Executive Team
Melissa Jenovai
President/CEO
Joined the Agency 2/27/2006
Biography
Ms. Jenovai started her career in the child welfare field in May 2005 at the Agency as a Project Specialist under the National Resource Center for Adoption at Spaulding, previously having been at the agency as an intern beginning in 2004. In 2006, she was hired as a Foster Care Case Manager, she was elevated to a Director’s position and on 1/3/2017 was promoted to the position of Vice President of Child and Family Services. She was promoted to the position of President/CEO as of 10/1/2022. Her responsibilities are primarily to oversee the day-to-day operations of the agency. She has 16 years of experience in the child welfare field.
Kris Henneman
Vice President of the Spaulding Institute for Family and Community Development
Joined the Agency 2/15/1999
Biography
Mr. Henneman joined Spaulding in 1999 and has worked to support families and communities for over 33 years, including experience in mental health and child welfare. He has been lead on numerous federal grants, including iCARE 365 – Diligent Recruitment, MiTeam Makes Great Families Project – Family Connections and the Infant Adoption Awareness program. He has provided training and technical assistance for the National Resource Center For Adoption and has been involved in developing national curriculums on resource family preparation and adoption. He has facilitated numerous organizational strategic planning meetings to improve organizational outcomes. Most recently he has developed online courses on Infant Adoption, Child Preparation, Post Adoption Services and Save Haven legislation. Mr. Henneman is a parent by birth and adoption.
Melinda Lis
Vice President of The Academy for Family Support and Preservation
Joined the Agency 7/8/2013
Biography
Melinda Lis started her career with Spaulding in July 2013 as the Director of the National Resource Center for Adoption. Once this grant concluded, Melinda became the Project Director for the National Quality Improvement Center for Adoption/Guardianship Support and Preservation housed at Spaulding. Melinda has 20 years of child welfare experience including extensive project development and management on both a statewide and national level. She also has extensive experience developing curricula and training for foster/adoptive parents and child welfare staff. Melinda spent a good portion of her career working with the Illinois child welfare system. During her time in Illinois, she co-founded and managed a not-for-profit agency that assisted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services with implementation and management of several statewide reforms. After leaving Illinois, Melinda consulted with organizations in New York, Washington D.C., and Florida. She also worked on a national evaluation of court improvement programs.
Doretha Morgan
Vice President of Finance
Joined the Agency 10/20/2014
Biography
Ms. Morgan started working at Spaulding for Children October 2014. In October 2023 she was promoted to the Vice President of Finance. She has more than 20 years’ experience in all aspects of financial operations and analysis, including grants management, budgeting, auditing and trending analysis. She has a Master of Finance Degree from Walsh College.
Kristina Vaseau
Vice President of Child & Family Services
Joined the Agency 11/6/2006
Biography
Ms. Vaseau was hired in 2006 as a foster care worker. She was promoted in May of 2016 to Foster Care and Adoption Program Director. Ms. Vaseau maintains the overall compliance of Foster Care, Licensing and Adoption. She was promoted to the position of Vice President as of 10/1/2022. Her responsibilities are primarily to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Child and Family Services department. She has worked in the child welfare field for 16 years.
Directors
Jamie Bozarth
Human Resource Director
Joined the Agency 12/1/1993
Biography
Ms. Bozarth has worked in the child welfare field for almost 30 years. Her career started and remained in the non-profit sector, specifically in child welfare. She worked in two child placing agencies in the metro Detroit area as a Licensing Worker before coming to Spaulding in 1993. She was hired as a Licensing/Intake Worker, promoted to a team leader position and then promoted as the Quality Improvement/Human Resource Director in 2001. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from Calvin College and her Master’s Degree from Central Michigan University.
