The people behind a brighter future for every child.

Oleksandr Yovzhii is a practicing lawyer from Ukraine specializing in civil and commercial law. He has extensive experience in legal practice, including advising individuals and businesses, handling commercial disputes, and managing contractual and corporate legal matters.

Oleksandr is also a licensed Notary Public in the State of Washington (USA).

At the international level, he works in the field of U.S. Immigration law, serving as a legal assistant to American attorney Vicky J. Currie. His responsibilities include advising foreign nationals on:

• U.S. visa regulations;
• Immigration programs and eligibility;
• Obtaining lawful permanent resident status (Green Card);
• Preparing and submitting documentation to immigration authorities;
• Protecting clients' rights in communications with U.S. immigration agencies.

Oleksandr is also the founder and managing partner of LegalSpace LLC, a legal services firm that unites professionals from Ukraine and the United States, specializing in international, immigration, and commercial law.

Kyle Lyebyedyev is a passionate community organizer, dedicated advocate for immigrants, and an inspiring public speaker. With a deep commitment to social justice and inclusivity, Kyle has dedicated his life to empowering immigrant communities and promoting their rights.

As a community organizer, Kyle has worked tirelessly to bring diverse voices together, fostering collaboration and creating platforms for dialogue. Through his advocacy, he has raised awareness about the unique challenges faced by immigrants, helping to create a more compassionate and welcoming society. His work has included providing vital support services, fighting for policy reforms, and championing the rights of marginalized communities.

In addition to his advocacy work, Kyle is a captivating public speaker. He has shared his experiences, insights, and messages of hope on various platforms, inspiring others to take action. His eloquence and ability to connect with audiences make him a sought-after speaker at conferences, community events, and educational institutions.

Specialty: ballet master, ballet dancer, choreographer. Diana earned a bachelor's degree as a teacher of modern dance and choreographer from Rivne State Humanitarian University, and a full higher education as a Specialist — teacher, choreographer, and ballet master — from the Kyiv Pedagogical University named after Drahomanov.

She has been teaching for 18 years and dancing all her life since the age of six. She teaches many dance styles, including folk stage dance, classical dance, and modern styles: Contemporary, Jazz, Modern, Jazz Funk, Hip-hop, High Heels, and dance improvisation. Her students have participated in and won many international festivals and competitions across Ukraine and Europe.

In 2025, she opened her own art studio, "Sensation Creative Space," in Auburn, WA. There, children not only dance but also make crafts with their own hands, do gymnastics, and take part in early-development activities. More than 50 children are now enrolled in the studio.

In the spring of 2025, her children took part in two competitions in the USA for the first time, immediately earning two first places and one second place. The studio plans to keep developing, open new directions, and organize events and holidays for everyone — its doors open to families of all nationalities, ready to help discover the talents of every child.

Dr. Thoburn is Professor Emeritus of clinical psychology with Seattle Pacific University's APA-accredited clinical psychology program. He has been a featured speaker, trainer, and clinician in the areas of international and couple/family psychology. He is co-author of the book Family Psychology: Theory, Research and Practice (Praeger Press) and co-editor of Clergy Sexual Misconduct: A Systems Approach to Prevention, Intervention and Oversight (Gentle Path Press).

Dr. Thoburn is a licensed psychologist and licensed marriage and family therapist in the State of Washington. He is board certified in Couple and Family Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.

He is past president of the American Academy of Couple and Family Psychology and past president of the Society for Family Psychology, Division 43 of the American Psychological Association. He has served on the Board of Trustees for the American Board of Professional Psychology and the American Board of Couple and Family Psychology.

Dr. Thoburn has received Seattle Pacific University's Scholar of the Year award; the American Psychological Association's International Humanitarian Award; the Society for Family Psychology's Family Psychologist of the Year award; the Florence W. Kaslow Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Psychology; and the American Board of Professional Psychology's Award for Significant Contributions to the Field of Couple and Family Psychology.

