Speakers

Keynote Speaker

Philip Pattison

Philip Pattison is a Foster/Adoptive Dad, Pastor and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Foster the City, a movement of 300+ churches working together to provide loving homes for children entering foster care. Philip and his family of 6 reside in the San Francisco Bay Area and you'll most likely find him exploring new coffee shops, cheering for his kids at the ballpark or dreaming about ways that local churches can keep moving toward vulnerable children and families.

Ron Huxley

Ron Huxley, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 34 years of experience in the mental health field. His specialty is creating practical tools for individuals and families in adoptions and trauma-informed care. Ron is the author of the book “Love and Limits: Achieving a Balance in Parenting” and the founder of TraumaToolbox.com and FamilyHealer.tv media.

Lindsey Clark

Lindsey Clark is a stay-at-home mom, foster mom, and homeschooler on the central coast. She has been married to her husband Brendan for 13 years. Together they have 3 biological children and have fostered 6 infants. She specializes in medically fragile and drug exposed infants and fosters through SLO County’s Options for Recovery (OFR) program where she meets with and mentors birth parents while working towards reunification. Lindsey also grew up in a family that fostered and has had 40 foster siblings.

Brent Estes

Brent Estes, LMFT, is in private practice with an office in Pismo Beach. He specializes in the treatment of children, adolescents, and their families.  He has been a presenter at various local, state, and national child and adolescent conferences.  Brent has worked with numerous orphan, foster, and adopted children/teens for 33 years in residential, hospital, school, and outpatient settings.

Rob Grindy

Rob Grindy has been in his process of daily sanctification for the last 25+ years and has lived on the beautiful Central Coast of California since 2007 with his amazing bride Katy. They currently have four earth-bound children, and an untold number of heaven-bound that they’re excited to worship with in glory!  In his spare time, Rob loves coaching and watching his boys play baseball, making his princess laugh, attending church with his family, and enjoying quiet, streaming nights at home on the couch next to Katy.

Todd and Jill Talley

Todd and Jill Talley are the parents of three children, two through birth and one through adoption. In 2008 they were blessed to be able to fly to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and bring home their then 18 month old son. Together as a family the Talleys have a passion for adoption, orphan care ministries and mentoring. So much so in 2009, Todd and Jill met with several families from Grace SLO who had adopted or fostered. Together these couples founded the Adoption and Foster Care Ministry at Grace Central Coast. The Talleys currently Co-Lead the Ministry.

Becca Lenz

Becca Lenz has served on the Grace Central Coast Foster Care and Adoption team since 2015. She and her husband Tony first became interested in foster care after several friends began to foster, and they would help provide childcare. Shortly after, they became licensed foster parents and had three short term placements. Becca and her husband decided to transition to a support role and serve foster families in other ways. From making meals, sending encouraging messages, purchasing needed supplies, to serving as an Advocate for Foster the Central Coast and overseeing Support Teams, Becca has found great joy in supporting foster children and their families.

Daniel Carlisle

Daniel Carlisle is a seasoned Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 19 years of experience in providing counseling and support to individuals, couples, and families. With a passion for helping others navigate the complexities of relationships and family dynamics, Daniel brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and empathy to his work.

In addition to his professional experience, Daniel is also a dedicated foster parent and adoptive parent, with firsthand experience of the joys and challenges involved in caring for children from diverse backgrounds. Through his personal journey as a foster and adoptive parent, Daniel has gained invaluable insights into the unique needs and experiences of families who have opened their hearts and homes to children in need.

As a workshop trainer, Daniel combines his clinical expertise with his personal experiences as a foster and adoptive parent to offer practical guidance, support, and encouragement to couples seeking to strengthen their marriages while navigating the challenges of foster care and adoption. His workshops are known for their warmth, insightfulness, and practical strategies that resonate with participants and inspire positive change.

Brook Cone

Brooke is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is currently the Social Services Manager for Central Coast Home Health & Hospice. Prior to this Brooke worked at Family Care Network for 13 years & has a small therapy private practice. Brooke’s greatest joy has been being a mom to her daughter’s Rachel & Kaitlynn who both came to her through foster care & adoption when they were teenagers. Brooke has also been a foster parent to other teen girls but currently is just enjoying her adult children, extended family, & being a grandma to one little, energetic, grandson. Brooke knows it sounds so lovely on a bio, but loving children from hard places is an amazing life’s work full of joys & deep sorrows, a work that makes us depend on Jesus

Dori Iunker

Dori Iunker has a passion for foster care and adoption. She and her husband Larry have been married since 1984 and have six children; two who were adopted through the foster care system and one who became theirs after her mother passed away. Over the years they have been blessed with loving and caring for 40 foster children. Dori has a Bachelor's Degree in Child and Family Development and a Masters Degree in Education: Counseling & Guidance. She has worked for the public school system and in the social work field working with at-risk youth. She is also a Trust-Based Relational (TBRI) Practitioner, helping to train foster and adoptive parents to connect with the children in their care.

Cynthia Fletcher

Cynthia Fletcher has six children, four of whom are adopted. She has a BA in Psychology, is a TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner, and holds a certificate in Dialectic Behavioral Therapy. Cynthia is a Case Manager at Seneca Family of Agencies in the Family Ties Program. She is also an instructor for many Resource Family Training classes through the Department of Social Services, Cuesta College, and the FKCE program.