The class instructor is Angela Stiner - astiner@uw.edu.

Angela has been a foster parent for nine years and adopted three children.  She has been involved in all aspects of foster care and has strong connections in the foster care community in Eastern Washington.  As the Community Engagement Coordinator for Eastern Washington, Angela looks forward to continuing to build vital caregiver supports through strategic community partnerships.  

In her previous work as a foster parent mentor for 5 years, she enjoyed working with families to find solutions and she plans to use that knowledge in her new role.  Angela has a heart for seeing foster parents have the tools and support they need to navigate the system and her areas of expertise include adoption, communicating with DCYF and trauma focused care.  She chooses foster care because children can never have too many people who love them.

The class instructor is Shana Burres - srburres@uw.edu.

Shana Burres is the lead mentor coordinator at Alliance CaRES. She oversees the CaRES Mentors and the development and maintenance of the supportive facilitated discussion groups (SFDGs). Her work focuses on connecting people in ways that encourage mutual and ongoing growth. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in health education and a master’s of education in educational leadership. Her career in adult learning began with a position as director of a small non-profit and instructor at a local college. These roles eventually transitioned into work as a learning development consultant. 

During that time, Shana became a licensed foster parent and joined the work of The Mockingbird Society as a HUB home where she discovered a passion for connecting and supporting foster parents. She joined Alliance CaRES when they launched in March of 2021 and loves the opportunity to continually adapt and improve the ways caregivers engage in support and education through the SFDGs or with CaRES mentors. 

When she is not thinking or talking about foster care, she is enjoying time with her family, drinking coffee with friends, or dreaming up the next project or adventure.