Advisory Committee & Advisor Bios
Meet the members and advisors who bring lived experience, professional knowledge, and community perspective to Hiraeth Hope & Healing.
Mandy Barney
Advisory Committee Member
Mandy is an adopted person who brings both lived experience and a professional background in executive administrative support to the Advisory Committee. Creativity has long been an important part of her life, including photography, quilting, scrapbooking, card making, Reiki, and yoga. She also finds meaning and reflection through time in nature. Mandy values opportunities to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the complexities of adoption, identity, and self-understanding. She brings a thoughtful and creative perspective to her role with Hiraeth Hope & Healing.
Tracey Pocius
Advisory Committee Member
Tracey is an adopted person and allied healthcare professional with more than 20 years of experience, primarily in pediatrics. She also serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Edmonds Arts Festival, bringing extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, volunteerism, and community engagement. Tracey connected with members of her biological family as a young adult and openly shares the complexities of her own experience. She found a strong sense of community through Hiraeth Hope & Healing and is passionate about helping create spaces where people feel welcome, heard, and connected.
Heather Resto
Advisory Committee Member
Heather is an NPE whose unexpected DNA discovery was confirmed in 2019 after DNA testing revealed an unknown half sibling. Searching for others who understood the complexity of that experience led her to Hiraeth Hope & Healing and its first retreat later that year. Heather also brings lived experience as a first mother and adoptive sibling, perspectives that have continued to shape her understanding of adoption and family separation. Professionally, she works in insurance accounting and brings experience in community and school governance. Heather values connection, shared experience, and helping others find support as they navigate their own discoveries.
Tracy Taylor
Advisory Committee Member
Tracy is an NPE who discovered unexpected parentage in 2020. Her professional background includes 26 years in the airline industry and service as a National Park Ranger. Today, she works in an environmental laboratory, where she manages large projects. Tracy brings a varied professional perspective shaped by project management, public service, travel, and a deep appreciation for the natural world. After spending nine years traveling full time throughout the United States by motorhome, she continues to seek opportunities to explore, connect, and experience new places while bringing her lived and professional perspectives to the Advisory Committee.
Lori Tirado
Advisory Committee Member
Lori is a late-discovery donor-conceived person who unexpectedly learned through DNA testing in 2018 that the father who raised her was not her biological father. Her discovery brought new biological family connections as well as questions about identity, family, and origins. Lori has been a Registered Nurse for more than 18 years, with experience in cardiology, intensive care, stroke care, and home infusion. She also volunteers as a peer mentor supporting others navigating DNA discoveries. Lori values community, connection, and the opportunity to use both her lived and professional experiences to support others.
Antoinette Tuscano
Advisory Committee Member
Antoinette is an NPE and communications professional with more than 25 years of experience working with nonprofits and associations. A former journalist, her professional work spans writing, editing, social media strategy, website content, and video production. She also brings extensive experience working with volunteers, association members, and nonprofit committees. Antoinette has served both on the communications committee and Board of Directors of a literacy nonprofit, including as Board President. She brings to Hiraeth Hope & Healing a combination of lived experience, communications expertise, and firsthand understanding of nonprofit governance and community engagement.
Stacy Williams
Advisory Committee Member
Stacy is a double NPE whose second unexpected parentage discovery came in 2019 at age 47. During the early part of her journey, she found Hiraeth Hope & Healing through online peer support, initially listening quietly before becoming increasingly involved in the community. Today, Stacy helps host HH&H peer support gatherings and has attended multiple retreats. She is also a small business owner and the creator and host of the Mothers, Lies & DNA Surprises podcast. Stacy is passionate about helping others find connection, resources, and community wherever they may be in their own journey.
Dr. Gina Daniel, DSW, LCSW, PhD
Clinical Advisor
Gina is an NPE and Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing mental health therapy in Pennsylvania. Her clinical work includes supporting adults navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationships, parenting, and NPE-related experiences. Gina’s doctoral research explored unexpected paternity discoveries following direct-to-consumer DNA testing, with particular attention to their effects on family relationships and personal identity. She also has professional training in Intuitive Eating and Neurofeedback. As Clinical Advisor, Gina brings lived experience, clinical knowledge, and research-informed perspective to Hiraeth Hope & Healing. Outside of her work, she enjoys traveling, reading, and adding to her plant collection.
Karen Stinger
Senior Advisor
Karen is a Baby Scoop Era adopted person who was separated from her mother and adopted at two days old. Her lived experience has profoundly influenced her understanding of identity, family separation, and the importance of biological connection. Karen later reunited with several members of her family of origin, including grandparents and siblings. Professionally, she retired from a career as a Human Resources executive and now brings that experience, along with years of involvement with Hiraeth Hope & Healing, to her role as Senior Advisor. She values family, travel, quilting, learning about different cultures, and time spent in the Pacific Northwest.