The Steering Team: The Heart Behind the Vision

The RDU for Fams Steering Team is made up of local leaders—pastors, nonprofit directors, and community advocates—who came together with a shared conviction:
The crisis facing vulnerable children in our community is too big for any one person, ministry, or church to face alone.

In 2023, this group linked arms, applied for coaching and a catalytic grant through More Than Enough at CAFO, and launched
RDU for FAMs as a collaborative, prayerful response to this call.

Today, they continue to meet twice a month to pray, discern, and co-labor to unify, equip, and mobilize the Body of Christ across our region. Each team member carries a unique “piece of the puzzle,” bringing their gifts, perspectives, and lived experiences to the table.

Together, they serve not as directors, but as stewards—holding the vision with open hands and helping to shepherd its growth in deep dependence on God

  • Keith Fortier | Agape of NC

    Keith Fortier is a foster and adoptive dad of over ten years and currently serves with Agape of North Carolina as their Director of Advancement, where he builds networks of generous, sacrificial advocates committed to protecting North Carolina’s most vulnerable children. He and his wife live in Raleigh with their six children.

    With a background in education and trauma-informed care, Keith spent 12 years as a kindergarten teacher before transitioning into direct support roles within the foster care system. He is a TBRI® Practitioner, Behavioral Health Partner, and community connector.

    Keith is passionate about equipping the Church to be a light in the foster care system—mobilizing communities to not only welcome children into their homes, but also create sustainable support structures that allow families to thrive. 

    Whether training parents, speaking at churches, or coaching ministry leaders, Keith brings deep empathy, practical insight, and a clear vision for long-term transformation in the lives of vulnerable children and those who care for them.

  • Sara Meadows | Apex Baptist

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • Jodi Bailey | Summit Church

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • Pam Taylor | Watch Me Rise

    After Pam's own personal adoption journey, Pam felt called to work on behalf of the children in Foster Care. She has been serving in this arena for the past ten years by leading a non-profit organization she founded in 2011. Pam now serves as co-founder and CEO of Watch Me Rise ministry alongside her adopted son. Together, Pam and Trent serve foster and adoptive families with a vast array of support services. Pam is a TBRI Practitioner, Making Sense of Your Worth Facilitator, Building Freedom From Within, Art Therapy Practitioner, Educational Therapist, Life Coach, and mental health coach. Pam considers it a true honor to walk alongside foster and adoptive families and to guide them to the healing that is found in God.

  • Trent Taylor | Watch Me Rise

    Trent entered foster care at the age of four due to domestic violence, extreme neglect, and sexual abuse. After traveling a painful journey through the foster care system, Trent was adopted at the age of nine and came to dramatic levels of healing from his traumatic past. Trent, who is now 24 years old, has devoted his life to helping others find healing. Trent is a mentor and public speaker and has authored and published two books. Trent graduated from Arizona State University with a 4.0 GPA with a B.S. in Family and Human Development. Trent is CEO and Co-Founder of Watch Me Rise in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Trent is a trauma consultant and serves as a TBRI Practitioner, Life Coach, Educational Therapist, mentor, and parent trainer. Trent gives all the glory to God for his healing and strives to be a light in the darkness.

  • Tanya Fortier | RDU for FAMs

    Tanya has served in the foster care and adoption space for nearly a decade, both professionally and personally. A licensed social worker, she has worked with Agape of NC and in pediatric hospital settings, walking alongside children and families through some of their most vulnerable moments.

    She and her husband, Keith, have six children — three biological and three adopted through foster care — and have spent the last 15 years living out this mission together. “Keith’s the dreamer, and I’m the executor,” she says. “We’ve always known we were meant to do this as a team.”

    Tanya is passionate about systems, structure, and supporting sustainable impact, and now serves as the backbone administrative lead for RDU for FAMs.

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