BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Foster Adopt Minnesota Board of Directors is the governing body of our non-profit organization. Their efforts are a crucial component to the important support that Foster Adopt Minnesota provides to the community.
The below listed individuals graciously volunteer their time and energy to sit on Foster Adopt Minnesota’s Board and are collectively responsible for overseeing our organization’s activities while remaining focused on Foster Adopt Minnesota’s mission, supportive programs and overall goals.
CathyBruer-Thompson
Cathy Bruer-Thompson joined the MN ADOPT 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. MN Adopt is here to help connect families with resources and provide ongoing training.
Eric Becker
Eric joined the MN ADOPT 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.
Sharon Markowitz
Sharon Markowitz joined the MN ADOPT board in 2019. Sharon is a Partner at Stinson LLP, where she represents companies in complex commercial litigation. Sharon and her husband are adoptive parents. Sharon is passionate about achieving MN ADOPT’s goal of Zero Children Waiting.
Dr. Bradley Wolfe
Bradley joined the MN ADOPT 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.
Diana Poch
Diana Poch joined the MN ADOPT board in 2021. Diana has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is a licensed psychologist in the state of Minnesota. She specializes in substance abuse treatment and effects of trauma. She previously worked for the Department of Justice as a clinical psychologist and is committed to assisting in the prevention of generational incarceration. Diana is dedicated to MN ADOPT’s mission of assisting successfully transitioning children into their forever homes along with helping family members adjust to the changing dynamics whether as an adoptive home, foster home, or kinship family.
Danielle Theirl
Danielle joined the MN ADOPT board in 2022. Danielle has spent her entire career in and supporting human resource teams and leaders. After nearly 15 years as a HR Practitioner, she spent 15 years as a Senior Business Development Director at Salo where she sold and supported her consultants and clients with a wide variety of HR project-based work. Danielle and her husband, Peter, have two children, a biological daughter and a son who they adopted (domestic) from birth. Having grown their family through adoption and being a part of the adoption and foster community has been such a blessing and she looks forward to getting even more directly involved with the incredible mission of MN ADOPT.
