STAFF & BOARD
Washington Area Staff
Board of Directors
Advisory Board
Jim Wright
Founder, President
Jim’s passion to assist women in crisis pregnancies dates back to 1990, when he and his wife, Tami, began their journey to become adoptive parents. That process culminated in the birth of their adopted son, A.J. Wright, to a 14-year-old high school freshman on July 30, 1991.
Jim saw how little help many birth moms have as they face unplanned pregnancies, and believed that God called him to act in faith in using his business skills to assist them. In 1996, he founded Birthmother Ministries Jim’s “targeted perseverance” is the driving force behind the ministry. Future plans include the expansion of Birthmothers into cities throughout the U.S. To read the full story of how Birthmothers came to be, please click
here.
Jim is a commercial real estate broker and developer in northern Virginia. He resides in Vienna, VA with A.J. Tami passed away in 2003. To contact Jim directly, e-mail him.
Kathy Bornarth
Washington Area Director
Kathy joined Birthmothers in August 2006 as Washington Area Director. She is in charge of operations in Birthmothers’ home office and is the ministry’s spokesperson in the DC metro area.
Kathy holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Liberty University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from DeSales University. As an administrator, she served as Program Director at Carobell, Inc. (Hubert, NC), supervising operations of an ICF/MF vocational program. She has more than twelve years of clinical experience as a licensed professional counselor in marriage, family, group, individual and crisis intervention therapy for patients who face co-dependency, depression, chronic mental illness, terminal medical conditions, sexual assault, domestic violence, employment issues and military family issues. Most recently, she has worked as a pastoral counselor to adults and adolescents. Kathy has practiced in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida and Virginia.
“I’m acutely aware of birth moms’ needs for spiritual, emotional and material support, since I faced my own unplanned pregnancy at age 16,” says Kathy. “I hope to help Birthmothers reach more women in need and spread the word about the amazing work God is accomplishing through this ministry.”
Contact Kathy directly by e-mail.
Teresa Blanchard
Ministry Coordinator
Teresa joined Birthmothers in April 2007 as Ministry Coordinator. She is responsible for recruiting and training church team coordinators, overseeing local church teams and arranging one-on-one support for birth moms.
Teresa, a licensed Assemblies of God pastor, served as a missionary in Munich and Hamburg, Germany for fifteen years. There, she pastored in college ministries, cell groups, youth and children’s ministries, using her skill set strengths in pastoral care, coordinating small groups, recruiting and training volunteers, leadership development and evangelism outreach. Since her return to the U.S. in 2002, Teresa has served in private family management positions.
“Everything about Jesus’ ministry was relational. His common denominator with everyone was love and acceptance, with the goal of bringing them into the Kingdom – yet He never overlooked their physical needs,” says Teresa. “Being a Friend in a one-on-one ministry allows us to do the same. Birthmothers Friends are in a unique position to be Jesus’ hands and feet here on earth. What a difference we can make!”
Contact Teresa directly by e-mail.
Katie Boland
Ministry Office Coordinator
Katie joined Birthmothers in October 2006 as Ministry Office Coordinator. She is responsible for the ministry’s administrative support.
Katie has used her outstanding administrative and organizational gifts in executive office support, sales, customer service and event services. Most recently, she served as executive office assistant for the National Association of Secondary School Principals (Reston, VA), where she coordinated administrative support for the association’s key leadership. In addition, she has provided customer care in Automotive Service Excellence’s (Leesburg, VA) fast-paced commercial environment, and organizational support for National Electrical Contractors Association’s (Bethesda, MD) routine operations and special events. Katie received a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA) in 2002.
“Birthmothers is unique in that it reaches out in love, comfort and support to those who are lonely and in need,” says Katie. “The ministry is poised to grow. I want to help make a difference and I’m excited that I can use my skills to help us move forward.”
Contact Katie directly via e-mail.
Dr. Gwen Cobbs
Board of Directors
Board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist Gwen Cobbs is a clinical instructor at Georgetown University School of Medicine and Shenandoah University, and practices at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. and INOVA Loudoun Hospital in Landsdowne, VA.
She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, and completed her internship and residency at Georgetown University Medical Center. In addition, she is the president and founder of The Genesis Food Pantry, Inc. in northern Virginia, which supplies food to families in need.
“I have a heart for women in crisis,” says Gwen. “I want them to understand that God loves them and their babies, and that He has a destiny planned for them.”
Gwen joined Birthmothers’ Board of Directors in 2004. She resides in Herndon, VA with her husband, Jon.
Dr. Dale Keeton
Board of Directors
Dr. Dale Keeton joined Birthmothers’ Board of Directors in January 2005. He is the founder and president of The Vienna Family Therapy Center in Vienna, VA, and has served on the adjunct faculties of the University of Virginia, James Madison University and Virginia Tech.
Known as a dynamic speaker specializing in human relationships, personality types, leadership and effective communication, Dale was instrumental in helping to develop the Birthmothers Friends training manual in 2000. He also provides periodic in-service training sessions for Birthmothers volunteers.
He earned his Ph.D. degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, with additional studies at Texas Christian University, Princeton University and Pepperdine University.
“I’m honored to serve in the company of men and women who are genuine servants of the Lord,” says Dale. “Through God’s grace and excellent staff leadership, the ministry is poised for another level of effectiveness.”
Dale resides in Vienna, VA with his wife, Mary, and their Rottweiler, Arkansas. They have three grown sons.
