Staff

Sarah is the founder and Executive Director of Connecting for Kids. She has an MBA from the University of Chicago in finance and strategic management. Before founding Connecting for Kids in 2011, she worked as a management consultant for The Boston Consulting Group and as a product manager for Progressive Insurance Company.

Sarah loves reading, exercising, ice cream and outwitting her husband at board games.

Anna is an animal lover, book reader and Senior Family Resource Specialist at CFK. Her background is in nonprofit management and she has focused her professional life on the support of parents and women’s health, which has taken forms from clinical settings to in-home postpartum support. Anna lives with her husband and three children and their (far too many) pets.

In her free time, Anna can usually be found with a hot cup of tea enjoying her front porch or walking to a local small business in her neighborhood.

Nicole is a knitter, book lover, activist, mother of three and the Program Manager Connecting for Kids. Before her role as Program Manager, Nicole was a Family Resource Specialist for CFK. She also worked as a children's services paraprofessional at Lakewood Public Library. Nicole has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Syracuse University, which she used to start a nonprofit theater company while living in NYC.

In her spare time Nicole enjoys yoga, gardening and dreaming up vacations she will one day take.

Karla leads the Family Resource Specialist team while also managing the organization's website, print and digital design, and social media. Whether she's helping a family find the right resource, creating educational materials or improving the online experience, she enjoys making information easier to find and understand. Karla identifies as neurodivergent and is passionate about helping families recognize and build on the strengths that come with different ways of thinking.

Karla holds master's degrees in Technical and Scientific Communication (MTSC) and Social Work (MSW). She is a Licensed Social Worker and a Certified Family Peer Supporter with supervisory designation.

Tish has been in education for 26 years. She received her bachelors degree from Kent State University in Elementary Education. She then went on to get her special education license and her Masters Degree in School Counseling from Cleveland State. Tish has taught at all grade levels in both regular and special education. Currently, she works as a crisis coordinator for Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Tish lives in Westlake with her husband and two children.

Katie is a nature-lover and parent of two boys. Growing up, she had the privilege of joining her grandmother as an active volunteer with the ARC Downriver-Detroit. After earning her BA in education from the University of Michigan, she worked as a teacher in both general and special education settings before spending several years as a stay-at-home parent. Katie is excited to join Connecting for Kids and combine her professional and personal experience to help support fellow parents.

In her free time, Katie enjoys camping, fiber arts (especially embroidery and crochet) and planning adventures for her family.

My name is Alex and I am the General Assistant. I help at resource fairs, community events and fundraising. I also work for Westlake Elementary School. I really enjoy working with kids, being outdoors, photography and volunteering in the community.

Catie is our Development Specialist at Connecting for Kids. She has a background in fundraising and grant writing at Clark State Community College in Southwest Ohio and earned her Bachelor of Arts at Wittenberg University.

Catie grew up in Lorain county and enjoys visiting all our area’s parks and beaches with her family. In her free time, Catie enjoys baking, playing board games and spending time outside.

Megan has a BA in secondary education from Ohio University and a MEd in curriculum and instruction from Cleveland State University. She has worked as a high school English teacher for 25 years. She came to CFK as a concerned parent seeking help and guidance from the organization for her son. She has participated in programming as a parent and a parent match volunteer.

When she is not spending time with her family, Megan is an aspiring yogi and a bookworm.

Tessa has a BS in psychology from Cleveland State University and for the last 19 years has worked in early intervention and parent education home visiting. Prior to that she took time out of her professional career to raise five children.

Tessa enjoys traveling, walking her dogs and making time to watch the sunset.

Ochanya McRoberts-Wells is a professional clinical consultant and administrator who works with existing and emerging leadership and professionals in the fields of education and behavioral health. Her focus is to grow their professional standards by way of strength deployment, as well as helping them establish value in human-to-human interaction and effective communication. After spending nearly 18 years in the autism community and providing training for regional school districts, Ochanya knows what truly drives educational and clinical best practices and educational change. She utilizes this knowledge to enhance the awareness and acknowledgement of the strengths her professional collaborators possess , and harnesses these abilities for the betterment of those they care for. Her philosophy on building meaningful relationships with both students and colleagues is focused on communal investment in knowledge and growth.

