Who We Are
At OrphanWise, our mission is to bring hope and healing to children who have experienced adversity by equipping their caregivers with trauma-informed training and resources.
Using an evidence-based approach called Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®), OrphanWise conducts caregiver trainings to teach practical strategies that parents and caregivers can immediately implement and use every day. In addition to group events, we also provide in-home family coaching sessions tailored to the needs of individual families.
OrphanWise is not an adoption or foster care agency, nor are the services it provides exclusively for use by caregivers of children who have been removed from abusive homes. At OrphanWise, we understand that developmental trauma takes a variety of forms.
Our niche is empowering a variety of caregivers with therapeutic tools to use with children in a way that promotes healing and wholeness. By doing this, OrphanWise creates supportive communities where a child who has experienced trauma can always find an adult who is trained in trauma-informed care – whether at home, in the community, or at school.
Any equipped adult – in whatever role they occupy – can dramatically alter the life trajectory of a struggling child. We invite all caregivers to learn firsthand how trauma-informed care changes lives, heals children, and saves families.
Since its inception in 2019, OrphanWise has equipped hundreds of adults and has impacted more than 40,000 children. Graduates of our courses include adoptive and foster parents, biological families seeking reunification, children’s home staff, teachers, social workers, churches, after-school program staff, and law enforcement officers.
Our vision is to be the trusted connector of organizations and builder of communities in which each caregiver in a child’s life understands and responds to the symptoms of trauma in a way that promotes healing and wholeness.
Katie Rinaudo, Founder & Executive Director
Katie is the founder of OrphanWise, an alumna of Lee University and has a Master’s Degree in Holistic Child Development. She worked as a preschool teacher for six years and served a term as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Habitat for Humanity. She moved to Paraguay in 2015 and spent three years working in a children’s home, where she served as director of the home and house mother. She also taught English in the on-campus middle school and high school.
Since becoming a TBRI Practitioner in 2018, Katie has been doing TBRI® Caregiver Training and TBRI® coaching in English and Spanish. She is the oldest of five foster and birth siblings and is a proud aunt to six of her favorite kiddos. Her passion is to see restoration for children, teens, and adults who have experienced trauma.
Karen Uhlhorn, Director of Operations/Project Manager
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a minor in sociology from the University of Florida, Karen served as an English education volunteer in Peace Corps Colombia. Most recently, she worked as a communications specialist at Curley & Pynn Public Relations Management, one of Orlando’s leading communications firms.
A passion for education and an interest in attachment theory have underscored Karen’s career so far. Karen has remained engaged in local education initiatives, serving most recently as a volunteer English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in her hometown (Orlando, FL), as well as a small group mentor through her church. Karen is a TBRI® Practitioner through the Karyn Purvis Institute for Child Development and has been a member of the OrphanWise team since 2019.
Jordan Freshwater, Director of Community Engagement
After graduating from Lee University with a degree in Psychology and TESOL, Jordan continued her education at Lee University completing a master’s degree in Holistic Child Development. Jordan has been invited to travel to Africa and South America to provide trauma-sensitive trainings based on materials she created. After completing her schooling, Jordan participated in an internship program with For His Children (Hogar Para Sus Ninos) located in Ecuador, where she served alongside the caregivers at the organization’s two children’s homes and provided trainings on trauma and strategies for healing. Upon returning to the United States, she was hired at an immigrant youth shelter where she served in several roles as a youth care worker, case aide, and PE/Social Studies teacher. Jordan later transitioned to a case manager role at Centerstone, a mental health organization, providing emotional support, health promotion, and community resources to her clients.
Freshwater is based in Cleveland, Tennessee, where she is actively involved in her community. Since 2016, Jordan has been a volunteer, friend, and leader in a local non-profit called International Friends Network (IFN). It is common to see Jordan sharing meals with her international friends, caring for children while parents work, providing rides to families for IFN events, and serving in her local church as a care counselor.
