MEET OUR BOARD MEMBERS
Our volunteer Board of Directors is composed of dedicated community leaders committed to supporting youth in foster care and helping foster parents create a family oriented environment. Our board represents a diverse array of professionals, including many individuals who are either currently serving or have previously served as foster parents.
Donna Wagner
Board Chair
Donna Wagner is so excited to work with Fostering Connections! As an adoptive mother and Registered Nurse for thirty years she knows the impact strong community connections and support can have.
Donna moved to St. Augustine from New York ten years ago and has worked in various positions for Flagler Health + over those ten years. She is currently the Vice President of Education Services and Patient Experience for Flagler Health +.
Donna received her Associates Degree in Nursing from Farmingdale State College of NY, and both her Bachelors and Masters Degree’s in Nursing from St. Joseph’s College.
Currently, Donna is involved in many advisory boards for schools of nursing in St. Johns and Duval Counties as well as being on the St. Johns County School District Advisory Board for the Healthcare Academies. She enjoyed being a Board Member for the GAL 7 for two years which also worked with children in the foster system.
In her free time, Donna enjoys paddle boarding, boating, Zumba, and spending time with her friends and family. She is passionate about education and providing opportunity for anyone who wants it.
Kimberly Sole
Director
Kim is incredibly passionate about advocating for youth education, thus is thrilled to be able to contribute to the incredible mission and vision of Fostering Connections!
Kim has over 20 years of diverse banking industry experience serving in various roles including financial center manager, retail sales manager, professional banker and commercial relationship manager covering the Northeast Florida market. She currently serves as Senior Vice President and Jacksonville Market Leader at The Claxton Bank
(TCB).
Kim has a Bachelor of Science degree in applied economics from Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech). Over the years, she has served on multiple nonprofit boards and has been an active volunteer leading financial literacy programs for youth in our community.
She resides in St. Johns County with her husband and two high school aged children. In her free time, Kim enjoys spending time with her family and friends, playing with her two labrador retrievers, cheering for her son’s football team and watching her daughter ride horseback. ​​
Amanda Bunk
Sizemore
Treasurer
Amanda graduated from Jacksonville University with a Bachelor of Accounting Degree in 2004. She earned her Master of Accountancy from The University of North Florida in December 2010 and her Master of Business Administration in 2021 from Southern New Hampshire University. She became a Certified Public Accountant and is licensed within the State of Florida since 2013.
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Amanda started her public accounting career in high school, working during school holidays. She now has over fifteen years of full-time experience working at Jacksonville based firms, taking on responsibilities of bookkeeping, payroll, corporate and individual tax returns.
Amanda is a current member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
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Amanda is a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi and served as its Treasurer while attending Jacksonville University. Amanda has also volunteered in several positions within her church, including spending eighteen months serving a mission in Denver, Colorado.
Amanda is a proud Navy wife and currently serves as the ombudsman for the USS Maryland (738) Gold Crew.
Brandon Speeg
Director
Born in rural Southeastern Ohio, Brandon Speeg developed a deep love for nature early in life. This passion guided his academic journey, leading him to earn a B.S. in biology from Bowling Green State University and an M.S. in biology from Wright State University.
Brandon's career began at the Wilds, a conservation facility in Ohio, where he developed the first behavioral inventory of an endangered antelope species, which he later applied to a field study in China.
In 2008, he joined White Oak Conservation in Florida as the antelope section leader and later spearheaded the creation of White Oak’s foundational education department in 2012.
Currently, as Senior Director at White Oak Conservation, Brandon oversees the organization's conservation, education, and animal programs. His leadership extends across various strategic initiatives, including partnerships, operations, and programs. Brandon has supported conservation efforts worldwide, including in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
He also serves on several boards and advisory councils, including the Conservation Centers for Species Survival Advisory Board and the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders Advisory Council.
Brandon and his wife, Mindy, are covenant members of The Church of 1122 and share a passion for supporting adoptive and foster families. They reside in Jacksonville with their three children.
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Whitney Butler
Director
Whitney is enthusiastic about Jacksonville and our youth, especially young adults, and future leaders. She is
excited to be able to contribute and be a part of Fostering Connections’ drive to create a better tomorrow for youth and families impacted by foster care and adoption. Over the years she has served on nonprofit boards and been tapped for special projects teams within the organizations where she has worked.
