Archives: Our Team

Kristen Moss is a wife and mother who is passionate about helping children, especially those in most need. She enjoys volunteering at local non-profits and wants to live by example to show her children the importance of giving your time and effort to helping others. Kristen is a Manager at Maher Duessel and is a licensed Pennsylvania CPA who has worked in public accounting since 2012. She graduated from Grove City College with a B.S. in Accounting and Finance and is a member of the AICPA and PICPA. Kristen has served on audit teams for several non-profit clients in the Greater Pittsburgh Area and has extensive non-profit accounting and financial reporting knowledge.

Tabatha has spent a lot of time volunteering with organizations that impact the lives of children and families in her community. She is committed to making the community a place where everyone feels like they belong, and that they can thrive. Professionally, Tabatha is a passionate HR professional who believes that an organization cannot succeed without the right humans! Her mantra is that she is here to put the Human back in Human Resources. Tabatha has been working in HR and training for 10 years and has spent that time focused in the nonprofit space. Tabatha is a native Pittsburgher who loves to volunteer and travel with her husband Aric.

Valérie is the CEO of Rose Real Estate, LLC, and a Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Realty. She started her career with JP Morgan Brussels in Belgium, her country of origin. French is her first language. After the acquisition of the company by the Bank of New York, Valérie was granted a temporary transfer to the head office in New York City. When her husband’s job relocated them to Pittsburgh, she reinvented herself in the real estate market. Helping people has always been an important goal in Valérie’s life, professionally and personally. When she decided with her husband to only have one child to balance life and career, she knew that it would also allow her to help other less fortunate children. Valérie partnered a few years ago with the Foster Love Project and a portion of her commissions is donated to the organization every year. Her son, Tyler has been a regular volunteer for the past few years as well. In addition to her charitable activities with FLP, she sponsors families every year around the holidays to make sure that the children receive everything on their wish lists. She is a founding and committee member of the South Hills Chapter of Inspired Women Pittsburgh. The group raises funds quarterly to transform Girls’ and Women’s lives.

Russell Ivey is a Director of Finance at Thermo Fisher Scientific. He focuses on leveraging his expertise to drive profitable growth and create value within organizations. In a career spanning over two decades, he is known for his financial acumen. He has built and led high performing teams while driving process optimization, change management and strategic execution. Russell’s passion for supporting children and families stems from a personal connection. The foster care system served as a backstop for his mother. That fact that a family stood in the gap for her serves as a constant reminder that every child deserves a stable, safe and nurturing environment.
Russell is married to a loving and supportive wife and is the proud father of two amazing children. He enjoys spending time with his family, conquering the elevations of Pittsburgh on his bike, cooking and playing golf.

After graduating from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 2012, Shannon returned to The
Neighborhood Academy as an AmeriCorps Teaching Assistant. During her time as a Teaching
Assistant, she realized that her passion for helping was able to be fulfilled right at her alma
mater, The Neighborhood Academy. Following her term of service, she applied for the position
of Student Recruiter & College Counselor, becoming the first TNA graduate to become a
member of our staff. During her time at The Neighborhood Academy she began to understand
even more the importance of family structure and support, student support services, and a holistic
approach to ensuring student success in both secondary education and post-secondary education.
In 2017, Shannon continued her education at Carlow University where she received a dual
Master’s in Professional Counseling and Student Affairs. Shortly before graduating from her
graduate program, Shannon was promoted to Director of Admissions and Director of College
and Career Counseling where she focused on strategic priorities of enrollment and retention,
community partnership, and college acceptance, graduation, and workforce development. In
2022, Shannon was named the Dean of Student Affairs where she continues to work
collaboratively with school leadership, administrator, faculty, staff, students, and their families. .
Shannon is truly passionate about serving young people as they grow into their fullest potential.
She is grateful to be able to be a small part of their journey and to be a part of networks they
provide resources and services to families as they navigate the challenges of life.

