Through over 15 years working in foster care, mental health, housing, and special education settings, Reed Connell has developed a sophisticated knowledge of children’s policy development at all levels of government. For the past several years, Reed has worked with statewide and national coalitions to design, pass, and implement a range of important children’s legislation, including AB12, California’s implementation of the federal Fostering Connections to Success Act. From 2009 to 2013, Reed served as the Executive Director of the Alameda County Foster Youth Alliance, an effective and highly visible local advocacy agency. Reed has worked with advocates, providers, and coalitions around the state on issues related to local control and flexible financing in child welfare, the impacts of Realignment and Health Care Reform on child and adolescent mental health systems, and the development of accountability infrastructure. Reed holds an MSW degree from UC Berkeley with a concentration in Management and Planning.

Linda Fitzpatrick is a senior advisor to biotechnology companies in the areas of Human Resources and Corporate Communications. Equipped with a BA in Sociology and Psychology, she has graciously served on several boards benefiting youth development, including the Northern California Boys and Girls Club. Linda spent her career as a leading national figure in biotechnology while sharpening her expertise in additional areas of investor and corporate relations for several firms such as Nuvelo and Gilead Sciences.

Suha Jhaveri is a Harvard Business School graduate who has held many leadership roles in the corporate world, including Global Marketing Director at Chiron Corporation, Director of Business Development and Strategy at KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, and Vice President at Vertical Markets Operations Pty Limited. For the past three years, she has been the Chief Operating Officer at OBmedical Company. In her free time, Suha participates in triathlons.

Barker currently works for Tesla’s Energy Engineering team and helps lead their Energy Storage Program. He was led to his current role at Tesla because of his passion to better leverage and scale technology that improves people’s lives and prioritizes the communities that need it most. In following this passion, he’s dedicated to seeing A Home Within’s mission flourish in providing a critical anchor to the beautiful lives in foster care. When not working, you might find Barker spending quality time with friends in the great outdoors, working with his hands to create something new, or enjoying a meal with his patient, loving partner.

Beth brings over 25 years of marketing, communications and management experience spanning the private and public sectors. For the past 10 years Beth has consulted with foundations, government agencies and community-based organizations with a focus on child welfare and youth social and emotional well-being. Prior to that, Beth held executive director and marketing positions at national and international nonprofits, and started her career with a decade of work in consumer and high-tech marketing. In addition to her professional experience, Beth brings over 20 years of hands-on knowledge of the foster care system—from CASA, to foster parent, to foster-adopt parent. Her personal passion to understand and improve the lives of youth who have experienced foster care has driven her to greater levels of involvement with youth, birth parents, and social workers. Beth earned her MBA from the Krannert School of Business at Purdue University.

Karen is an investor and entrepreneur with a data-driven approach to analyzing consumer insights and shifts in market trends. She is a Venture Advisor at Springboard Growth Capital and Venture Partner at Elizabeth Street Ventures. She is an active advisor to mission-driven technology start ups. Previously, Karen co-founded and scaled a predictive analytics software startup with industry-leading clients, which was a Google Machine Learning Competition Finalist. She started her career at Goldman Sachs TMT investment banking. Karen holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from UCLA.

Anthony is a longtime friend and client of A Home Within. He grew up in San Francisco and used his experiences in foster care to become a nationally recognized keynote speaker and expert in the field of child welfare. He has received Congressional recognition for his work, served on California’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Foster Care, and was profiled by NPR’s This American Life (at the tender age of 18). After aging out of foster care, Anthony obtained his GED and began working for the California State Assembly for then Majority Whip Fiona Ma (now Treasurer of the State of California). He worked full time while attending community college full time and graduated from Sacramento City College with honors and transferred to Loyola Marymount University, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. He is currently participating in new depression and PTSD treatments which aim to continue the work he has done with his A Home Within Therapist. He is eager to continue his work in a helping profession after the holidays.