Kelly Burdell
Program Director
Joined the Agency 4/15/2013
Biography
Ms. Burdell began at Spaulding for Children in September 2012 as an intern. She was hired as a Foster Care/Adoption Worker in April 2013 and remained in that position for 3 years. In May of 2016 she was promoted to Foster Care/Adoption Supervisor, a Program Manager in 2022, and the Child & Family Services Program Director in January 2024. Ms. Burdell earned her Bachelor degree from Tennessee State University and her Master degree from Wayne State University. She enjoys working in the child welfare field and seeing families thrive.
Leslie Cohen
Project Director
Joined the Agency 10/3/2016
Biography
Mrs. Cohen has over 25 years of experience in the field of child welfare. Her work has focused on program development, implementation, and evaluation for children residing in relative foster care and on foster children who have achieved permanence. As a Research Specialist at the Children and Family Research Center, Ms. Cohen focused on the implementation and evaluation of the Subsidized Guardianship Waiver Demonstrations in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Tennessee. Ms. Cohen’s work also focused on the evaluation of post-permanency issues in Illinois for children who were adopted or went to guardianship. As a Senior Research Specialist at James Bell Associates, Ms. Cohen served as a Site Lead and the Cross Site Implementation Evaluation Coordinator for the Children’s Bureau’s Permanency Innovations Initiative. As a consultant at the National Resource Center for Adoptions, Ms. Cohen provided technical assistance to states, tribes and territories that was geared toward developing organizational and service capacity to better address the needs of at-risk populations. Currently, Ms. Cohen serves as the Project Director for the Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation at Spaulding for Children.
Sue Cohick
Project Director
Joined the Agency 12/2016
Biography
Sue A. Cohick MSW LSW was hired by Spaulding for Children in November, 2016. She serves as the Project Director for The Critical Ongoing Resource family Education (CORE) grant, a 3 year Foster/Adoptive Parent Preparation, Training and Development Initiative grant from the Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The project will develop a state-of-the-art training program, equipping resource parents with skills necessary to meet the needs of older youth who have moderate to serious emotional and behavior health challenges.
Ms. Cohick has over 20 years of experience in child welfare related fields. She has served as the administrator for two county administered child protective service organizations, and as a senior member for a statewide non-profit organization providing training on best practice interventions in child welfare. She has also used her experience and knowledge to teach both at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Laureen “Toni” Ligon
MPLD Director
Joined the Agency 1/16/2024
Biography
Toni began her career at Spaulding in January 2024 as the Director of the Minority Professional Leadership Development (MPLD) Program. Toni, a native of Connecticut, has 30 years-experience in the Child Welfare field with a focus on Kinship, Foster Care and Adoption. She started her career in 1994 at the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families where she built solid and trusting relationships with adolescents, medically complex youth and their families, as well as foster, adoptive and kinship families.
Over the course of her profession, Toni has lent her time and energy mentoring and coaching emerging professionals within (and outside) the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families. She has been a mentor for the Minority Professional Leadership Development Program twice.
Toni earned a B.S. Degree in Communications from Southern Connecticut State University, and an M.B.A. from the University of New Haven. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a member of The Girl Friends, Inc., and an Associate and Lifetime Member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
A married mother of two adult children, she resides with her husband in West Haven, Connecticut.
Team Members
Kristina Borrego
Superbisor ng IPP
Joined the Agency 4/25/2016
Biography
Ms. Borrego began at Spaulding for Children as an Intern in 2016 and was hired as a Foster Care Specialist that same year. She was a Foster Care and Adoption Specialist for 5 years before she was promoted to an IPP Supervisor. Ms. Borrego earned her Bachelor degree from Eastern Michigan University in 2014 and earned her Master Degree from Wayne State University in 2017. She has a passion for helping people and working in the child welfare profession.
