Meet the Foster Care Team
When you’re a Northern Rivers foster parent, you’re never alone. There’s a whole team of skilled professionals with different specialties ready to help with any challenge. Each treatment team includes:
Homefinders develop an active recruitment plan for recruiting foster parents. Throughout the training process for potential foster parents, homefinders assess families’ ability to foster children as it relates to 12 skills of successful fostering. Once the foster families become certified, homefinders provide ongoing training and support for certified parents in conjunction with the foster care team.
Program coordinators provide the administrative supervision of workers in the foster care program. They oversee foster families and staff, and maintain relationships with counties in the region they serve. Program coordinators are responsible for matching foster youth with foster parents.
Permanency care managers provide case management of the children in care regarding their daily functioning in the foster care system, as well as in the foster home, during their journey toward permanency.
Clinicians provide assessment, treatment planning, and general counseling for children and families in foster care. Clinicians are available to our foster parents as a clinical resource and can provide group counseling to the foster family and foster youth.
Family support workers help with supervising birth family visitation and transportation needs including visits and appointments as needed, as well as provide occasional respite service.
Licensed practical nurses provide medical supervision.
As members of a nationally accredited agency, Northern Rivers’ foster care staff are some of the most highly trained, talented, and caring team of people in the industry. We proudly partner with many communities throughout New York state and have offices in Albany, Binghamton, Hudson, Johnstown, Queensbury, and Schenectady to ensure local support for our foster families in more than a 20-county service area.
Northern Rivers is now certifying and managing homes in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley Region, Mohawk Valley Region, the North Country, and the Southern Tier. Those interested in foster parenting should feel free to reach out to the homefinder who covers their county of residence.
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Star Gregory, Director, Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention
Star Gregory is the Director, Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention. Star's team covers 23 counties that contract with Northern Rivers Foster Care program. She joined the organization in 2011, serving as a Recruitment Coordinator before being named to her current position in 2021. Prior to coming to Northern Rivers, she served in both home finding and case management positions for KidsPeace National Center. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the College of St. Rose, and is finishing her master's degree in management with a focus on organizational leadership.
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518.337.3789 (Cell)
Albany and Rensselaer Counties
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Mason Tallman, Homefinder, Albany
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518.233.3828
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Jenny McMillen, Homefinder, Schenectady
Jenny McMillen is the Homefinder for our Schenectady office. She certifies and maintains foster homes in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties. Jenny joined Northern Rivers in 2006 as a counselor for the Intensive Aftercare and Prevention Program. She has worked in the Therapeutic Foster Family Program as a clinician, program coordinator, and respite coordinator. Jenny has worked as a medical claim representative with an insurance agency and was a part-time respite worker at Equinox for several years, working with adolescents transitioning into adulthood by assisting them with independent living skills. She earned her BS in psychology and MS in community counseling at SUNY Plattsburgh.
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518.372.6708
Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, and Ulster Counties
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Christy Szczepanski, Homefinder, Hudson
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518.281.0760
Fulton, Montgomery, and Schoharie Counties
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Jolene Olsen, Homefinder, Johnstown
Jolene Olsen is the Homefinder for our Johnstown office. She certifies and maintains foster homes in Fulton, Montgomery, and Schoharie Counties. Jolene joined Northern Rivers in 2015 as a clinical case manager. Her previous experience includes working with children and adults with developmental disabilities, providing individualized services in their home. She has also worked as a teacher’s aide, assisting in the development and implementation of children’s individual education plans, as well as assisting teachers in managing children’s difficult behaviors in the classroom.
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518.736.1780
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Andrea Ray, Homefinder
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315.414.9855
Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties
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Lauren O'Connor, Homefinder, Queensbury
Lauren O'Connor is a homefinder who joined Northern Rivers’ Queensbury office in 2022. She certifies and maintains foster families from Essex, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties. She previously worked as a health advocate and home visitor for Head Start in Saratoga. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication sciences and disorders from SUNY Plattsburgh.
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518.769.0404
Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Otsego, and Tompkins Counties
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Kira Burke, Homefinder, Binghamton
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607.643.6044