Heather Gonzales LPC (she/her)

Adult Adoptee

Co-Founder, Executive Director

Heather has a bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy from Capital University, and a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Pennsylvania Western University. She co-founded Encompass Adoptees in 2017, in its original form, and continues to serve the adoption, foster, and kinship (AFK) community. In addition to being an adult adoptee, Heather has accumulated experiences as a Kinship Support Specialist, as a Mental Health Specialist doing Community Counseling, and as a foster parent. She has served in a variety of children’s educational and care positions including working with Transracial Journeys Summer Camp for several years in their art cabin. Prior to this, Heather had a small woodworking business for nearly ten years. As an artist, Heather’s work was displayed at the 2019 Indiana Adoptee Network Conference, and at the Annual Encompass Adoptees Art Show. She plans to continue to create spaces for AFK individuals and our community to have a voice, learn, process, see one another in genuine ways, and gain insights through art.

Heather is a domestic kinship adoptee, adopted with her twin sister, raised in a semi-closed adoption, and reunified as an adult. In 2015 she became active in the adoption community and began working to process her individual experiences as an adopted person. She has a strong commitment to reading and self-education on relinquishment, adoption, attachment, grief, and other related issues. Heather believes we must find the words for our experiences in order to understand ourselves, integrate our experiences, join community, and progress forward. At Encompass Adoptees, Heather uses her passion for art, education, inclusivity, and teamwork to find new and creative ways to support the adoptive, foster, and kinship (AFK) community and all the diversity found within it.

Amber Riley (she/her)

Adoptive Mother

Amber, a mother to three young domestic transracial adoptees with open adoptions and two biological teenage children, is an ongoing learner in the adoption space and a fierce advocate for change in the systems that oppress children and families. Along with her five children and husband, Amber's family seeks to create awareness about the effects of trauma and as healing as it relates to one of the most vulnerable populations - our youth.

Amber holds a Bachelor of Art in Communications and has worked predominantly in the Public Relations sector with non-profits and educational systems. As the landscape of their family changes, Amber is intentional in creating work/family/spiritual life balance and staying engaged in the volunteer circles that bring her harmony and connection to the community. She invests time and energy into supporting the kids in their activities/interests and when she has the opportunity, she's an enthusiastic runner and weight lifter, practices meditation, consumes books and podcasts, and participates in adoption support groups. Her family also spends a substantial amount of time in nature - camping, fishing, swimming, hiking, and exploring (along with their two rescue pups). Someday, they hope to do more traveling. Until then, they value diversity, safe spaces, and serving in ways that unify those things at a local level.

CAITLIN CAHOON (she/her)

Donor Conceived Person

Board Secretary

Caitlin is currently attending Ohio State University for a Master's in Social Work focusing on clinical social work with children and families, and is completing an internship at Hilliard City School District in a self-contained behavioral classroom. Caitlin is a private caregiver for children ages 0-3, works part-time at Encompass Adoptees, and serves on the COFAF (Coalition of Adoptive Families) planning team. Caitlin has prior experience in the nonprofit world as well, including working as a Child Protective Specialist for The Buckeye Ranch, offering direct service in a domestic violence shelter, and holding other positions promoting cultural literacy and community access to the arts. Caitlin plans to join EA as a therapist after graduation in May 2024. Caitlin’s work is guided by a trauma and relationship-focused, restorative perspective. Caitlin is a strong believer in the power of play, and plans to specialize in Play Therapy with children and families. 

Caitlin was introduced to Encompass Adoptees in 2021 after meeting Heather and began to explore her identity as a donor-conceived person raised by lesbian parents. In 2023, Caitlin discovered many donor siblings across the country and is now building relationships with them and processing her own understanding of attachment and connection. She continues to explore the parallels between donor conception and adoption in her learning. She uses her personal and professional knowledge to support the adoptive, foster, and kinship community, as well as the unique experiences of LGBT+ households and the donor-conceived community. 

Olivia Hamilton (she/her)

Adoptive & Foster Mom

Rev. Olivia Hamilton is an Episcopal priest and board certified chaplain. In addition to being a foster and adoptive parent, she is the founding pastor of The Brood, a ministry for foster, adoptive, and kinship families in the Cincinnati area. She is passionate about the intersections of post-traumatic growth, mental health, and spirituality. In her free time, she loves to visit thrift stores, cook, and spend time with her wife Molly, her two amazing children, and her dogs.

Dr. Angela Tobin, OTD, OTR-L (she/ her)

Bio Sibling in Kinship Family

Angela Tobin earned her doctorate in occupational therapy from the Ohio State University and bachelor’s degree in Educational Psychology from Mississippi State University. She is leader, advocate, and researcher in the field of kinship care. She is the founder and leader of Kinship Caregivers Connect, an online statewide support group in Ohio. Dr. Tobin’s interest in working with kinship families sparked from personal experience, as both her grandparents and then her parents raise her cousin (their grandson/nephew). She has taken an interdisciplinary and holistic health approach to supporting kinship families.

Dr. Tobin also works as a Research Associate exploring various topics related to kinship family wellbeing at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She has developed and facilitated training for school professionals around understanding and supporting kinship families in schools.  In March 2023, she gave a Tedx Talk titled: “Understanding and Supporting Kinship Caregivers” at Ohio State University. Angela recently partnered with Dr. Joseph Crumbley to develop facilitators’ guides and caregiver worksheets as part of a video training for kinship caregivers titled “The Inherent Strengths in Kinship Families.”