Our leadership team is committed to the wellbeing of adoptees.

STAFF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & FOUNDER
Angela Tucker is a transracial adoptee, the author of “You Should Be Grateful”: Stories of Race, Identity and Transracial Adoption, the host of the podcast The Adoptee Next Door and the subject of the documentary CLOSURE.
Anglea lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband Bryan and their cat "Grandma Pearl." When she's not working to amplify adoptee voices, you can find her at the spa, on the basketball court or hostessing at Jazz Alley. She drinks a London Fog nearly every single day, and is currently debating the importance of kicking this sugary (but, oh-so-delicious) habit.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR
amanda paul (they/ them) is a seasoned consultant, analyst, and technologist whose work is grounded in an intention of creating a healed world where everyone can live liberated, whole lives. They also run a thriving pet sitting business and volunteered with AMS for two years prior to becoming the first employee in the company. They are a transracial, transnational adoption survivor, living on the unceded land of the dxʷdəwʔabš (Duwamish) people with their cat, escher. They enjoy spending time with trees, baking sourdough bread, and playing ukulele.

BOARD CHAIR
Rebeccah (she/her) is a Corporate Social Responsibility Program Manager at IBM. She activates global opportunities for employees to volunteer within their communities and markets donor campaigns that amplify the importance of giving back. Passionate about human rights and civic engagement, Rebeccah has been sharing her own adoptee journey through different public forums since 2020 to help cultivate greater awareness of transracial adoptive experiences. She lives in Minnesota and has a master's degree in Business Administration from Bethel University. In her free time, Rebeccah enjoys hiking and cooking.

BOARD SECRETARY
Kerry (he/him) is an experienced team leader with international business management skills. As an architect, he has a deep understanding of design-thinking and project management to translate client aspirations into built environments. His creativity, passion, and curiosity take his work across the world. His work has focused on community development planning and implementation. In addition to working in the design field, he has a passion for education, having taught at Ball State University and helping start Inspire Academy. Kerry is an adoptive father who enjoys traveling with his family.

BOARD TREASURER
Joel (he/him) lives in the Twin Cities of Minnesota along with his wife of 10 years, Melanie. Together they have four kids: two of whom were adopted and two who they cared for through foster care and have since reunified to their biological father.
Professionally, Joel has worked as an accountant in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years. Joel has been active in his local church where he helped found a foster/kinship care ministry which supports the foster community in the Twin Cities. Additionally, Joel is involved with an organization called Fathers for the Fatherless, which creates opportunities for men to be active in their communities and raise support for vulnerable and fatherless children. For fun, Joel loves being outdoors, playing games, spending time with his wife and kids and spoiling the family’s pet rabbit, Pancho. During football season, you can find Joel shamelessly cheering for the Minnesota Vikings. A dream of Joel’s and Melanie’s is to buy a property in the country where it can be used interchangeably as an event space & farm while also providing internship work for foster youth.

Alisha (she/her) is an attorney at Jones Day working on tort litigation and providing pro bono support to survivors of human trafficking and low-income Atlantans seeking safe and stable housing. As a former Judicial Citizens Review Panel member for the Fulton County Juvenile Court, Alisha has assisted judges in determining permanency plans for children and youth in foster care. During law school, Alisha interned for Children’s Rights where she worked to support foster youth and juvenile justice initiatives. Alisha has also worked for a not-for-profit foster care agency in Seattle, Washington where she organized events to support foster youth. Alisha received her undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech in 2017.

Alissa Newton (she/her) is an Episcopal priest, author, and development consultant and a mother through adoption. Alissa brings years of experience working and consulting with churches and non-profits as an organization developer. She believes that healthy relationships of care and connection are a vital foundation to building a just, and loving world. Alissa's particular areas of professional interest include anti-racist theology, intercultural competency, congregational development, and child theology. She is currently serving the Episcopal Diocese of New York as Canon to the Ordinary. Alissa loves reading speculative fiction, hiking with her dog, making music, and spending time with her husband and two amazing kids.

Kevin (he/him) is an adoptive and biological father to three children. He loves reading, swimming and traveling with his kids. Kevin is known as the coach of the family. He finds immense joy in attending weekly dance classes, coaching basketball, and teaching new skills, like how to swim or swing a golf club. Professionally, he builds trusted relationships with clients and communities. He began his career in finance in 2011. With extensive knowledge of the banking industry and expertise of product offerings, Kevin serves his clients by caring deeply about how their finances meet their personal desires and needs. In addition to being a father and finance professional, Kevin is passionate about community and is dedicated to building lasting connections. Having served as treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Deaf Blind Service Center of Seattle, he currently serves on a Plymouth Housing committee, and is proud to contribute to AMS. His unique experiences and compassion give him the skills to effectively connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds.