Board of Directors

April Miller, former foster youth, now social worker. Working in the behavioral health field as the suicide prevention coordinator. April aged out of the system at 18 not knowing where or what she wanted her future to look like but determined to help others in her similar shoes. April has since become a parent through kinship and is passionate about providing support and helping other children youth and families through their foster and adoption processes.

Bradley joined the Foster Adopt Minnesota board in 2021.  Bradley works as a communication instructor at Ridgewater College in Hutchinson.  He and his husband have adopted a teenager out of foster care and continue to grow their family.  Bradley previously worked as a regional coordinator for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and as an executive director of a small nonprofit.  He has a doctorate in educational leadership along with three master’s degrees.

Cathy Bruer-Thompson joined the Foster Adopt Minnesota board in 2015. Cathy is a retired social worker of 41 years in the adoption and foster care field. Cathy placed children for adoption, and most recently, trained foster, adoptive and kin families in preparation for adopting children from the foster care system. She wants all adoptive families and children to have the support and preparation for successful family life. The children usually have complex histories of trauma, attachment issues, and prenatal exposure to alcohol and drugs. FAM is here to help connect families with resources and provide ongoing training.

Eric joined the Foster Adopt Minnesota board in 2020.  He is a financial advisor with Raymond James and takes great pride in helping members of our community craft thoughtful financial strategies that help them achieve the lives they desire.  Eric and his wife, Melissa, adopted their amazing daughter as a newborn in 2015, and are immensely thankful for the gift that adoption has provided their entire family.  Eric feels strongly that every child should be given the opportunity to find their forever family, and that adoptive and foster families should be given the opportunity to feel the unconditional love from a child.

Katie joined the Foster Adopt Minnesota board in 2023.  She has worked in human resources for most of her career and enjoys helping organizations grow through their people and processes.  Katie and her husband John have three children; two of them were adopted through foster care.  Katie is passionate about helping families in their foster and adoption journeys, and ensuring they have the support and resources they need.

Laura joined the FAM board in 2023. She worked as a housing counselor for 11 years before making the move to lending in 2017. Having heard too many stories about homeowners losing their homes during the foreclosure crisis, she came to Bell Bank Mortgage to be one of the “good guys,” with a passion for originating solid loans for buyers to thrive and build wealth through homeownership. She and her husband Josh fostered their daughter through Ramsey County starting in 2014, and adopted her in 2015. They are now in the thick of the teenage years and appreciate the community of support that surrounds them. She strongly believes that all kids deserve the love and stability of a good home.

Tamara joined the Foster Adopt Minnesota board in March 2023.  She has worked in the corporate insurance industry for most of her career focused on building relationships with clients and other business partners.  Tamara and her husband, Mark, have two children who were adopted at birth.  Tamara is an advocate of open adoption and often meets with prospective birth parents and adoptive parents to provide thoughtful guidance on their journey.  She and her husband have both spoken at various adoption events including RESOLVE’s Adoption Family Building Summit.  Tamara is passionate about her extended, open adoption family and helping families realize their dreams through adoption.