Who We Are

Rachel is a Chicago native. She is the adoptive mother of Jamiya and mother of 14 year old Parker. She was introduced to On Your Feet Foundation in the summer of 2016 and was inspired by the idea of supportive services for birthmothers post placement.

Jen describes herself as the lucky mom to an amazing 10 year old son. Previous to adopting their son, she was an elementary school teacher for 12 years and is currently the chief operating officer of their busy household. Jen became involved with On Your Feet Foundation in 2016. She feels honored to work to empower women after they placed a child for adoption. She is grateful for the many things she has learned from the wonderful birth moms we work with. In addition to being Board Chair for On Your Feet Foundation she enjoys time with amily, cooking and supporting adoption education and advocating for children’s mental health support.

Hannah lives in Chicago, but she is a desert girl at heart, with her husband, twin girls, Ezra + Olive, and their winsome goldendoodle, Hadley. A photographer, designer, and creative, Hannah is passionate about adoption education and lifting up all voices of the adoption triad. After seeing firsthand the lack of birthmother support after placement she got involved with On Your Feet Foundation. Hannah is also the founder of Kindred + Co.

Sheena is birthmom to her son Parker, who is 15 and lives in the Chicago suburbs. They enjoy an open relationship. Professionally, Sheena is an HR Business Partner at Revantage Corporate Services, Blackstone’s Real Estate Portfolio with experience in organizational transformation, talent management, and a passion for building best-in-class cultures to support her clients’ business strategies. Sheena has been a part of On Your Feet since 2004 and has been attending the birthmom retreats since 2005. Today, she is on the board of On Your Feet and one of its lead retreat facilitators. Sheena received her BA in Communications from Illinois State University. In her spare time, Sheena loves doting on her adorable Frenchie, Penny Lane, traveling and trying out the best new restaurants Chicago has to offer.

A Chicago native, Nancy and her husband are parents of two daughters through adoption. Nancy learned about OYFF in 2002 before her older daughter was born and when they were seeking ways to support their child's birth mother. Hallmark TV featured their open adoption story - "Everyone's Hope" - in its groundbreaking adoption series that aired in 2002. Nancy joined OYFF's board in 2016 and is committed to helping  birth parents find community and connection after placement. She has worked in business-to-business marketing and the nonprofit sector, and now co-leads an event planning business.

Monica is birthmom to Jack, age 5, and enjoys an open adoption with her son and his two dads. She has spent the last few years educating hopeful adoptive parents on how to navigate a healthy open adoption for all members of the triad. She understands both the grief and joy in making an adoption plan and advocates for the importance of post-placement care for birthmothers.