MANAGEMENT TEAM
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Kristi Stihel
Chief Human Resources Officer
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Kimberly Brown
Director of Wraparound
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Brittany Howell-Abbate
Director of Clinical Services
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Laura Dunagan
Director of Revenue Cycle
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Chelsea Pennington
Assoc. Director of Placement Services
Brian Bridges
Chief Financial Officer
Brian has 30 years of finance experience in the medical industry including a Cancer Center, Home Health Care Agency, physician groups and hospitals . His most recent experience was as Controller at the Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. Brian attended the University of New Mexico where he received his Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Business Administration.
Having previously lived in Albuquerque for 32 years, Brian is happy to call Albuquerque home once again. He enjoys New Mexico outdoors and loves hunting and fishing.
Tania Valdez
Chief Operations Officer
Tania is a native New Mexican who has worked for over 20 years with children and families helping to heal the impact of developmental trauma. She has an inherent understanding of the importance of permanency for children and firmly believes that every child in the state of New Mexico belongs in a safe and stable family.
Her experience includes for profit management, non-profit program directorship and program development, with a focus in Treatment Foster Care, Managed Care, and Adoptions. Tania is also a member of the Adoptions & Foster Care Alliance of New Mexico. She received her Master’s degree in Social Work from the New Mexico Highlands University, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Kristi Stihel
Chief Human Resources Officer
Donna Lucero
Director of Training Institute
Donna has 30 years of experience working with children and families who have experienced trauma, mental health issues, poverty, and violence. She strongly believes in the critical nature of early childhood development and the need for healthy relationships to support the development and well-being of children as they grow. Donna believes the way to eradicate the damage to our most vulnerable citizens is by working with one child and one family at a time. Her commitment is to advocate for healthy children and families by building relationships and community.
Donna received her Master’s in Counseling degree and Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies degree from the University of New Mexico. She is a native New Mexican from Albuquerque with a passion for playing a range of instruments from guitar to drums to cajon to conga—and most recently, the bass.
Kimberly Brown
Director of Wraparound
Kimberly has worked in the family services field for almost nine years, seven of which has been at All Faiths Children’s Advocacy Center. She leant her expertise and experience to help pioneer our High Fidelity Wraparound program.
Kimberly graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor degree in Family Studies and Psychology; and a Master degree in Family Studies with a concentration of Human Development and Child Relations.
A New Mexican, born and raised, Kimberly has always wanted to help the children of our community be successful. She finds passion in and enjoys helping youth overcome barriers and achieve their hopes and dreams.
Brittany Howell-Abbate
Director of Clinical Services
Brittany has been working with children and families impacted by trauma and adversity for over 10 years. She is passionate about re-establishing positive family interactions, increasing healthy decision making, and providing psychoeducation about the importance of self-regulation and nurturing relationships. Brittany is dedicated to promoting intergenerational family support that builds protective factors to enhance all family members’ resilience and motivation for life-long health and well-being.
Brittany graduated from the University of New Mexico with her Master’s in Counseling and Bachelor’s in Psychology. You can find her hiking the trails of the Sandia Mountains, enjoying the beautiful New Mexico scenery.
Laura Dunagan
Director of Revenue Cycle
Laura has 18 years of experience in the medical industry. She started her career as an Optician and then became the Office Manager for a busy optometry practice. While there, she taught herself Medical Coding & Billing. She did freelance medical practice consulting before joining the All Faiths team. Throughout her career she has focused on helping people find a balance between their financial burdens and their healthcare needs. Helping people understand their insurance coverage, during stressful times is when support is needed most. Laura believes that every interaction with an agency is important, whether that be the first phone call, an appointment with a provider, a reevaluation after a year of hard work, or paying the last copay. Laura loves using her talents to support a non-profit agency with such an important mission.
Laura is a native New Mexican who wishes it would stop being sunny all the time. In her free time she loves the outdoors and collecting native plants for her garden.
Chelsea Pennington
Assoc. Director of Placement Services
Chelsea is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who received her Master degree in Social Work from New Mexico Highlands University. She has a passion for supporting families in their journey to adoption and beyond. She honors her role supporting birth parents in navigating their own journey and process.
Krisztina Udvardi
Chief Executive Officer
Krisztina Udvardi moved to Albuquerque, NM from Budapest, Hungary in 2000 and has over fifteen years’ experience in non-profit management. Her vision is to create strong collaborations within non-profit organizations, government agencies, and for-profit businesses in order to better serve the community, creating a safety net and building a healthy society.
She has served on the Mayor’s Task Force on Child Abuse, is the Immediate Past President on the Board of the New Mexico Behavioral Health Providers’ Association, a member of the Presbyterian Health Plan Board, and the past Treasurer and Board Member of the Child Welfare League of America based in Washington, D.C. She is a recipient of the Business Weekly’s Top CEO Award and Women of Influence Award.
Before coming to All Faiths Children’s Advocacy Center, Krisztina worked with health care organizations and agencies that served the developmentally disabled. She holds an MBA from UNM’s Anderson School of Management and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University in Budapest.
All Faiths Children’s Advocacy Center
505-271-0329
Fax: 505-271-4957
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