COG celebrates region's outstanding foster parents

At its May meeting, officials on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors honored the 2025 Foster Parents of the Year honorees, recognizing foster parents from 10 local jurisdictions for their dedication to foster youth across the DC region.

While child welfare agencies strive to keep families together, foster parents (or resource parents) provide essential support to families when that is not possible. Foster parents can offer a safe, supportive haven for children during otherwise uncertain and difficult times.

"Every community needs committed foster parents, and our region is privileged to have a strong network of caring, supportive, and dedicated individuals who have answered the call to care for children in need," said Rodney Lusk, COG Board Chair and Fairfax County Supervisor. "These parents provide safe and nurturing environments while meeting the specific needs of children in their care so that these youth are able to thrive."

Individuals interested in becoming a foster parent can find resources from area jurisdictions on the COG website.

Learn more about the 2025 Foster Parents of the Year in the summaries below provided by their city and county foster care agencies and please contact COG if you would like to connect with one of the awardees for an interview or additional information:

City of Alexandria: Carrie and Matthew David Field

David and Carrie Field have been resource parents with the City of Alexandria since 2019. Most of the children they have cared for have either transitioned from their home to be cared for by family or have achieved reunification with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Field are committed to working with families to ensure that they stay connected to their children through visits or video calls on a regular consistent basis. They also work cooperatively with the Family Services Specialist and the rest of each child's support team. In August 2023, a sibling group of three girls joined their family after a significant safety issue occurred in their home during a trial home visit. They have ensured that the three girls have all their needs met to include educational, medical, as well as their emotional well-being. They have provided them with structure, consistency, and guidance. Their commitment and care have assisted the girls not only with stability but more importantly with their emotional well-being and safety.

Arlington County: Melanie and Drew Bond

Drew and Melanie Bond have been Arlington County foster parents for almost 18 years. During their years of service, they have had 14 children join their family, and the whole Bond family, to include their 4 birth children, play a role in supporting the children in their care. Drew and Melanie also have always shown up for the foster parent community. Over the years, they have partnered with other families as respite providers, spent years co-training for PRIDE, mentored new foster families, and participated in retention events. For three years after accepting those two children into their family, the Bonds managed all the medical appointments, behavior strategy sessions, sibling visits and rapport building with birth relatives. Then when return home became impossible, the Bonds said "yes to forever" through adoption. When the adoptions were finalized in April of 2022, the Bonds became a family of 8. After taking some well-deserved time to settle in as a newly expanded family, the Bonds reached out about continuing to foster. Since that time, two more little ones have joined the family. It is truly amazing how the Bond's capacity to love and care continues to expand.

Loudon County: Juan Rivas and Johanna Rivas

Juan and Johanna Rivas have been foster parents with Loudoun County for the past seven years. During that time, they have fostered, adopted and provided respite care. They have cared for young children and older youth who have been challenged with developmental delays, medical needs and significant mental health issues. Last year, they opened their home to a 17-year-old and are currently beginning the adoption process with her. Juan and Johanna Rivas have demonstrated the importance of birth family connections as they continue to encourage their soon-to-be adopted daughter to maintain her relationships with her family of origin. The Rivas family mentored a fictive kin family who accepted custody of their teen daughter's younger sister and supported them through the foster care process. They continue to nurture the sister bond by having frequent visits, family nights, and celebrations together. In addition to their recent adventures in parenting a teenager, they accepted an infant who has physical challenges. Juan and Johanna Rivas are an exceptional example of bridging the gap, supporting the community, and helping families grow.

Frederick County: Alexandra and Timothy Mulford

Ali and Tim Mulford have been licensed with Frederick County since 2022. They have accepted two teens into their home with challenging behaviors and unique family dynamics. The Mulford family has demonstrated strong patience, undeniable commitment to the children placed in their home, and has easily adapted to new situations that arise. They manage challenging circumstances head on and are not afraid to voice their concerns and ask for help for the betterment of the children. The Mulford's are actively engaged in all aspects of the children's lives and are fierce advocates for the children's well-being. The Mulford's work effortlessly with the agency, community members, and members of the children's team. Ali and Tim Mulford are true team players who are always willing to help fellow resource parents by offering advice or assisting with respite.

