Advisory Board
The members of our advisory board are exceptional leaders with years of experience serving families. Each and every one of them brings a unique set of skills and expertise to our organization.
Carole Harper
Founder
Carole is currently a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) with King County Court with four cases – three in Family Treatment Court (FTC) and one in regular court.
While she has been a foster parent and an adoptive parent, Carole believes that whenever possible families belong together, and she wants to support that where she can.
From her 33 years at the City of Bellevue Carole has experience growing teams, setting up new functions and structures, and building new organizations.
Sara Robertson
Sara Robertson is a passionate advocate for children and family well-being. She earned her bachelor's degree in business management and has worked as a senior leader in technology with a role focused on strategic programs, business transformation and developing leaders. Sara has previously volunteered as a victim/witness advocate and in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, working as a mentor to at-risk parents. Sara's leadership, compassion and dedication make her a valuable asset to the Nova.
Peyton Foster
Family Resource Advisor
Peyton has five years of experience working with families and youth in therapy services that serve foster children, their families, and foster families. She is trained in a variety of therapy modalities that specifically are trauma informed and family oriented. Peyton received a BSW from the University of Washington and has a master's degree in clinical social work from the University of Kentucky.
Ellie Olson
Occupational Therapist Supervisor
Ellie Olson, OTR/L, CIMI, has been working as a pediatric occupational therapist since 2006. She graduated from the Master of Occupational Therapy program at University of Washington in 2005 and earned her Bachelor in Business Administration from California State University Fullerton in 1993. Ellie has experience with birth to adolescent children. She has treated in a pre-school setting, as well as in the Lake Washington School District. Ellie is a certified infant massage instructor.
Janet Webb
Occupational Therapist Assistant
Janet Webb, COTA/L, has been working as an occupational therapy practitioner at Fall City Children’s Therapy since 2016. Her previous career path includes obtaining a BS degree in Business Management and over 20 years of professional experience with two well-respected early educational companies.
Jason Hale
Technology
Jason is a technology professional with over 26 years of experience supporting local government. He has a passion for people using and embracing technology. He has experience with registration systems, payment processing, maintenance and document storage.
Fred Pfistner
Connections Support
Fred is an MSW and has over 3O years of work experience in child welfare. Fred designed and supervised the first early permanency planning unit in King County, and supervised a child welfare unit in the Office of African American Children’s Services (OAACS). He is currently a supervisor for King County CASA. Fred has a passion for providing permanency planning for children.
Samuel Hale
Technology
Samuel recently graduated from Bellevue College with a Bachelors degree in Information Technology. Since then he has been looking for opportunities to use and grow his skills and knowledge in the field.
Sally King
Grant and Website Coordinator
Sally has 30 years experience as a writer and editor with a background in writing instruction manuals and small grant requests. She has worked in city government creating processes for onboarding new employees, and has experience in the development and maintenance of websites.
Contact Info
Address: 21010 76th Ave W
Edmonds WA 98026
Phone: 425.214.2493
Email: Info@novafam.org
EIN: 92-2594000
Member - Edmonds Chamber of Commerce