Dr. Enika Cocoli Bowen is an Albanian-born, Italian-educated, American clinical psychologist in psychoanalytically informed private practice with adults, and an independent scholar in Seattle, WA. She is a Doctor of Developmental and Social Psychology (Catholic University, Milan, Italy; 2001) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA; 2007).

She has lectured at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels for twenty years across several branches of psychology. Clinically, Dr. Cocoli Bowen has worked with many different populations — including severe mental illness and trauma, Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, students, and prisoners. Her current scholarship and publications focus on clinical work through a contemporary Thomistic metaphysics.

Dr. Amy Nitza is the Executive Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz, where she also directs the Advanced Certificate in Trauma and Disaster Mental Health and serves as Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Counselor Education. She is a psychologist who specializes in providing mental health training in academic and non-academic settings, both nationally and internationally, with an emphasis on disaster mental health and trauma recovery.

As a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Botswana, she trained mental health and school counselors and studied the use of group counseling interventions in HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents. She has collaborated with the University of Notre Dame in Haiti to develop trauma-related interventions for children in domestic servitude and to train teachers in supporting traumatized children in the classroom. She is also currently collaborating with UNICEF USA to develop a program of mental health support for children and teachers impacted by Hurricane Maria and the earthquakes and pandemic in Puerto Rico.

She directs numerous grant-funded projects, including from the New York State Office of Victim Services and the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Amy has provided training at the national level to federal and non-profit agencies including the FBI and the Service Employees International Union.

She has provided direct service to survivors of numerous disasters including Hurricanes Sally, Dorian, Harvey, and Maria, the Creek Fire in California, the grocery-store shooting in Colorado, and the earthquakes in Haiti and Puerto Rico. She is the author and editor of numerous publications, including the recent book Disaster Mental Health Case Studies: Lessons Learned from Counseling in Chaos.

Valentyna Radchuk is a psychologist, a candidate of psychological sciences, a professor, the head of the Department of Practical Psychology, and the director of the Social-Psychological Center at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University. She is also a member of the Coordination Center for Social-Psychological Support of Participants in Hostilities at Chernivtsi City Council and a deputy of the Chernivtsi City Council in the VIII convocation.

She has authored more than 60 scientific works in the fields of family psychology, conflict psychology and mediation, psychological burnout, and trauma psychology. Valentyna has undergone extensive training in the psychological rehabilitation of populations affected by war and in providing psychological assistance to families living in close proximity to conflict zones. She has provided psychological support to internally displaced persons and military personnel, their families, and the families of fallen Ukrainian defenders.

Since 2020, she has been an active member of the All-Ukrainian Union of Psychologists. As the widow of a serviceman, since 2014 she has been assisting and supporting children and families of the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

Gloria R. Leon, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus in the University of Minnesota Department of Psychology. She received a doctorate in mental health psychology from the University of Maryland. She continues to carry out research and serve on advisory committees in both disaster- and space-related areas, focusing on stress and coping and on psychological support in response to disasters and other types of extreme situations.

Professor Leon worked extensively with international colleagues on projects assessing the psychological status and health attitudes of children and adults affected by the Chernobyl disaster; the psychological status of Chernobyl power plant workers; and the translation and standardization of Russian-language versions of various personality measures. Her other research has examined the psychological status of concentration camp survivors and their children, Vietnam veterans, and Vietnam nurses.

She organized and chaired the Psychosocial Task Force of the World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and was a member of the WADEM Board from 2003–2009 and again from 2011–2015. With the WADEM task force, she spearheaded the development of psychosocial support plans for people impacted by disasters, particularly in developing countries and with underserved populations.

She was invited by the National School of Public Health (NSPH) in Athens to collaborate on a study of child and adult victims of the Summer 2007 fires in Greece, and organized and participated in psychosocial teaching workshops sponsored by the NSPH over a four-year period. She also served as a member of the Canadian CRTI (Chemical, Biological, Radiation, Nuclear, Explosives Research and Technology Initiative) psychosocial advisory committee, and continues to serve on several NASA committees.

Contact: leonx003@umn.edu