Lindsey Brock
Tagapamahala ng Programa
Sumali sa Ahensya noong 4/6/2015
Biography
Nakuha ni Ms. Brock ang kanyang Bachelor's degree mula sa University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) at ang kanyang Master's degree mula sa Wayne State University. Habang nakikilahok sa kanyang graduate program, nag-intern si Lindsey sa Spaulding for Children at kalaunan ay kinuha bilang isang contingent Licensing Worker noong Pebrero ng 2015. Di-nagtagal pagkatapos tanggapin ang posisyon, si Lindsey ay tinanggap nang full-time bilang Foster Care/Adoption Worker. Noong Pebrero ng 2017, tinanggap ni Lindsey ang posisyon ng Intake/Generalist na manggagawa, na-promote sa IPP Supervisor noong Agosto ng 2019 at Program Manager noong 2022.
Sharon Corpolongo
Tagapamahala ng Opisina
Sumali sa Ahensya noong 4/9/2018
Biography
Nagsimula si Mrs. Corpolongo sa Spaulding for Children noong 2017 bilang tukso, natanggap siya noong 2018 bilang Office Assistant na may 32 taong karanasan sa office work/office management pagkatapos magretiro sa Dearborn Public Schools. Na-promote siya bilang Office Manager noong Setyembre 2019.
Jaleise Hall
Tagapamahala ng Programa
Sumali sa Ahensya noong 9/25/2023
Biography
Nagsimulang magtrabaho si Ms. Hall sa Spaulding for Children noong Pebrero ng 2022 bilang Project Specialist ng Academy for Family Support and Preservation. Si Ms. Hall ay orihinal na nakatalaga sa aming home office sa Southfield, MI, ngunit umalis upang lumipat sa Chicago. Noong Setyembre ng 2023, bumalik siya sa ahensya at na-promote sa Academy for Family Support and Preservation's Program Manager position noong Oktubre ng 2023.
Nakuha ni Ms. Hall ang kanyang Bachelor's degree sa Columbia College Chicago noong 2018 at nagpatuloy sa pagkuha ng kanyang Master's mula sa Bren School sa University of California: Santa Barbara noong 2021 kung saan siya nakatutok sa Data Science.
Jennifer Land
Superbisor ng IPP
Sumali sa Ahensya noong 2/1/2011
Biography
Nagsimula si Ms. Land sa Spaulding bilang adoption worker noong 2011. Siya ay nasa child welfare field sa loob ng 21 taon, 15 sa mga taong iyon bilang isang foster care/adoption supervisor. Noong 2012, na-promote si Ms. Land bilang Foster Care/Adoption Supervisor at isang IPP Supervisor noong 2022.
Stacey Mason-Oakes
Tagapamahala ng Programa
Sumali sa Ahensya noong 4/22/2002
Biography
Nagsimula si Ms. Mason-Oakes sa Spaulding bilang Foster Care Worker noong 2002. Bago ang Spaulding nagtrabaho siya para sa Vista Maria at Evergreen Children's Services. Na-promote siya sa Resource Family Development Supervisor na posisyon noong Enero 2017, isang IPP Supervisor noong 2022 at Child & Family Services Program Manager noong Enero 2024. Nasisiyahan siyang magtrabaho kasama ang mga pamilya at mga bata na pangunahing bahagi ng Spaulding for Children's team . Si Ms. Mason-Oakes ay nasa child welfare field nang higit sa 22 taon
Michael Quinn
Network Administrator
Sumali sa Ahensya noong 12/13/2004
Biography
Si Mr. Quinn ay namamahala sa pangangalaga ng mga computer sa Spaulding mula noong Disyembre 2004 at na-promote bilang Network Administrator noong 2013. Pinamahalaan niya ang pangangalaga ng mga computer sa dalawang organisasyon bago sumali sa Spaulding. Si G. Quinn ay nagtrabaho sa larangan ng kompyuter mula noong Disyembre 1997. Hindi lamang siya ang responsable para sa mga computer, server, email, at pagpapanatili ng Internet, siya rin ay gumagawa ng maraming pag-edit ng larawan at video. Nagsimula siyang mag-edit ng video noong 1987.
