Our Team

 

New Year, New Leadership!



JENNY O'TOOLE, President

Jenny is a birth mother who placed her son in an open adoption wayyyyy back in 1995— because why not start things off with a little '90s nostalgia? She’s managed to keep a fantastic relationship with his adoptive family, staying connected like the picture-perfect adoption story everyone dreams of. In 2019, Jenny met Nanci (see below) through mutual friends, and they bonded instantly over their shared adoption sisterhood. Naturally, when Nanci introduced her to MPA, Jenny didn’t hesitate to get involved since she had been looking for an outlet to give back to the adoption world. With over 30 years in the Marketing industry, Jenny brings a wealth of experience in graphic design and project management to her board role—because what’s a non-profit without a marketing guru in the mix?

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NANCI RIDER, Vice President

Nanci has been involved with MPA for over 12 years—talk about commitment! As a birth mother, she brings her "one-of-a-kind" perspective to the Board, which everyone swears is absolutely indispensable to MPA and our clients. When she’s not busy being a Board MVP, Nanci works as a registered Veterinary Nurse at an animal ER in Berkeley, CA—because, obviously, saving animals is the perfect way to round out her résumé of heroics.

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PEARL CHEN, Treasurer

Pearl is a birth mother, a social worker, and a proud San Francisco native who’s been glued to MPA since she joined the board in 2011. She then decided to really dive in, serving as MPA’s Development and Program Coordinator for six years. In that time, Pearl juggled everything from managing communications and wrangling databases to keeping daily operations on track—all while championing the birth mother community like the rockstar she is. Since then, she has completed her degree and is now a flourishing Social Work professional in the Mental Health field—that’s right, we’ve got a true smarty pants on our team!

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JENNY BARNES, Secretary

Jenny is a first mother who was introduced to MPower Alliance 14 years ago when her placed son was just two years old. After her son’s adoption went from open to closed, she discovered the birthmother community at MPA and decided to become an advocate for post-placement birth mother services. Now, she’s all about leading workshops at MPA retreats and taking the stage at fundraising galas as a speaker—because who doesn’t love a microphone? Armed with a background in early childhood education, she now works as a childcare provider, proving she just can’t get enough of kids, even on the clock!

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ASHLEY MORALES, Event Chair

Ashley has been a part of MPA for 10 years and is a proud birth mother. With love and support from her son’s family, they have all stayed connected throughout the relationship and shared many milestones. She understands the complexity of adoption and advocates the importance of post-placement care for birth mothers/parents. Ashley treasures the unique journey of every birth parent and loves amplifying their voices—it’s practically her side hustle. With her professional background in event and sales management, she has organized and networked countless events in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties—just another day at the office.

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And we couldn't do it all without…

RAMONA LUGO PEDERSON, MPA Historian

Ramona has graced us with her past presence on the Board and has, of course, dabbled in countless other roles—because why not? As if that wasn’t enough, she’s a mother by adoption, and wouldn’t you know it, a tireless champion of wide-open adoption. In her copious spare time, Ramona juggles being the Event Manager in San Francisco and an advocate for educational and medical access, plus her volunteer commitments to support the kids’ school and extracurricular interests. She is truly a paragon of multitasking virtue, and we value her contributions so much!