Our ambassadors propel our mission forward.
Adam Esparza
Ambassador
Adam (he/him) is a creative professional with a strong right-brain orientation, embracing visual arts and the written word as his mediums of expression. He finds beauty in life’s intricate details without losing sight of the bigger picture, believing that change is both necessary and positive. With a love for museums, ancient relics, and unconventional experiences, Adam has a natural inclination toward the mysterious and enjoys exploring life's unique aspects. A proud New Yorker at heart, he also finds solace in nature, where he can connect with the present moment. Known for his thoughtful approach to relationships, Adam is discerning about where he invests his energy but is deeply passionate when it comes to those he loves. His focus is on guiding others to recognize that the tools they need for fulfillment are always within reach.
Lisa Pena Humes
Ambassador
Lisa (she/her) is a recently retired NYC public school teacher. She lives in Queens, NY. She is also a wife, mom and grandmother. She was adopted from foster care domestically. She found her first family in the early 90's. She enjoys volunteering, community outreach, reading and traveling. She understands that adoption is different for each individual. She loves to listen to the stories of adoptees. She also enjoys supporting foster parents, adoptive parents and siblings in their relationships with adoptees.
Ellen Reeve
Ambassador
Ellen (she/her) is a retired teacher, an adoptee, an adoptive parent, and an adoption researcher with a recently acquired Ph.D. in Education from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She has two wonderful children, both studying in college. Ellen’s research interests involve an engagement with pre-adoptive artifacts, material that has been cultured by birth-through-adoption life experiences. Her artifacts include photographs, letters, a quilt, an oil painting, orphan documents, and an original birth certificate. In her free time, Ellen enjoys pickleball, swimming, travel, and time with her dogs in colorful Colorado.
Peace Kinsella
Ambassador
Peace Kinsella (she/ her) is so excited to be an ambassador with the Adoptee Mentoring Society! She is a sophomore at Howard University and calls Denver, Colorado home. She is an international, transracial adoptee from Uganda, Africa who has engaged with AMS as a panel speaker and mentee, and hopes to one day become a future mentor! As Peace aims to join the foster and adoption world as a professional, an integral part of her work is to ensure that adoptees are validated and authentically heard. Her experience and desire for dedicated spaces have brought her to this point, and as much as she is ready to share, she is also ready to learn from the vast perspectives within our community.
Tyette Manna
Ambassador
Tyette Manna (she/ her) is a third-year student studying Human Development at Howard University, from the suburbs of Massachusetts. Her main passions are supporting, engaging with, and educating herself and others. As a transracial adoptee, Tyette wants to help promote a safe and nurturing space for others to be themselves. Through her work with the Adoptee Mentoring Society, she believes that she can achieve her own goals while supporting her peers and satisfying the needs of other adoptees, and she is very excited to step into this new role as an Ambassador with AMS!
Sudha Hurley-Heil
Ambassador
Sudha Hurley-Heil (she/ her) is a student at Syracuse University from Montclair, NJ. She brings a unique perspective as a transracial and transnational adoptee from Nepal. She has been actively involved with the Adoptee Mentoring Society, helping to interview and prepare our 2024 mentor cohort, and is now excited to be an ambassador! Sudha is driven by her passion for fostering belonging among adoptees, and her commitment to community-building stems from personal experience, fueling her dedication to creating inclusive spaces. With a genuine desire to empower others, she wants to help bring authenticity to this organization by contributing meaningfully to amplify adoptee voices and experiences.