Whitney brings distinct experience across her 25-year career in commercial real estate and nonprofit. She has proven success working with diverse groups in both the private and not for profit sectors having worked in
multiple markets in Florida and other states. ​
She is familiar with Florida’s child welfare system from her time as Director of Marketing for Family Support Services of North Florida and Suncoast. She is currently Director of Development for the Lote Group, an owner and developer of retail shopping centers and finished lots.
A long-time resident of Jacksonville, she is an avid Georgia fan and mother of two young women who she enjoys spending time with and seeing them launch their careers. Whitney enjoys the beach, walking bridges and spending time with family and friends.
Rob Thomas
Finance Chair
Rob was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee as the youngest of 6 kids. Sports, particularly football and baseball, consumed much of his time growing up. Although his father passed away when Rob was a kid, his mom worked hard to provide everything he needed. After high school, he attended the University of Memphis where he obtained a degree in Finance and was active in campus leadership. While he will always have a place in his heart for Tennessee, Rob and his family have called north Florida home since 2013.
Rob is a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones in Saint Augustine. He enjoys helping his clients plan for retirement, invest, and create wealth management strategies. Rob is passionate about financial planning and considers it an honor to assist his clients in securing their financial future.
He and his wife, Christine, have six adult children, three sons-in-law, two grandchildren, and two very beloved (and spoiled) dogs. ​
However, the story of his family centers around March 12, 2005 when a sibling group of four beautiful kids sauntered into his house as foster children, escorted by a social worker, and joined Rob, his wife, and two other children. Their lives would never be the same as the family was eventually made complete through the adoption of these four wonderful kids.
During the fostering process, Rob and Christine were honored to be named West Tennessee Foster Parents of the Year. In the past, Rob has also served on the board of other charitable organizations, spent time in various mentoring roles, and supported St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Nemours Children's Health and the Alzheimer’s Association.
In his spare time, Rob enjoys sports, historical documentaries, live music, and enjoying the Florida sunshine!
Dykisha
Potter
Director
Dykisha Potter began her career in education as a City Year AmeriCorps member when she moved to Jacksonville in 2015. Since then she has worked in education in both the public school system and the non-profit sector. She is currently a Site Coordinator with Communities in Schools of Jacksonville where she works with high school students supporting college and career readiness.
Dykisha is active in her community, volunteering and serving in leadership roles with the Junior League of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Urban League Young Professionals. She is also the co-founder of the ampED National Fellowship, a nonprofit which works to amplify the voices of young Black educators in the education policy realm.
Dykisha is passionate about addressing inequities in education and other social determinants of health and will be graduating with her Master in Public Policy degree from Jacksonville University in April 2024. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Miami and an MA in Teaching from University of North Florida.
Dykisha was born and raised in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and enjoys traveling home to see her family any chance she gets. In her free time she loves dancing, traveling, reading, doing puzzles (jigsaw and logic), and trying new foods. She is excited to be a part of the Fostering Connections family and impact the lives of deserving children and families.
Cydney
Bulger
Director
Cydney Bulger is a proud Florida resident, and started her career as an attorney for the State of Florida, prosecuting cases of child abuse and neglect. During her tenure there, she worked closely with foster families and children, learning about the unique issues they face. This sparked a desire to work with these families and assist them in navigating a difficult system so that they would be better served and have greater opportunities to thrive.
In 2015 Cydney entered private law practice alongside her husband Dustin Bulger, and together they built a firm to provide aggressive representation and compassionate service to clients facing some of life's hardest challenges in family law and injury cases.
Cydney has served on the Executive Board of the American Family Law Inns of Court and Florida Bar Family Law Rules Committee, is a faculty member of the National Business Institute as well as an active member of the Jacksonville Justice Association and Florida Justice Association, and now serves on the Fostering Connections Board.
Cydney believes that all children deserve access to education, enrichment and opportunities to pursue the best in life, regardless of the obstacles that life places in their way.
Katie Stevenson
Director
Katie began volunteering with Fostering Connections in the Summer of 2024 at our Career Readiness Academy. She assisted the students with mock interview practice. Being able to support the kids in the program and help build their confidence really sparked her passion for our organization.
Katie has worked at Progressive Insurance for the past 21 years with over 19 of those years in leadership roles. The majority of her time with Progressive has been in the Claims Department. She is a Claims Process Director for the East Zone where she supports 11 different states.
Katie has lived in the North Florida area for the past 30 years and is currently a St. Augustine resident. She has been married to her husband Andy for 15 years and they have 2 amazing kids! When she is not on the baseball, softball or football fields she loves to travel, boat, work out and spend time with friends and family.
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She is absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to serve on our Board and is excited to be able to help further the mission of Fostering Connections!