Meet Our Founders
Mary (on the right) is the Founder of Moms Adopting Moms working as the Executive Director and Chairman of the Board. Mary is a wife and mother as well as a former Technology and Hospitality professional. She and her husband lived seven and a half years in Europe when they first married and have now settled back in Mary's hometown of Athens, Georgia. Mary loves spending time with her daughter, husband, godchildren and extended family. She is often found speaking German to anyone that will listen, playing with her dogs, traveling, and listening to audio books. A former foster parent and trained CASA, Mary loves to uplift women and families through continuing education, workforce development, encouragement and tough love. Her passion is creating opportunities that lead to lasting transformation and empowered futures.
Christina (on the left) is the Co-Founder, Vice-Chair and Director of Bio Mom Peer Mentoring. She is also a mom to four wonderful children and a certified addiction recovery empowerment specialist. Christina recently celebrated her long awaited marriage to Giancarlo and they currently live in Madison County. Three and a half years sober and having achieved reunification with her children in September of 2022, Christina helps moms in similar circumstances to what she went through find the freedom, joy and success in life she has experienced. Christina is always trying to improve herself and assist others in doing the same. She and her family enjoy fishing and traveling.
Mary, Christina and their families attend Nations Church in Athens
Meet Jackson
Board Secretary
Jackson is happily married to Rachel and together they have a beautiful one year old son named Jack and another son due this summer. Jackson graduated from UGA with a business management degree and has been working most recently as a financial advisor taking an educative approach in helping with people’s finances including budgeting, retirement, proper protection and estate planning. Jackson hopes to continue to utilize his passion for business and finance to help others receive financial freedom. He will teach regular finance classes to both foster and biological families in his work as secretary of the board.
Meet Annette
Board Treasurer
Annette grew up in Miami, Florida, and later moved to Rochester, New York, to be closer to her family. She attended Stony Brook University and earned a bachelor's in marketing. Annette spent 30 years in retail before moving in Georgia in 2009. Her last job was as a Lieutenant with the Elbert County Sheriff’s Department before retiring in 2016.
Annette now volunteers as a CASA (a court appointed special advocate) as well as a board member for their Northern Judicial Circuit. She serves as the Treasurer and Office Manager at Hart Life Pregnancy Center and is an advocate for residents at Hart Interdenominational Ministries (HIM). Helping people, especially children, fills her heart with joy. Annette and her husband enjoy life on a 30-acre farm in Hart County. Coming from bigger cities, she truly values the tranquility and peace it offers. Annette looks forward to the opportunity of working with Moms Adopting Moms.
Meet Christine
Christine M. Scartz is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law where she teaches Family Law and Law & Social Justice. She is also the director of the School of Law’s Jane W. Wilson Family Justice Clinic, which provides free representation to indigent victims of domestic violence and stalking in protective order cases. Before joining the law school’s faculty in August 2015, Scartz worked as an associate attorney with a Gwinnett County law firm, where she handled a domestic relations and criminal law practice. She has also served as an appointed attorney for criminal appeals in the Gwinnett County Superior Court, where she represented indigent criminal defendants in postconviction proceedings, and as a litigation associate in a Roswell, Georgia, law firm
Meet Sallie
Sallie Zehna Starrett is the CEO of Brightpaths, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing child abuse in Athens and the surrounding area. Sallie is a proud Athens native who holds a BS in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia. With almost 15 years experience in the non-profit sector, her favorite part of her work is serving alongside a team of people who have a shared burden to accomplish a meaningful mission. Sallie’s career focuses on child welfare and family preservation, and she’s had the joy of seeing countless families reach their goals of reunification, improved relationship, parenting breakthrough, and more. She and her husband are foster parents who champion the reunification of families. They have 3 young children who keep them busy and laughing! Together, they love spending time together cheering on the Dawgs, trying new Athens restaurants, and playing outside!
Meet Michelle
Michelle Medlock is the Executive Director of Acceptance Recovery Center, a local nonprofit long-term residential treatment program. With a bachelor’s degree in social work and multiple certifications in addiction and mental health support, she brings both professional expertise and deep personal insight to her work.
Michelle’s passion for recovery and supporting families stems from her own experience with substance use disorder and navigating a DFCS case plan with little support. That journey shaped her commitment to helping others feel empowered through their most difficult seasons.
Currently pursuing her master’s in social work, Michelle continues to advocate for trauma-informed, family-centered recovery. She is honored to support the mission of Moms Adopting Moms.
Outside of her professional and academic life, Michelle enjoys time with her husband, their three children, and her precious dogs, pig, and chickens.
Meet Daydrianna!
Daydrianna is currently engaged and a mom to three amazing kids! Daydrianna is looking forward to using her experience to connect with other moms and support them on their own personal journeys. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her friends and family and practicing her passion for makeup and hair. Daydrianna has spent the last three months training as a Bio Mom Peer Mentor and has recently transitioned to managing the day-to-day responsibilities for moms seeking services in Banks, Stephens, Franklin, Hart and Elbert counties.
Meet Samantha!
Samantha is the latest bio mom peer mentor to join our team. Having walked the path of healing herself, she knows first-hand the challenges of getting sober, rebuilding trust and breaking free from toxic habits and environments. Her kids were taken from her in July of 2020 and reunited one year later. Her experience has fueled a deep passion for helping other women rediscover their strength, reclaim their worth and create a future they are proud of. Samantha will be training under Christina helping to oversee Jackson, Madison, Clarke and Oglethorpe counties.