Jamie Strate currently serves as the Director of Marketing and Community Engagement at Continuum Capital Advisors, a financial planning firm based in downtown Pittsburgh.  Jamie leverages her expertise to engage communities and drive the company’s marketing strategies forward.  She joined Continuum Capital as the Director of Insurance, overseeing communication between our clients, advisors, and home office representatives.

Before joining Continuum Capital Advisors, Jamie took a meaningful sabbatical to teach English in China, an enriching experience she shared with her family, focusing on providing her children with a global view of the world.  This international experience not only broadened her horizons but also enriched her ability to connect with diverse audiences.

Prior to her sabbatical, Jamie dedicated eight years to Northwestern Mutual, where she specialized in insurance operations for the Pittsburgh network office.  Her commitment to excellence ensured smooth operations and high client satisfaction during her tenure.

Jamie enjoys studying sociology, finance, and philosophy, which continually inform and deepen her professional work.

Residing in Oakmont, Jamie finds joy in everyday life with her son, Joshua, and daughter, Channing. Her dedication to her family and her career reflects her commitment to building strong, supportive communities both professionally and personally.

Monica Manes Gay is the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at Winchester Thurston School. In that role, she is responsible for the admissions, advancement and marketing/communications teams, while balancing the fundraising needs of the Annual Fund and a $21.5 Million Campaign. Monica joined WT in 2018 and has over 25 years experience in fundraising, stewardship, event-planning, and marketing, having worked for the Lauri Ann West Community Center, CASA of Allegheny County, and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Monica earned her Bachelor of Music at Duquesne University and her Masters of Music at Catholic University in Washington DC. She grew up in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh and currently resides in O’Hara Township with her husband and two daughters.

Leonette Lewis is a legal professional with a strong background in family law and a deep commitment to protecting vulnerable children and supporting families in crisis. A graduate of Howard University School of Law, Leonette served as a judicial law clerk to a Family Court judge in Washington, D.C., where she worked on abuse and neglect cases. While in law school, she also served as a student attorney in the Family Law Clinic, representing clients navigating the challenges of removals, foster care, and meeting family reunification goals. These experiences cemented her dedication to ensuring that the dignity of both children and families remain central in the legal process.
Leonette’s professional career has also included service as a junior attorney for the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, Borrower’s Defense, where she adjudicated borrower defense claims and interpreted complex education law to decide said cases on the merits. Since relocating to Pittsburgh, she has expanded her legal services to include wills, trusts, and estate planning, helping families protect their legacies and plan for the future. Her commitment to service extends beyond the legal field. In Raleigh, North Carolina, Leonette co-founded Cecelia’s Salon & Boutique, named in honor of her late aunt. The business not only provided beauty services, but also offered wigs to cancer patients and actively supported breast cancer organizations through fundraising and donations. Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Leonette now resides in the Pittsburgh area with her husband and two children. She is passionate about advancing equity, dignity, and care for families navigating the foster care system, and although she is not currently licensed in Pennsylvania, she brings both her legal expertise and her lived commitment to service, advocacy, and community impact.

Michelle Espinosa-Clark has extensive experience expanding access to services for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders in the justice system. She leads national training and technical assistance initiatives promoting equity, trauma-informed practices, and behavioral health integration. She has co-led expert panels and learning collaboratives on trauma-informed approaches and family engagement strategies, and in 2023 facilitated the first Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) workshop conducted entirely in Spanish in Puerto Rico.

Previously, Ms. Espinosa-Clark was the Team Leader for the Misdemeanor Jail Diversion (JDP) Program within the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida Criminal Mental Health Project. She supported multiple dockets including misdemeanor mental health court, Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) and Domestic Violence. She has extensive history working with community partners to help people access community-based mental health treatment and services so they may be diverted from the criminal justice system and jail.

Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University and her Master of Public Administration from Nova Southeastern University. She is a certified person-to-person case manager, a WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) facilitator and a certified SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) entitlement specialist.