Kristen is a former foster and now adoptive single mom who also aged out of the foster care system herself as a teen. She is a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Raleigh, North Carolina and serves foster youth in her community weekly through a special non-profit called Tamarisk that is very close to her heart. 

Kristen and her adoptive daughter Elise have been featured in a PBS Special with Lidia Bastianich which highlights Kristen’s overcoming incredible odds and adversity. In 2008, Singer and Songwriter Matthew West wrote the song “The Story of Your Life” to honor the testimony of Kristen following Jesus in the midst of aging out of foster care. Above all, Kristen is loving being a mom and pursuing her passions of seeing systems and communities transformed in their care of vulnerable populations.