Stephanie A. Wright – Founder, Executive Director, Board President
Stephanie Wright began One by One Foster & Kinship families because of a vision to reduce the stress and hardships that foster and kinship families experience, particularly in the world of health and well-being. She has a dream that all foster and kinship children have everything they need to grow up to be happy and healthy. Stephanie’s personal experience with kinship part of foster care began just months after getting married when she and her husband took in her nephew of 18 months. Years later, with the nephew back in the loving care of his mother, they took in a niece and later a nephew, both of whom were later adopted.
Stephanie served as an Americorps member working with Helen’s Hope Chest in Mesa, Arizona. She created the content and design for www.FosterKinship411.org, a website that allows foster and kinship families to find information and area resources pertaining to the world of foster and kinship care. Stephanie has been a volunteer with Girl Scouts for over 8 years, and led her own troop for 6 years.
Through years of experience and multiple leadership training programs, Stephanie brings collaboration, elevation, and dedication to the world of foster care. Stephanie is passionate about making a difference and offers an extensive customer service experience to all the stakeholders of One by One Foster & Kinship Solutions.
Stephanie and her husband, Daniel, are devoted to their seven biological and adopted children, ages 5-18. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys reading, creative writing, and just being with people!
Jessica Apgar – Board Secretary
Jessica is a divorce mediator teaching couples about the divorce process.
She joined the board of One by One Foster & Kinship Solutions because of her belief in making a difference in the life a children and foster parents. Jessica supports the exposure to holistic wellness programs to these families.
Zahra Nayeri- Board Member
Zahra is a seasoned healthcare professional who has made significant contributions to the field of holistic well-being and alternative medicine. Her passion for promoting health and wellness led her to specialize in Acu-Detox therapy, making her a former Acudetox specialist at the Center4 Stress Reduction in Tucson, Arizona.
With a profound understanding of both holistic healing methods and the science behind public health, Zahra Namazi remains a valuable resource for individuals seeking comprehensive solutions to their well-being challenges. Her commitment to health, academic achievements, and professional expertise continue to positively impact the lives of those she serves.
Anasuya Angela Isaacs – Advisor
Anasuya Isaacs holds a B.A. In International Relations and Communication from Oberlin College. Bi-lingual in French, she chose to further her pursuit of a career in diplomacy at the Sorbonne Universite de Paris. It was in Paris that she also studied the power of theater and the arts to cause the political and social change that diplomats wanted to but never could make. This awareness turned her life in a completely new direction. Traveling to faraway places to learn new cultures, languages, and art had her see how interdependent we all are, proving that we are all One. She has traveled to 24 countries and has lived in six outside of the United States. She loves storytelling through her poetry, plays, one-woman shows, essays, short stories and visual art.
Part of Anasuya’s Soul’s Purpose is to empower people to go from “victim to Victor” by partnering her prophetic gifts with practical Life Coaching acumen to be an Intuitive Life Strategist and Artist, Workshop Facilitator and motivational Speaker for over 15 years in the U.S. and abroad. She has empowered youth-at-risk, those impacted by trauma; entrepreneurs, nonprofits and organizations to go from “wishing” to “manifesting.” As a writer, performer and artist, Anasuya brings a dynamic, creative approach to problem solving and conflict resolution through her partnership with the Divine. Through her movement, Let Love Lead, she teaches and leads people to have the continuous awareness and experience of the divine through activism, global humanitarian service, LOVEshops, channeled messages and the arts.
Mitra Malaekeh – Advisor
Mitra is an experienced microbiologist with a solid background within clinical laboratory environments as part of a large healthcare system.
She has strong provision of quality internal and external customer service through concise and efficient application of laboratory practices, specimen analysis, and results reporting. Mitra has vast experience with widely-used laboratory computer programs, laboratory equipment, technologies, and tools.
Mitra is also a motivated Yoga instructor and a Life Coach. She enjoys encouraging others to improve their wellness and commitment to long term health and fitness goals and to practice preventive methods to stay balanced and live a harmonious life.
Mitra is a member of the American Medical Technologists (AMT), the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB), and a registered member of the Yoga Alliance.
Mitra has hosted a healing retreat in Sedona, Arizona and is working on creating a healing retreat center for children in Ashland, Oregon!
Mara G. Mann – CPA Advisor
Mara Mann has over thirty years of experience in both private and public accounting. Over the past twenty years, she has been providing attestation and general business services, accounting systems design, implementation and training of personnel in the areas of accounting practices, accounting software and internal financial management to exempt organizations and closely-held businesses. Her areas of specialty include exempt organizations, including charter schools. Prior to returning to public accounting, Mara was responsible for all aspects of finance for a mid-sized Arizona-based charter-airline company.
Mara has taught nonprofit financial management (NLM 380) as a faculty associate at Arizona State University from Fall 2018 through Fall 2020 and is currently in a master’s program for nonprofit leadership management. She also co-owns a training and development company for nonprofit leadership and management, Financial Transparency Resources.
Mara graduated from University of Arizona in 1989 with Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Finance and has been licensed in Arizona as a Certified Public Accountant since 1993.
Mara is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA).
Andrea Hightower – Advisor
Andrea brings a lifelong passion for supporting children, families, especially those that have been impacted by trauma. In addition to decades of service in the fields of child welfare and family preservation, Andrea is herself an alumnus of foster care, as well as an adoptee.
Andrea believes in One by One’s vision to ease the burden of routine and specialized medical and therapeutic services for foster and kinship children and families and sees great promise within the accredited Child Advocacy Center model (www.nationalchildrensalliance.org) to inform a trauma-informed, teaming model of care.
Currently serving as Manager of the Federal Grants and Resources Team for the Arizona Governor’s Office, Andrea oversees the full grant management lifecycle for federal and state funding supporting programming in Arizona. Over the last three decades, Andrea has held a variety of managerial and program development roles within state and national organizations serving children, youth, and families. These include positions at Arizona’s Department of Child Safety, Arizona State University’s Center for Child Well-Being, University of Washington’s Partners for Our Children, the National Alliance for Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Casey Family Programs.
Andrea has held a variety of national board officer roles within Foster Care Alumni of America and currently provides ad-hoc member support to various board committees and efforts. She has served as a member of the National Prevention Science Coalitions’ Child Welfare Rapid Response Network since 2017. Andrea has expertise and special interest in federal Title IV-E funding and has participated actively since 2015 in each year’s National Title IV-E Roundtable conference both as a presenter and as a member of the planning committee.
Andrea holds a Master of Science in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Services Administration from Antioch University Seattle.