Case Manager at the organization, New Economics for Women, where she worked with teenage mothers. Yesica has been married for eight years to her “attentive, funny and loving husband,” Ricardo. Yesica and Ricardo dote on their two young children, Elijah and Clarissa. The Lozano’s favorite family activity is simply spending quality time with one another.
