Speakers

Between biological, adopted, and foster children, Beth and Todd have raised eleven children. Beth is the author of seventeen books, including adult and children’s titles. She travels and speaks regularly at conferences, youth gatherings, and church services about reckless faith.

Josh serves as the Lead Pastor of Westfield Friends Church, where he is deeply committed to helping people grow in a formative life with Christ and become faithful disciples of Jesus. Alongside his wife, Amy, and their three sons, Josh values the gift of community and prioritizes meaningful time with family and friends.

Both Josh and Amy bring rich ministry experience through a variety of vocational and lay leadership roles. Their shared heart for service extends beyond the local church into foster care, where the Cortez family has welcomed and cared for numerous children over the years.

Josh earned his undergraduate degree in Audio Engineering from Columbia College Chicago and holds a Master of Divinity from Moody Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Biola University, focusing on discipleship to Jesus in the 21st century.

In addition to his pastoral calling, Josh enjoys music, golf, and culinary creativity. Above all, he is passionate about preaching, teaching, and walking alongside others as they learn to follow Jesus more faithfully.

Brandy loves Jesus, her family, ministry, learning and the beach! She is passionate about loving others well and being a facilitator of healing! She is always up for a new book recommendation, a little dark chocolate and family vacations!

Brandy has been part of the Hands of Hope team for almost 5 years. She has held multiple roles at Hands of Hope. Currently, she is an Equipping and Trauma Specialist. Brandy is a TBRI Practitioner. She also is on staff at her home church. She has been part of leading the FAM at her church for 8 years.

Lanna Blanchard, Founder and Executive Director of Family Hope, has served in various leadership roles in the field of adoption, foster care, and family preservation. Together with her husband Tim, Lanna has also ministered as Cru staff at Purdue University, UCLA, and Chicago’s inner city project. They feel blessed to have had the opportunity to adopt five precious children from Korea and are absolutely crazy about their four grandbabies! Lanna is passionate about partnering with churches to empower vulnerable, hurting families with the power of the gospel and to serve every parent and child with dignity and honor, in the redemptive name of Jesus.

Lanna enjoys walking while listening to many favorite podcasts that spur her on to love God and love people deeply; she will never tire of hearing testimonies of how the Lord transforms lives like nothing else can.

A Bible verse her two younger brothers shared with her that resulted in her decision to follow Christ when she was a sophomore at Indiana University is 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Founder of Parents as Partners | Author of TENDER Parenting | Owner of Renewing Mind Counseling

Dana Bowling is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Foundational Level Theraplay Practitioner, and Board-Certified Christian Counselor. She specializes in working with children and adults who have experienced childhood trauma and attachment disruptions.

As the founder of the Parents as Partners program and author of TENDER Parenting, Dana is dedicated to equipping and empowering parents to be active participants in their child’s emotional healing journey. She is also the owner of Renewing Mind Counseling, a private practice committed to providing trauma-informed, faith-integrated care.

Throughout her 23 years of clinical practice, Dana has worked extensively with individuals and families navigating the effects of abuse, sexual assault, anxiety, depression, domestic violence, grief and loss, divorce, and other interpersonal challenges. Her experience and compassionate approach have made her a sought-after trauma expert and clinical supervisor for therapists seeking to deepen their trauma-informed practice.

Dana is passionate about helping others understand trauma through a lens of hope and connection. Her teaching inspires professionals, parents, and communities to foster healing relationships where growth and resilience can thrive.

Cindy Cramer serves as the Family Support Coordinator for foster families at Firefly Children & Family Alliance as well as adoptive families with Indiana Adoption Program. In this role, she moderates support groups, leads training, and offers coaching to families in all stages of their foster care and adoption journeys. Cindy has also provided a home for over 150 children and teens during her nearly 25 years as a single foster parent and adopted 6 of those youth. She is passionate about helping families understand trauma and child development.

Dr. Adam Dell is board-certified in Clinical Psychology. He served 7 years in the US Air Force as an Active Duty Psychologist. He also served four years as the Director of Emotional Wellbeing at the University of Notre Dame. He is the Co-Author of a 2025 Publication, Freedom To Heal: A Christian Clinician’s Guide to Treating Childhood Sexual Abuse as well as another pending publication with Intervarsity Press examining the coalescence between Ancient Christianity and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. He and his wife were foster parents in 3 states. He resides in Northwest Indiana with his wife of 18 years, Janine, and their three daughters: Maddie, Addy, and Amelia.

Growing up as the son of an adoption attorney, Grant Kirsh has been surrounded by adoption his entire life. As a second-generation adoption attorney, he enjoys continuing his family’s legacy of helping children and families in Indiana. Grant focuses his work on foster care, kinship, and DCS adoptions.

Grant’s wife, Emley, works alongside him at Kirsh & Kirsh while attending Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where she is pursuing her Juris Doctor degree. They share a passion for adoption and look forward to practicing law together in the near future.

Outside of work, Grant is often accompanied by Basil, the family’s English Chocolate Lab and certified therapy dog, who joins him in court during final adoption hearings—bringing smiles and comfort to children and families on one of the happiest days of their lives.

Clarkston serves as the CEO of Ambassador Consultants & Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Dunamoo LLC. Our organization’s missions are to empower communities and leaders by bridging vision and manifestation through strategic business development and collaborative relations. We are dedicated to strengthening and confirming community foundations in three core areas: Family, Faith, and Marketplace.He and his wife, LaKendra Morgan, have taken up the call to adopt two children after fostering 9 kids.

Deidra Smith is a biological, foster, and adoptive mom of 12 wonderful children ages 8-31, and a Gigi to 4. She and her husband have been opening their home to vulnerable children since 2016. She is a 2nd grade teacher and a ministry partner at Traders Point Christian Church where she helps facilitate support groups, continuing education, social media, and a foster parent mentor program. Deidra is passionate about helping encourage and support foster families, as well as helping everyone find their role supporting vulnerable children. In her free time she loves to coach at her teens’ middle school, working out, listen to podcasts, and read.

Hannah Stutzman is a wife to Brad and mother of 4 beautiful children. She is a registered nurse,TBRI Practitioner, and assistant Professor of Nursing at Bethel University in Mishawaka, IN. Hannah works as a child and family advocate working in program development with Indiana Kids Belong. Her family was a foster family for several years and she has been involved in supporting kids and families impacted by foster care locally for about a decade.

Throughout her time working in various hospital and outpatient settings including ICU, Labor and Delivery, Oncology, and the Juvenile Justice Center, Hannah consistently saw an opportunity to bring trauma-informed care into the healthcare setting. Hannah is working with her team of colleagues at Bethel where she is spearheading a collaboration with TCU’s TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention) training program in an integration into the nursing education program at Bethel University.

Hannah is piloting the use of TBRI Principles of connection and empowerment in the healthcare setting through implementation with her nursing students.

This break-out session will be useful for healthcare providers, educators, and caregivers who have an interest in promoting trauma informed care for children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences, utilizing TBRI in the educational and healthcare setting.