Lisa Castetter – Founder & CEO
Lisa is responsible for vision casting and program creation for TLF, spearheading fundraising efforts, board member relationships, and social enterprise expansion. In the course of developing TLF, she has become a leading advisor to churches nationwide on outreach to teenagers in foster care as well as emancipated youth. Lisa also is a frequent speaker on issues of foster care and adoption, consults with non-profits and churches launching on reaching foster youth, and sits on various non-profit boards and advocacy teams.
Courtnie Dowdy – Managing Director
Courtnie oversees TLF’s operations and programs, preserving and executing our vision while anticipating the changing needs of foster youth in Southern California and how we can best address them. Courtnie leads all TLF’s staff, and also represents TLF in our partnerships with local churches, businesses, organizations, and non-profits.
Kaitlin Gonzalez –Housing Coordinator
Kaitlin provides case management for our Launch Pad residents, ensuring their progress toward healthy independent living. She also coordinates and equips the residents’ Flight Crew volunteer teams, who provide relational skill-building ranging from developing a budget, to learning to drive, to navigating college.
Edith Vasquez – Costa Mesa Housing On-site Coordinator
Brittany Walker – Santa Ana Housing On-site Coordinator
Edith and Brittany live at our Launch Pad homes in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, respectively, where they help create the sense of community the Launch Pad program is known for. They also serve as a sounding board and troubleshooter for their residents. As graduates of the Launch Pad program, Edith and Brittany have a special understanding of residents’ hopes and needs.
Dineen Tucker – Mentor & Flight Crew Coordinator
Dineen is the first point of contact for volunteers interested in working directly with foster youth. Once screened and trained, these volunteers will become mentors to a teen in foster care, or they’ll join a Flight Crew, which are the teams that support each of our transitional housing residents with life skills training and other wraparound services.
Emily Pena – Operations Coordinator
Emily addresses the many needs that keep TLF moving forward, including office administration, database management, property maintenance, and general troubleshooting.
Workforce Development Coordinator – Open Position