Meet the Staff

 

Our "staff" members all "work" from the luxuries of home, in jammies and even with curlers in our hair if we like! Our staff at BirthMom Buds consists of different members who volunteer their time in order to keep things running smoothly as we grow and get more members each day. Everyone who volunteers their time and energy to BirthMom Buds also gives a lot of heart and soul to our cause as well.


Partial Staff Photo
From Left to Right:
Melanie Mosberg, Brandy Mosley, Coley Strickland, Lani Downing, Mary Behling, Leslie Hoyt
Taken at Birthmother's Day 2006


Our Lovely Staff

Alicia Moser, Newsletter Manager - Alicia joined the "staff" in February 2004. Alicia is an avid writer herself, often expressing her feelings in poetry, so managing the newsletter is a great job for her. Alicia is responsible for coming up with ideas for articles for future newsletters, finding people to write the articles, and getting it all to  Coley by the end of the month. Alicia also frequently writes for the newsletter and has many of her poems published on the Inspiration page. Alicia is also a mentor in our pregnant and placing program and has helped numerous women in the program to make decisions for their child's future and seen them through the adoption process if they chose to make adoption plans. Alicia is the birthmom to daughter Brittany, age 13,  who was placed in a closed adoption. Alicia is married to her husband Wade and together they are raising their daughters Michaela (11) and Hannah (3). Alicia and her family live in Texas. In her spare time, Alicia enjoys writing, scrapbooking, and being involved in her church. (Alicia is pictured above with her husband.)

Amy Morse, Birthday Coordinator ~ Amy is in charge of keeping track of the birthdays of our members and our members' children. Each month, our members can email Amy their own birthdays and the birthdates of their birth children for inclusion in the newsletter. The Birthday Section was Amy's own idea and it became a regular feature appearing in our newsletter as of February 2005. Amy occasionally writes for the newsletter and is also a mentor for expectant mothers. Amy is the birthmother to her daughter Kaylee, who is 3. She shares an open adoption with Kaylee and her adoptive family. Amy resides in Oregon and in her spare time she enjoys reading, journaling, and hanging out with friends. (Amy is pictured above with her daughter Kaylee.)

 

Melanie Mosberg, Pregnant and Placing Coordinator ~ Melanie began working as the Pregnant and Placing Coordinator in the summer of 2005. Melanie has the large task of keeping the program running smoothly which includes welcoming expectant mothers who are considering adoption, processing new mentor applications, matching mentors and mentees, and reporting all of it back to Coley and Lani so that care packages can get out on time, etc. Melanie is the birthmother to her precious daughter, Sarah, who turned three in May. Melanie enjoys an open adoption with Sarah's adoptive family which includes a few visits, letters, pictures, etc. Melanie resides in Charlotte, NC and in her spare time enjoys reading, volunteering, theater, and sports. (Melanie is pictured above with her daughter Sarah.)

Jessica Pohle, Copy-editor extraordinaire ~  Jessica joined the staff in the summer of 2005 as our editor. She proofs the newsletters and other literature constantly looking for (and sometimes finding!) errors and mistakes.  Jessica has been writing  poetry and stream of consciousness pieces since she could string a sentence together. Jessica is also an avid reader and was the editor of the literature magazine and the newspaper in high school.  Jessica, who goes by the screen name jersey girl in our chat sessions, is the birthmom to her daughter, Tabitha, who was born in May of 2005. Jessica is originally from New Jersey but currently resides in Florida.  In her spare time Jess enjoys singing, writing, listening to tunes, and driving.

 

 

Brandy Mosley, Buddy of the Month Coordinator ~ Brandy has been a member of BirthMom Buds for quite some time now and has been active participating in chats, coordinating Secret Sisters for Birthmom’s Day for the past 2 years, and writing articles for the newsletter. Brandy officially joined the staff in November of 2005 as the Buddy of the Month coordinator. She is responsible for receiving applications and interviewing the nominees. Brandy is the birth mom to Phoebe, who was placed in an semi open adoption in Dec 2003. Brandy resides in West Virginia with her boyfriend, Dave, and their cat, Oakley. Brandy enjoys reading, scrap booking, crafting, and watching scary movies. Brandy loves all holidays and gets really silly when it snows. (Brandy is pictured above on her 23rd birthday.)

 

Mary Behling, Prayer Requests Coordinator ~ Mary began coordinating the prayer requests in the winter of 2005. Mary is responsible for compiling the prayer requests members email her and submitting the list to Coley at the end of each month.  She has also coordinated a few card drives. Mary placed her son, "J," in a closed adoption 28 years ago. Recently, Mary was contacted by J's adoptive mom last year and lovingly prays for and waits for a relationship with her birthson. Mary currently lives in Tennessee with her hubby. In her spare time, Mary enjoys painting and cooking. (In lieu of a photo of herself, Mary shares a picture of one of her crafts that she painted.)

 

Stacy Fearnley, Buddy System Program Assistant ~ Stacey joined the staff in August of 2005. She assists Coley with the buddy system program by sending out the buddy matched letters. Stacey placed her daughter, Brittany, in a semi open adoption nearly 18 years ago. She resumed contact with her daughter about 3 years ago. Stacey resides in St Louis Missouri with her high school sweetheart (not the birthfather) who she has been married to for 13 years. They have a 5 year old son together. Stacey enjoys reading, anything Disney, and the theatre.

We also want to take a moment to thank the authors who contribute on a regular basis for the BirthMom Buds Bulletin. We have all enjoyed reading the poems and articles of Jenifer H., Alicia Moser, Lisa Hankins, Brandy Mosley, and Dax Ripka-Cartwright.