Hi, I’m Paul Laurenza and I’ve been a volunteer photographer for DCFYI since May of 2019. Originally from Massachusetts, I attended college, graduate, and law school in New England and the Midwest before moving to Fairfax, Virginia to begin a lengthy career as an attorney in various law firms in Washington, DC. I retired in early 2019 and, among other interests, pursue my passion for photography, primarily focused on nature and travel. My website is paullaurenza.com. Although I do event photography for several other charities, I consider myself especially privileged to have had the opportunity to work with the wonderful people associated with DCFYI.

I decided to become involved with youth in foster care after seeing a documentary on at risk youngsters.

My first thought about DCFYI was that it was an innovative approach to providing support to teens in care without having to make a weightier decision about adoption, which is my hope for any child without a permanent family.

Volunteers should feel free to support the program to any extent that they can.

My approach has been to support the overall program, by attending as many events as possible, typically held monthly, and if a match developed organically with a participant over time, it would.  Over the course of the almost nine years as a volunteer, I have been able to get to know most of the youth at the monthly events and they have gotten to know me. 

After about three years of supporting the overall program I was matched with a mentee. It was a great fit that lasted over four years. But, as with most relationships, life enters and choices can sometimes take us on new paths away from familiar friendships, and so upon reaching those late teenage years my mentee has moved on but is not far away my and the DCFYI family’s thoughts.

Mark Belak has been mentoring DCFYI youth since 2019. He served on the DCFYI Board of Directors from 2021 to 2024. Professionally he is an experienced software sales executive having spent over ten years in the industry with firms such as Oracle and Genesys. Mark is a graduate of Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business and has previously served on the Pamplin College of Management Recent Alumni Board. He is passionate about helping young people transition to adulthood.

Aaron Warren is a Washington, DC–area serial entrepreneur, former public servant, and technology founder with deep experience at the intersection of leadership, operations, and community impact. He currently serves as Founder and CEO of CRESolutio, a software and consulting company focused on helping organizations operate more effectively through practical AI strategy and operational systems.

Aaron brings over 20 years of leadership experience spanning public safety, entrepreneurship, and executive roles in the private sector. A retired Police Lieutenant, he led diverse teams in high-stakes environments where accountability, trust, and sound decision-making were critical. Following his law enforcement career, Aaron became a serial entrepreneur, co-founding Warren Brothers Construction alongside his brother, which has since evolved into Warren Build and is now solely owned and operated by his brother, Shane Warren. He also founded and built business contracts for 2Clean Commercial Cleaning Services, a multi-million-dollar company that operated successfully for seven years.

Aaron is deeply committed to service and mentorship, particularly for young people navigating life transitions without traditional support systems. In 2023, he founded the CRE Mini Charity Golf Tournament at Perch Putt in Tysons, Virginia, an annual September event whose proceeds directly benefit Family & Youth Initiative. He brings a practitioner’s mindset to the Board, with a focus on sustainable growth, operational excellence, and mission-driven impact.

Spencer Dunham is a Senior Principal at Kaiser Associates, advising executives across Financial Services & Payments and TMT on growth strategy and commercialization. His work sits at the intersection of product and go-to-market, helping teams define target segments, sharpen positioning, design distribution and partner motions, and align pricing and packaging with customer buying preferences. He is particularly focused on the evolution of payments ecosystems, where execution realities and value capture mechanisms matter as much as the product itself.

Outside of client work, he is passionate about mentoring early-career professionals and serves on the Board and Finance Committee of the Family & Youth Initiative. He holds degrees in Economics and Psychology from The Ohio State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

Spencer joined the DCFYI board in 2025.

Dr. Tanisha Bynum is a strategic education leader and consultant with over 20 years' experience driving equity, operational excellence, and systems-level change across public agencies, higher education, and mission-driven organizations. She has led multimillion-dollar programs, advised national education institutions, and built scalable systems in policy, compliance, and educator preparation.  Tanisha brings a rare blend of strategic clarity, operational excellence, and human-centered insight to every role.
With a Master's in Psychology and a doctorate in Education Administration and Policy, Tanisha has helped organizations, navigate complexity, align on purpose, and build cultures rooted in trust, learning, and impact.

Samantha ("Sam") Buchalter began volunteering with DCFYI in 2021 and joined the Board of Directors in 2026. Known as “Sam” by many of the teens, her commitment to DCFYI is grounded in her belief that every young person deserves a consistent, trusted adult in their corner. Sam brings a hands-on understanding of the organization’s work, having supported teens through key milestones such as college planning, workforce readiness, and building stable support networks. 

Professionally, Sam is a Principal at The Russell Group, a Washington, D.C.–based government affairs and strategic consulting firm specializing in food, agriculture, and sustainability policy. In her role, she leads legislative and regulatory strategy for a diverse portfolio of clients, manages complex coalitions, and advises senior executives on navigating federal policy and stakeholder engagement. Her experience in governance, strategic planning, and public-private partnership development strengthens DCFYI’s efforts to expand its impact and build durable partnerships that support long-term outcomes for the young people it serves.

Andy is a Senior Manager of SEC Reporting and Technical Accounting at REGENXBIO, Inc., a gene therapy biotech company in Rockville, Maryland. Andy has worked in accounting and financial reporting roles for nearly ten years after moving to Washington, D.C. as a public sector advisory consultant. Andy has his CPA license after graduating from the University of North Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master's degree in Accounting, as well as an MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

After moving to Washington, D.C., Andy joined the DCFYI Finance Committee, where he has assisted in annual budget preparation and approval, quarterly financial reviews, and drafting of organizational policies and controls. One of Andy and his wife, Abby's, favorite evenings each year is DCFYI's Establishing Roots fundraiser, a wonderful event bringing people together and showcasing how vital DCFYI's mission and purpose are.

Wendy Harman is obsessed with improving outcomes for children and families who interact with the child welfare system. As the Global Industries and Solutions Government Director at ServiceNow, she leads core business development initiatives that bring together technology experts, program directors, and partners to imagine and design public digital services. Prior to joining ServiceNow in March 2024, Wendy was Senior Director of Customer Experience at ICF, leading a team of 80 digital experience specialists to design human-centered government digital services. She served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow in the 4th cohort, working on OSTP’s Data Driven Justice Initiative, ACF’s improving child welfare outcomes initiative, and Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Before joining government, Wendy spent a decade at the American Red Cross building a listening-centered digital engagement strategy that put disaster survivors, blood donors, CPR course takers, service members, and monetary donors at the table of all Red Cross decision-making and operations. She opened a Digital Operations Center and developed a first-of-its kind digital volunteer role, recruiting and training thousands of people to volunteer from their homes. 

Wendy’s early career included managing bands and working in music policy. In her free time she enjoys watching and playing tennis and exploring the Chesapeake Bay.