Foster Love

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CO-FOUNDER: Jeannie is a long-time foster parent who lives in Beebe, Area 9. She has three daughters, Nikki, 29; Austin, 19; and Rose, 17. She co-founded Foster Love with her friend and fellow foster/adoptive parent Renee Johns. Jeannie recently gave up her 30-year newsprint journalism career to become the full-time executive director of Foster Love. 

 CO-FOUNDER:  Renee is originally from Blytheville. She currently lives in Jonesboro.  She works in accounting. She is a single mom with four children. One in graduate school, one is a Senior in college and two are in elementary. She was a foster parent for 3.5 years and adopted her younger two, both with special needs. In her spare time, she advocates for the disabled and has served on the Arkansas Disabilities Council, and was a member of several Autism communities. 

 BOARD PRESIDENT: Rodney is a current Court Appointed Special Advocate and spent many years in a group home in Columbia, SC.  Rodney is also a United States Army veteran with service during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and has been in the Telecommunications and Technology industries since 2005.  Rodney enjoys riding motorcycles, volunteering, delving into politics, and being a father and husband.  He looks forward to helping break foster care stigmas and stereotypes through his experience as a child in care and as a CASA. His mantra is: “If you can help a child, you don’t have to spend years repairing an adult.” 

TREASURER: Tina is a former long-time volunteer for CASA. She and her husband, Robert, have seven children, four grandchildren, two dogs, five horses, one raccoon, and a multitude of cats.  She has worked for the same industrial construction company for the last 17 years as a corporate business analyst and office manager, and previously as a Human Resources generalist. In her free time, she enjoys flower gardening, hiking, cooking, painting, and drawing. 

SECRETARY: Katie Lynch is a foster parent-turned-adoptive mother of three incredible teenagers. She is a music teacher in Western Arkansas and is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership. She is extremely passionate about human rights, animals, and having a good time. Katie loves spending time with her children and their beloved dog, Biscuit. 

 Dana is an adoptive mother and former foster parent. In seven years, she fostered over 35 girls, with one or two boys along the way. She is a May 2021 graduate of the University of Missouri with a  master’s degree in social work. She enjoys politics, volunteering, and road trips with her family. She’s looking forward to helping more Arkansans open their homes to foster care and adoption. 

 Gloria Pedro of Little Rock has been a foster parent for nearly two years. It is a dream she has had since her teen years. Gloria has been an enthusiastic supporter of Foster Love and its mission from the beginning. She has a deep passion for educating new foster parents to navigate the unique set of issues in the system and for embracing bio parents to help achieve a strong reunification if possible. 

Gloria has a masters degree in Social Justice and Human Rights with a concentration in community organizing. She is the Arkansas Manager of Public Policy and Organizing for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes. 

She is a Scorpio and loves cupcakes and Taylor Swift.

Kevin is the owner and lead therapist of Align Counseling & Wellness — a mental health clinic that is focused on providing quality mental health services to the queer community in and around Conway. He is passionate about connecting with others, empowering individual voices, and helping people reach their goals. He also has had extensive experience working alongside DCFS to help reunify families that have experienced or were at risk of experiencing a forced separation. Through his time working as an Intensive Family Services Therapist, he’s built quality connections with families, children, and the case workers at DCFS. In his free time you will likely catch him playing video games, obsessing over his two pugs, or enjoying some quality chill time with his fantastic husband, Drew. While he doesn’t have a ton of experience on this side of the foster system, he is eager to show up as a support for the kids and families as he helps them navigate the challenges and successes of fostering and adopting. ”