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Archives: Our Team

Leonette Lewis

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

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. 

Elizabeth Kreitler

Liz started her career as a public high school teacher and went on to work in education non-profits before earning a Masters in Statistics and transitioning to work in technology.  She now works as a Product Manager on the Ads Safety team at Google, ensuring that ads shown by Google are safe and compliant. She and her husband are former foster parents and have been involved in foster care organizations for many years. They live in Wilkinsburg and have 3 sons.

Jesse Hooke

Jesse Hooke is a Senior Product Owner in the IT department at Duquesne Light Company where he has built a career over the past eight years through multiple roles. He is passionate about bridging the gap between business needs and technology, delivering data-driven solutions that meet stakeholder expectations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Geneva College (2018) and an MBA from the University of Tennessee at Martin (2024). Outside of work, Jesse is driven by a personal mission to support vulnerable families and children, a commitment deeply rooted in his family’s faith. He and his wife, Amber, became certified foster parents in 2021 leading to the adoption of their son, Jayce, in 2022. Since beginning this journey, they have fostered two boys and continue to maintain an open home for future placements in the North Huntingdon area of Westmoreland County. Jesse actively supports the mission of Foster Love Project through volunteer work including the annual Back to School event and coordinating Corporate Friday volunteer days through his employer. He also serves in various roles at Refuge Church in Manor including the A/V and facilities/maintenance teams. When he is not working or volunteering, Jesse enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, hiking, biking, and discovering great coffee and local coffee shops.

Kristi Snow

Kristi Snow joined Foster Love Project in September 2022 as a Center Assistant. In 2024, she transitioned to the role of Volunteer Coordinator, in which she now helps organize and support the amazing volunteers who support our mission. With a strong background in working with women, youth, and children’s groups from the church she attends, Kristi is passionate about making others feel welcome and building strong community connections. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree and is a mom to three children who are adopted. She is excited to be a part of the Foster Love Project team and is deeply committed to helping everyone who walks through our doors feel supported and comfortable.

Heather Zambito

Heather Zambito joined Foster Love Project as a Center Assistant in October, 2022, after volunteering for several years with the Placement Bag Drive. In 2023, she took on the role of Programs Coordinator, and she now oversees several of our annual and ongoing programs. She has a Bachelor of Science in Communication, and has worked in radio announcing for several years. She has a wide range of volunteer experience with multiple non-profits. Heather was adopted as a toddler through the foster care system in West Virginia and brings her personal experience to help support kids in similar circumstances. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, drinking coffee, binging sitcoms, and talking about pop culture.

Mercedes Montano

Mercedes Montano joined the Foster Love Project team as a Programs Assistant in March 2024. As a former Center shopper and Teen Connections participant, she brings a meaningful, firsthand perspective to her role. With a background in retail, customer service, and the restaurant industry, Mercedes has developed a strong passion for serving and supporting others.

Along with assisting with programs, Mercedes helps manage Foster Love Project’s social media, where she uses her creativity and eye for design to share FLP’s mission in engaging and meaningful ways! Outside of work, she is an entrepreneur with her own clothing, nails, and accessories brand, and loves all things art-related — especially creating custom press-on nails and exploring her passion for makeup. She enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and loves animals!

Libby Hertzler

Libby Hertzler joined the Foster Love Project team as a Program Assistant in May of 2024. Libby is a Pittsburgh native and a student at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Applied Developmental Psychology and plans to graduate in May of 2026. She has developed a strong passion for helping and advocating for others. Libby brings experience from a variety of fields, including food service, research, and community support, which has helped shape her compassionate and adaptable approach to her work. She has also volunteered for many causes since a young age alongside her grandmother, which has sparked her commitment to service. Libby loves being a part of the Foster Love Project team and is dedicated to helping ensure that everyone who comes through the center feels welcomed and supported. In her free time, she loves to read, travel, and spend time with family and friends – but most of all, she loves being a cat mom.

Lizzi Montanti

Lizzi joined Foster Love Project as an Administrative Assistant in June 2026, and is driven to use her communication skills to help transform lives. In her role, she provides organizational support to our directors, focusing on development, communications and Foster Love Project programs. 

Lizzi earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. During her education, she worked on advertising projects for several non-profit organizations in Athens, Ohio; then, Lizzi began serving children and families who experience foster care and adoption as a Public Information Intern at Athens County Children Services. Those meaningful experiences combined with her journalism background inspired her to pursue work that connects storytelling with service. Lizzi was excited to return to the Pittsburgh area and continue supporting children and families through Foster Love Project’s mission. 

In addition to her work, Lizzi volunteers as the Assistant Producer of The Anna Jinja Show, a podcast that shares stories about adoption and foster care while exploring themes of healing, self-love and acceptance. She also enjoys spending time with animals, thrift shopping, collecting vinyl records, playing guitar, writing, cooking and listening to music.

Ashley Mackin

Ashley earned her B.A.s in Psychology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from The University of Maine and has since built a career around community engagement and affordable housing work rooted in connection, support, and relationship-building. Her passion for organizations that help fill critical gaps in care and resources is what drew her to Foster Love Project and its focus on meeting real needs for kids and the people in their lives. 

Although born in Pittsburgh, she spent most of her life in Maine before returning to the city four years ago to be closer to family. She still carries a strong love for New England and takes any chance to visit friends and family there. Outside of work, you can usually find her starting a craft or house project that she may or may not finish, searching for a good caffeinated drink, or heading off on an adventure.

Learn More About FLP

Learn More About FLP & its Community Impact

Check out our selection of videos to learn more about the impact of Foster Love Project and how you can get involved in our mission to empower kids and families who are experiencing foster care!