CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Rachel brings 20 years of experience serving across all aspects of the child welfare system in Kansas. Rachel has worked as a front-line social worker to children in foster care; as a Child in Need of Care, adoption and family law attorney; and as a policy advocate for systems & communities that support child and family wellbeing. Rachel currently serves on the Juvenile Offender/Child in Need of Care Advisory Committee to the Kansas Judicial Council. Rachel received her law degree and masters in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. Rachel lives with her two daughters in Lawrence, Kansas, and enjoys spending time hiking local trails.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Shanna joins the Alliance with over 20 years of experience in comprehensive governmental support and consultation. Shanna has worked alongside state and national child welfare experts guiding organizational strategies, leading workforce engagement efforts and advocating for positive systemic change. Shanna earned her bachelors in psychology and a masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Kansas State University. She is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and works with individuals and teams to explore their greatest potential. Shanna enjoys being outdoors and spending time at the lake with her husband and her three daughters.

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY MANAGER

Andrea Hartzell is the Business Technology Manager and joined Children’s Alliance in 2020 after 23 years in non-profit work at the Kansas Association of School Boards. Andrea brings vast experience in event planning of workshops and conferences ranging from 15-500 attendees. She also brings experience in event communications and marketing, as well as website and database management. Andrea enjoys reading, listening to music, time with family, traveling with her husband, Dan, and most importantly spoiling her grandson, Hudson.

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS & MAPP TRAINER

Carrie has over 25 years of experience within the field of child welfare. She and her husband provided foster care for almost 17 years. She is also a biological parent of one daughter and an adoptive parent of three sons. Carrie has been leading MAPP for almost 20 years. Carrie began designing and facilitating regular conversations to support and connect with MAPP Leaders around the country. Carrie is a graduate of Wichita State University and has several national training certifications. She enjoys spending time in her empty nest with her husband.

TRAINING PROGRAM MANAGER

Cris has devoted his child welfare career to the development and delivery of curricula for social workers and caretakers of children who are at risk or in foster care. Serving at Children's Alliance has allowed Cris to continue his passion to create and implement state-of-the-art training to enable families to be safe, stable and achieve permanence. As a Master Trainer, Cris continues to develop partnerships with organizations with the same goals. Cris is a proud graduate of Auburn University (War Eagle!) and when not spending time with his kids, you can usually find him watching movies at his local movie theater.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Jaliyah earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and has five years of experience working with youth in different capacities — from the school setting, to juvenile intake, to youth care specialist. She is passionate about the implications of racial equity within the juvenile justice and child welfare system, as well as education. She is excited to support nonprofit providers working with these youth, and also to contribute to our policy and advocacy work that impacts the lives of Kansas families. Jaliyah has two children and is an aspiring lactation consultant.

DIRECTOR OF TRAINING CURRICULA & LEADER DEVELOPMENT

Kathy joined the Alliance as Director of Curricula & Trainer Development in 2013. In this role, she creates, updates and trains curriculum for both online and in-person delivery. As a Master Trainer, she works across multiple states to certify MAPP Leaders and Approved Trainers. Before joining the Alliance, Kathy had 20 years of experience as a foster care worker and as the training coordinator for a foster care program and residential facility. Kathy is a graduate of Wichita State University and has several national training certifications.

RESEARCH ANALYST

Kayla Lawson (she/her) graduated from the University of Kansas with undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Psychology in 2019 and a graduate degree in Macro Social Work in 2021. She is a first-generation college student who graduated with honors in Psychology by conducting her own research on implicit biases. Kayla handles finding and compiling research to inform our advocacy work and training programs, along with aiding in the writing and editing of content. She is passionate about pursuing systems-level change and creating helpful, well-made trainings to create a healthier child welfare system for Kansans. In her free time, you can find Kayla curled up with a good fantasy novel or knitting.

KINVEST PROGRAM MANAGER

Kim joins the Alliance with over a decade of experience that includes child welfare supervision and working directly with adolescent foster youth. Kim graduated from Washburn University with her bachelor’s degree in social work and is a recent graduate of the University of Kansas, where she received her Master’s degree in social work with a macro specialization. Through her experience, Kim became passionate about systems-level change within the child welfare system. In her free time, Kim can be found outdoors on a trail, trying a new restaurant or spending time with her family.

FINANCIAL MANAGER

Lisa Lummis is the Financial Manager for Children’s Alliance, having joined the Alliance in June 2013. Lisa came to the Alliance with over 30 years of experience in finance and accounting, working for the Kansas Development Finance Authority and Blakely Crop Hail, Inc., a Topeka-based crop insurance company. Lisa graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BBA in Accounting from Washburn University. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys spending time on the golf course with her husband and son, and enjoys quilt-making, cross-stitch, and crocheting.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Morgan Rothenberger was a newspaper reporter for most of her career, spending the bulk of her days covering business news. She also worked as a freelance editor and ghostwriter. After admiring the work of her social worker mother, Morgan moved to communications in the foster care world, landing at Children’s Alliance of Kansas in 2022. Morgan has three biological children and one bonus daughter. She spends her spare time reading, writing, crafting, and spoiling her two grandchildren.

CHILD WELFARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Alanea Hanna is a Child Welfare Workforce Development Specialist with KanCoach. The program provides training and support for child welfare workers across the state of Kansas. Alanea is a Licensed Master of Social Work and is a graduate of Wichita State University. She has worked in Child Welfare since 2005 in both the public and private sector, in the areas of juvenile delinquency and child abuse and neglect. Alanea has worked in various roles including case manager, Protection and Prevention Specialist, supervisor, and advocate. She enjoys traveling to see her children in Utah, Texas, Illinois, and Kansas City, and watching sports and FaceTiming with her two grandkids.

CHILD WELFARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Catrina Hinkle has 10 years of experience in the behavioral health field. She obtained her Master of Art in Clinical Professional Psychology from Roosevelt University in Illinois and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Catrina currently supports the child welfare workforce through her position with KanCoach. She has had many wonderful opportunities in her career from being able to work with individuals/ families/ groups directly as a psychotherapist to leading integrated health initiatives through program development at a Federally Qualified Health Center.

CHILD WELFARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Natasha Santiago-Mason has 15 years of experience in the Child and Family Well-Being system, with the past 3 years focused on workforce development and well-being. She has worked extensively in the areas of special need adoptions, foster care, and case management. She has led and assisted in the development and implementation of several initiatives with a purpose to educate and support the caregivers of traumatized children. Natasha has a passion for advocacy to increase collaboration across human service systems to improve the lives of vulnerable families.

CHILD WELFARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Elise Crain has over 10 years of experience in social services. She supports the child welfare workforce through the KanCoach program. Elise has worked extensively in child welfare in several areas including: permanency as a case manager and supervisor, providing family therapy and teaching parenting skills for families with children in foster care, and facilitating supervised visitation. She holds a Master of Social Welfare degree from the University of Kansas.