Prince Georges County: Benjamin Bussie

Since becoming a licensed resource parent, Mr. Bussie has fostered three children, all of whom were identified as "hard to place" due to challenging behaviors and truancy. What began as a weekend respite placement quickly turned into a long-term commitment, with Mr. Bussie requesting to keep these youths in his care. Despite the complexities and challenges associated with these placements, he has remained steadfast in prioritizing their safety, structure, and overall well-being. Mr. Bussie has consistently demonstrated qualities that reflect the spirit of an outstanding foster parent. He has gone above and beyond in making a positive impact on the lives of the children placed with him, demonstrating immense patience, understanding, and a deep commitment to building trust and fostering meaningful relationships with the youth who join his family. Additionally, Mr. Bussie is compassionate and empathetic to the unique needs of children in out-of-home care. His dedication to working collaboratively with the agency and other service providers is exemplary, always prioritizing the best interests of the youth in his care. Mr. Bussie demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the children, the agency, and the professional network supporting youth in his care.

Charles County: Regina Green

Ms. Green excels in recognizing and celebrating each child's unique identity, fostering a strong sense of belonging and self-worth. She builds trust through consistent emotional support and guidance, honoring children's boundaries to create a safe, valued environment. Her dedication to fostering children's development, particularly in the foster care system, is evident in her nurturing approach, involving children in decision-making and empowering them to express their thoughts and feelings.

District of Columbia: Natasha & Bernard Boley

Bernard and Natasha Boley have been fostering with the District of Columbia since 2022. During that time, they have fostered over 13 youth and have provided respite for many more. In addition, they have adopted one teenager and they're in the process of adopting two sibling sets; in all they hope to expand their family to seven! The Boley's understand that parenting requires the stretching of oneself and at the center of that effort is unconditional love and patience. The Boley's have created a warm and welcome environment, hoping that each child placed in their home feels valued and loved. They advocate fiercely for the children they support, and they've embraced the concept of shared parenting by actively engaging with the children's birth families. The Boley's are great team players who work well with all parties involved in their cases. Beyond caring for the children in their home, the Boley's have been active participants in several focus groups around child welfare systems improvement and they frequently go beyond the basic requirements of fostering. They are caring, connected, and committed to the kids who have been placed in their care and are a true embodiment of quality resource parents.

Prince William County: Damien and Quadrell Sylvester

The Sylvester family holds a placement of 3 siblings. The foster parents communicate effectively and have shown great depths of compassion with ensuring each child's needs are met accordingly. They have truly been an asset to foster children since joining Prince William County's program. They have provided emergency care, respite and long-term care for several foster children. They have made themselves and their home available for emergency situations that have come up no matter the day or time. Even during difficult circumstances, they have been able to provide the care, nurturing and safety that the children require whether it is long term or short term. With their most recent placement, the family has built and maintained a healthy relationship with the children's biological parents. Through Bridging the Gap, they have displayed a great support system that has amply provided the best care, support and protection. For example, during the holidays, they allowed biological parents into their home so that the children could wake up with their parents and open gifts. Damien and Qudrell Syvester have demonstrated commitment, drive, care, support and dedication to the most vulnerable of our society and to Prince William County's foster care program.

Fairfax County: Adam and Amy Suppes

Amy and Adam Suppes have had several placements throughout the years. They are experienced adoptive and foster parents. In the last year, they have had a particularly difficult placement in which they have gone above and beyond, numerous times, for the child in their care. One of the children currently placed with the Suppes is hearing impaired and had never been enrolled in school and had not received any services for his needs, including his hearing impairment. Adam and Amy enrolled him in school and advocated for his needs. They began to learn sign language while teaching their foster son sign language. The whole family attended a camp to learn ASL. After a couple of months, when the child's sister was placed in foster care, Adam and Amy welcomed her into their home. They are supportive of the child's birth family relationships and considerate of their mother and patient with her progress.

Montgomery County: Samantha Singley

Samantha has done an outstanding job understanding and meeting the unique needs of the children placed with her and provides creative and specialized interventions and care. In late 2021, infant twins were placed with her who were later determined to have special needs. To meet their needs, she turned her home into an adaptive play center with a sensory stimulating environment with specialized toys and experiences, and provided a rich language environment, including teaching them sign language, to help the twins continue to grow and develop. She has been a strong advocate for them to get the services and supports to best meet their needs, including attending numerous medical, testing and evaluation appointments. Ms. Singley has a deep commitment to enriching their lives. Ms. Singley has also done an amazing job facilitating the relationship with the children's birth parents, navigating language and communication barriers, and extending an invitation to join her and the twins at any of their weekend adventures. This expanded to include a new sibling to ensure that a relationship was developed between them. Samantha did not become a foster parent with the intention of being a long-term resource, especially to special needs twins as a single parent. However, she has re-configured her career, life plans and future to be able to commit to these children.