Conrad R. “Bud” Harper
Board of Directors
Conrad R. “Bud” Harper is a commercial and residential real estate broker with REMAX Distinctive Properties in northern Virginia.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Mercy Medical Airlift (which provides charitable air transportation nationwide in situations of compelling medical need) and the local chapter of the Christian Businessmen’s Committee. He is also on the Advisory Boards of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ northern Virginia chapter and Youth for Tomorrow (a local residential group home for at-risk teens, founded by Washington Redskins’ Head Coach, Joe Gibbs).
Bud joined Birthmothers’ Board of Directors in 2003. He and his wife, Jill, have three children and four grandchildren. They reside in McLean, VA.
Kim Cooke
Advisory Board
Prior to founding Blue Water Capital in McLean, VA, Kim Cooke was an attorney with over 14 years of commercial and legal experience in domestic and international transactions and private equity financings. He has worked with credit, insurance and financial services companies in the United States, Europe and Latin America to create innovative solutions to finance and investment challenges for companies in all stages of the growth process.
Kim was an original investor in and serves on the Board of Directors of Skyway Communications, Inc. of San Jose, CA, a growing “bricks and clicks” retailer of wireless data communication products under the registered trade name “ephones.”
He received his Juris Doctorate from the Detroit College of Law and LLM from Washington College of Law of American University, with highest honors. Kim is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia. He serves on the boards of Tech Enterprises, Inc. and ICC, which provides Internet-based e-commerce solutions for the business-to-business marketplace. He joined the Advisory Board of Birthmothers in 2000.
Corky Eddins
Advisory Board
Corky Eddins ministers to government and business leaders in Washington, D.C. with The Navigators. For 12 years he worked with Christian Embassy in our nation’s capital. Prior posts with Campus Crusade for Christ took him to Munich, Germany, where he served as Deputy Director of Eastern Europe/Soviet Union Ministry; Vienna, Austria, as Director of Romania; and Philadelphia, PA, as Director of the Student Ministry at the University of Pennsylvania.
Corky has been on Birthmothers’ Advisory Board since its inception. He is a fellow parishioner, along with Birthmothers’ President Jim Wright, at The Falls Church, Falls Church, VA, and resides in Vienna, VA with his wife, Georgie. They have two adult children and one granddaughter.
Barbara Jones
Advisory Board
Since 1989, Barbara Jones has practiced law as a specialist in adoption, including direct parental placement, agency finalizations, re-adoptions and finalizations for internationally-born children, stepparent adoptions, relative adoptions and interstate adoptions. She provides counsel to child-placing agencies, birth parents, children and adoptive parents.
Barbara is a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, an association of 300+ legal professionals who specialize in adoption. She has served on the Board of Directors for Washington, D.C.-based Families for Private Adoption and has been its Program Director. In addition, she has worked as a volunteer for Youth for Tomorrow in Bristow, VA (a home for at-risk teens) for more than 15 years.
Barbara earned her Juris Doctorate from George Mason University School of Law. She served on Birthmothers’ Board of Directors from 1998-2001, and currently is a member of Birthmothers’ Advisory Board.
Married for 37 years, she and her husband, Gary, have two adult children and two grandchildren. They reside in Clifton, VA.
Jessica O'Connor-Petts
Advisory Board
Jessica O’Connor-Petts became pregnant just after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996. Because she believed in the importance of the two-parent family and that adoption would be the best option, both for her child and for herself, Jessica placed her birth son for adoption through Catholic Charities in 1997.
Since then, Jessica has completed her MBA at George Washington University, has married and works as a senior research analyst at a consulting firm, advising the electric power and natural gas industry. She trained as a Birthmothers Friend to encourage women in an untimely pregnancy, and has been a member of Birthmothers’ Advisory Board since 2001.
Steven Skancke
Advisory Board
Steven L. Skancke is the Managing Director of G. William Miller & Co., Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based private merchant banking corporation. In more than two decades with the firm, he has worked with both American and international business and financial institutions to develop investment strategies, put them into place and resolve disputes among competing parties.
Previously, Steve worked for the federal government for 15 years – first at the White House from 1969-1976 on national security, foreign policy and defense issues, and later in the Treasury Department. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, and has co-authored two books on business.
A friend and fellow parishioner of Jim Wright's, Steve has served as a financial and development advisor to Birthmothers since its inception.
James Wootton
Advisory Board
James Wootton joined the Government Relations Practice of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP in Washington D.C. in 2002.
As the former president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, he worked for significant changes in the civil justice system to reduce wasteful and excessive litigation. While on staff there, he was the Chamber’s lead negotiator of the Y2K Act of 1999, which spelled out liability limitations for Y2K failures.
Jim served as president of Safe Streets Alliance and Safe Streets Coalition, two non-profit corporations that he formed in 1992, to educate young people about crime, create youth leadership opportunities and promote public advocacy about safety. During his tenure as president of Safe Streets, Jim was the principal drafter and advocate for the truth-in-sentencing provisions of the 1994 Crime Bill, which authorized over $5.7 billion for prison construction in the U.S.
Jim’s articles have appeared in Newsweek magazine and newspapers across the country. He has been a guest on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, CNN, ESPN, CNBC, Newstalk, The Phil Donohue Show, The Jessie Jackson Show, Court TV, Fox Morning News, Dateline NBC and numerous radio talk shows. Jim authored two backgrounders for the Heritage Foundation on truth-in-sentencing and juvenile crime and edited the book, Freed to Kill.
He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1976, along with a B.A. in Economics, High Honors in 1973, also from UVA.
Jim is a member of the Virginia State Bar Association. He serves Birthmothers as a ministry strategist.
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