Meet Our Staff
Family Hope Connection
- JoAnn White, Director, Family Hope Connection
- Aneesa Holt, Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker
- Deborah Kelly, LSW, Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker II
- Erica Lyons, Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker
- Diane Stol, MSW, Foster Care / Adoption Caseworker II
JoAnn White
Director, Family Hope Connection
JoAnn White is the director of the Family Hope Connection (FHC). She is responsible for the overall operation of FHC, including supervision of all staff, development of programs, monitoring, evaluation of programs, maintenance of licenses (foster and adoption) and coordination of collaborative work with other adoption agencies.
JoAnn has been with FHC since the beginning of the program in September 1997. Prior to working at JF&CS, she was on the management team of Project STAR, the adoption and foster care program of the Children's Institute for 10 years. Prior to this JoAnn was the social worker for a large Early Intervention program in North Carolina for 8 years.
JoAnn has worked with children and their families in some capacity for 30+ years. Primarily her career has focused on working with families who have children with special needs. She has worked specifically in the adoption field since 1987.
JoAnn holds a master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from West Virginia University and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Aneesa Holt
Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker
Aneesa Holt is Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker with the Family Hope Connection. She is responsible for preparing children for permanency, creating life books with children, writing child profiles, and recruiting families for waiting children.
Prior to coming to Jewish Family & Children’s Service she was at Triumph Youth Services in Utah, working with male adolescents with substance abuse issues, gang involvement, and/or behavioral issues.
Aneesa received her bachelor’s in social work at Utah State University, and a master’s from the University of Utah.
Deborah Kelly, LSW
Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker II
Deborah Kelly is a Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker with the Family Hope Connection. As a caseworker she provides a continuum of adoption services: working with families wanting to adopt, completing their Home studies and preparation for adoption training. She also prepares children for adoption, supervises placements of children within families, helps families after they have completed their adoptions and works with biological parents choosing to make an adoption plan.
Debbie comes to the agency with many years of experience working in the adoption field, including eight years with Project STAR of The Children's Institute, three years of adoption social work in the greater D.C. area and two years as an unplanned pregnancy counselor in Fleetwood PA.
Debbie received a bachelor's degree in Social Work from Albright College and a master's degree in Community Leadership from Duquesne University.
Erica Lyons
Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker
Erica Lyons is a Foster Care/Adoption Caseworker with the Family Hope Connection. She is responsible for preparing children for permanency, creating life books with children, writing child profiles and writing home studies for families adopting internationally, domestically and through the child welfare system.
Before coming to the Family Hope Connection, Erica was a foster care caseworker at KidsPeace in New Cumberland, PA where she advocated for children in foster care by scheduling sessions to ensure they were adjusting well to the foster home, attending court reviews and judicial proceedings, and developing and monitoring Individual Service Plans for each child on caseload. She also served as therapeutic support staff at Milestones Community Healthcare in Harrisburg, PA working with children with diagnoses, such as autism.
Erica received a bachelor's degree in psychology from West Virginia University.
Diane Stol, MSW
Foster Care / Adoption Caseworker II
Diane Stol is an Adoption/Foster Caseworker for the Family Hope Connection. She provides a continuum of adoption services, including working with families wanting to adopt, preparing home studies and providing adoption preparation training. She also prepares children for adoption, supervises placements of children within families, helps families after they have completed their adoptions and works with biological parents choosing to make an adoption plan.
Diane has worked in the adoption field for 20 years both here in Pittsburgh and the United Kingdom. She was an adoption supervisor for Children Youth and Families in Allegheny County and an adoption case worker for Project STAR, an organization committed to finding adoptive homes for children with severe and/or emotional challenges. In the United Kingdom, Diane worked in both Scotland and England specializing in Foster Care.
Diane holds a master's in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Glasgow (Scotland) and a master's in Psychology also from the University of Glasgow.