Ochanya has been integral in the establishment and professional development of several treatment facilities including Cleveland Clinic Lerner School and The Silver Lining Group Behavioral Intervention Center. However, her most innovative and substantial work has been providing organizational behavior management support, leadership training and team and curriculum development across NE Ohio.

Ochanya holds a BA in Psychology from the College of Wooster and a Master’s in Education from Notre Dame College. She has future aspirations to pursue doctoral studies in the areas of leadership and innovation.

Kathy retired after 38 years as an Intervention Specialist working with grades PreK -9th. Her last 25 years of teaching was with the preschool population. Working with children and families starting their journey into education system has been very rewarding.

Kathy believes life is best enjoyed outdoors and with good company. You'll usually find Kathy hiking, playing pickleball or hanging out with her Bernedoodle, Rocky.

Paula attended Slippery Rock University earning a BS in Elementary and Special Education. She has a MA in Reading Instruction from Baldwin Wallace College where she focused her studies on early literacy development. In 2012, Paula retired from Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities. In her work with Connecting for Kids, Paula continues to foster young children's well-being in cooperation with families, other professionals and the greater community.

At home, Paula enjoys visits with her grandchildren and cuddling up with a good book.

Amber has a BS in Child and Family Studies from Ashland University and is the Program Manager for the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) at Bright Beginnings of Cuyahoga County. She has a passion for working with families with children of all needs and enjoys watching parents succeed in their journey. Previously, Amber served as an Early Intervention Coordinator for over 10 years. You can often find Amber out in the community at different events as she enjoys being active in the early childhood world.

Amber is an adoptive mom to her daughter and involved in the adoption and kinship community in the county as well. She is also an avid dog mama.

Karen has her BS in Psychology from Colorado State University. After graduating from college, she moved to San Diego, California where she spent time working as a nanny and at a residential treatment center for high risk youths. When relocating to Ohio, she spent 10 years at Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services as an ongoing Case Worker and Intake Supervisor. She currently is an Early Intervention Service Coordinator.

Karen enjoys walking in the Cleveland Metro Parks, skiing, gardening, scrapbooking and traveling with her husband and two sons, especially to warm destinations to visit family and friends.

As Communications Director, Lorilynn is responsible for handling all publicity for the organization, as well as creating the content for newsletters, fliers and marketing materials. In addition, Lorilynn coordinates the resource fairs, the annual fall fundraiser and Topgolf event. Lorilynn has been with Connecting for Kids since 2012. She holds a bachelors of arts degree in Communications from Valparaiso University and spent 15 years doing full-time public relations work, most of that time spent as a Senior Account Supervisor with Falls Communications in downtown Cleveland. While there, she handled a wide variety of consumer, industrial and nonprofit accounts including Lincoln Electric, Moen, Dutch Boy, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland, Arthritis Foundation of Northeastern Ohio and Ave Maria School of Law. Lorilynn and her husband, Dennis, have two boys.

Marian has her BS in Psychology from John Carroll University and Master’s in Nonprofit Administration and Leadership from Cleveland State University. She has spent time as a Classroom Behavior Therapist at the Lerner School, running a Family Outreach and Education Center in West Virginia and is currently an Early Intervention Service Coordinator.

At home, Marian enjoys spending time at the ice rink with her two children and keeping her Little Free Library stocked.

Kim is responsible for CFK's finances. Kim has her BA in Management with a concentration in Accounting from Wittenberg University. She earned her CPA while working at Ernst & Young LLP. Kim worked in Internal Audit for the Scott Fetzer Company prior to coming to American Greetings Corporation where she joined their Internal Audit department in 2004. Her current role is Division Controller, North America Celebration Products. 

When not at her "day" job, Kim enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.

Alicia is the mother of three boys and resides with her husband in Southern Lorain County, along with their dog, cats, and chickens. She works as a Senior FRS, bringing her lived experience parenting a child with significant challenges to her role. Alicia is also a certified family peer supporter in the state of Ohio. She offers a strong understanding of medical and service systems gained through her background as a medical transcriptionist and administrative roles within a major hospital system in the Cleveland area.

In her spare time, Alicia enjoys reading, gardening and long walks.