Our Staff and Board of Directors
Margaret Coyne, Attorney at Law
Executive Director
Margaret Coyne is the co-founder of Advokids and has been with the organization in different capacities since its creation in 1993. She currently serves as the executive director. After completing her undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University, Margaret graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1982. She then served as a Deputy City Attorney, representing the San Francisco Department of Human Services’ Child Welfare Division, before moving to private practice. Margaret was the first attorney appointed to exclusively represent children on the San Francisco Juvenile Court Minor’s Panel in 1985. She retired from private practice in 2002 to lend her legal skills and expertise to Advokids to promote safety, stability, and permanency for foster children throughout the state. Margaret is an affiliate member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care.
Janet G. Sherwood, Attorney at Law, CWLS
Senior Staff Attorney
Janet Sherwood, a co-founder of Advokids has more than 40 years of experience working in the child welfare law field. Her experience includes an in-house counsel job at the State Department of Social Services, serving as a Deputy Attorney General representing various state health, education, and welfare agencies, and more than 20 years in her own private law practice in which she represented parties in both the trial and appellate courts. She is a past Board President of the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) and a Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS), certified by the NACC and accredited by the State Bar of California’s Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Sherwood is also a consultant, trainer, expert witness, and frequent speaker on child welfare issues.
Maureen Garrett
Director of Philanthropy
Maureen Garrett joined Advokids in 2025, bringing over fifteen years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and philanthropy, including identifying and managing new relationships; building long-term, high-trust relationships with existing donors; cost-effectively producing large-scale events and showcasing results during board and donor presentations. Prior to moving to the nonprofit sector, Maureen spent twenty years in banking, primarily providing comprehensive services to her Private Banking clients. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Public Administration/Public Affairs from the University of Southern California.
Tabatha Yin Kallman, Attorney at Law
Staff Attorney
Tabatha Yin Kallman joined Advokids as a staff attorney in 2016. Tabatha is committed to advocating for children and families through her work on the Advokids helpline, creating content for Advokids' website, and supporting statewide legislative efforts and policy reform in child welfare. Prior to joining Advokids, Tabatha earned her bachelor of arts degree from Cornell University in 2000 and her J.D. from the University of California, College of the Law San Francisco (UC Law SF) in 2006. Tabatha practiced in litigation for six years before focusing on juvenile dependency.
Jennifer Murphy, Attorney at Law
Staff Attorney
Jennifer Murphy is a yoga and meditation teacher who joined Advokids as a staff attorney in 2018. She has volunteered in a variety of roles with child-centered organizations in both New York and California for decades. Ms. Murphy earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Mannes College of Music in New York in 1988, followed by a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1997. For the majority of her legal career, Ms. Murphy handled securities enforcement and regulatory matters for an international law firm at its New York and San Francisco offices.
Markie Flores, Attorney at Law
Staff Attorney
Michael Fay-Macias
Development and Communications Manager
Maria Gramajo
Intake and Administrative Specialist
Maria Gramajo joined Advokids in 2026. Prior to joining Advokids, Maria worked at education and community-based organizations, partnering with families and schools to advance educational equity and create opportunities for youth to thrive. Her work has focused on building strong community partnerships, supporting families, and developing collaborative solutions to address systemic barriers. Maria earned her B.A. in American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from American University. As a native Spanish speaker, she is passionate about fostering meaningful connections, amplifying underserved voices, and helping families access the support they need.
Kelli Sedgewick
Resource Family Advocacy and Partnerships Liaison
Kelli Sedgewick and her husband fostered children in Los Angeles for a decade. She has become a vocal foster youth advocate. Kelli became a nonprofit entrepreneur when founding Tori’s Torch, a foundation set up to educate, empower, and encourage caregivers to be a voice for children in the juvenile court system. Kelli has become a powerful liaison between county agencies, foster parent support groups, and statewide child advocacy organizations with the purpose of improving communication across all sectors and to encourage child centered decision making. She facilitates a support group for resource families in Los Angeles and Northern Orange County.
Van Luu
Controller
Van has over fifteen years of experience working with non-profit organizations that specialize in social services, community resource programs, human healthcare services, and senior living assistant programs. She has extensive proficiency in government budgeting and strategies for controlling and managing grant projects. Van received her bachelor’s degree in business administration, Accounting, and Taxes from California State University of Hayward, and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Phoenix. Prior to her accounting career she owned and managed a successful and popular restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. Van recently joined Advokids, driven by her commitment to human rights and helping foster children find safe, permanent homes where they can thrive.
Board of Directors
- Karen Wright, Board President, Retired Chief Financial Officer and Community Leader
- Janet Sherwood, Board Secretary, Attorney at Law, Child Welfare Legal Specialist, Senior Legal Consultant, Advokids
- Mandy Stewart, Board Treasurer, Finance Manager, Amber Kinetics
- Margaret Coyne, Attorney at Law, Executive Director, Advokids
- Cheick Diarra, Associate Safety Director, Genentech
- Tirzah Anne Lassahn, Founding Partner, Stiles Partners
Board Members Emeritus
- Patricia Black Kelly JD, Attorney at Law
- Daniel McKenzie, MetLife Investment Management
Advisory Board
- Mark Bettini, M.B.A, Financial Consultant
- Deborah Dentler, Attorney at Law, Foster Care Adoption
- Susan Horst, Attorney at Law, Writ Specialist, California Appellate Law Group
- Sally Coghlan McDonald, Attorney at Law, Special Education and Disability Rights
- Tiffany Sickler, Ph.D., Social Worker Consultant
Legal Disclaimer: Advokids provides educational information and resources to those who use our website, call our helpline, or submit requests for information via the website. Any information provided may not be construed as the giving of legal advice to any person about a particular legal matter and should not be relied upon as the basis for taking a particular action or refraining from taking a particular action in any legal matter. If you want or need legal advice about a particular legal matter, you should consult a lawyer.
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