Board of Directors
Doug Pileri, Board President
Having held senior management positions at companies such as IBM, Thomson, and Kodak, Doug brings more than 30 years of leadership experience to the OrphanWise team. Most recently, Doug served as chief of market transformation at SIVOTEC Analytics, where he played an integral role in all aspects of business and brand development, helping to drive growth through the innovative use of integrated data and advanced analytics.
In the nonprofit sector, Doug serves as vice chairman of the board of directors of Music For All, one of the nation’s largest and most influential music education organizations. Additionally, Doug previously served as the executive vice president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, where he led his team to achieve strategic goals aligned with the organization’s culture, framework, and vision.
Jon W. Newcomer, CPA, Board Treasurer Principal, Jon Newcomer CPA PA
Jon W. Newcomer brings more than 30 years of diverse tax, financial and business consulting experience in his role as a Certified Public Accountant. In 1994, Jon established a full-service accounting firm in Cumming, Georgia. For over 25 years, Jon has been dedicated to helping clients achieve business success by helping them establish practical and sound tax and financial processes.
Jon also brings extensive experience as a nonprofit board member. He has served as chairman, treasurer and board member of organizations ranging from his local church; Horizon Christian Academy; a faith-based charity assisting women in overcoming substance abuse; as well as other faith-based organizations.
Julie Tilley, Board Member
Julie Tilley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of Tennessee. Certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and trained in several therapy modalities related to early life trauma, Julie brings a wealth of expertise to the OrphanWise board of directors.
Julie holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in business administration and a Master of Science degree in marriage and family therapy from Lee University. From her previous career in corporate customer service, Julie honed her ability to improve systemic problems. A knack for supporting friends and family through their most difficult moments prompted Julie’s 2010 career shift from business to therapy.
Julie lives in Tennessee, where she enjoys coffee, the company of her dogs (all dogs, actually), and being a safe friend to people who are marginalized. She is a single mom to two successful adult children and “JuJu” to four amazing grandchildren.
Fred Trainer, Board Member
President, F. E. Trainer Construction Inc.
Company founder Fred Trainer, a Knoxville native, has worked in the construction industry since 1988. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia Tech, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. His passion for history, architecture and community led him to start F. E. Trainer Construction Inc. In 2014, Fred partnered with John Harper to found Red Door Homes of East Tennessee, which quickly grew to become one of the area’s best production home builders.
Fred has been married to his wife, Amy, for 20 years and is a father of two – Bela (12) and Whit (10). The Trainers are members of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville and have been involved with several ministries that serve Knoxville’s youth population, including Young Life and Thrive Financial.
Anna Luzader, Board Member
Born and raised in Cleveland, Tennessee, Anna considers herself to be a homebody-turned-expat having spent the past decade living and working abroad. While growing up in church, Anna was inspired by the stories she often heard about missionaries serving with the International Mission Board all over the world. These stories led her to pursue missions at a young age participating in her first annual domestic mission trip as a 7th grade student, and later branching out to serve in Colombia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Germany, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique.
After graduating with a degree in human development (business) from Lee University in 2012, Anna co-founded and directed One Heart Africa (now Sharing Hope Africa) — an organization serving rural communities in Southern Africa in the areas of education, health, ethical employment, and holistic community development. As the Director of Operations, she oversaw fundraising and marketing efforts growing the organization’s annual donations to six figures within their first four years of operation.
While working in and amongst the USA, South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique, Anna developed a keen interest in the impact of national culture in the workplace — specifically in nonprofit settings. Consequently, she joined Hofstede Insights as an Associate Partner and Cross-Cultural Consultant in 2021.
Currently, Anna calls Seoul, South Korea “home.” In her spare time, she hosts a podcast aiming to create connection through storytelling. Through her work background, she has seen firsthand the crucial role families play in the overall health of a community therefore igniting a passion in regards to ethical care for OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) as well as equipping caregivers with proven tools and resources. As a seasoned international nonprofit leader, Anna is honored to bring her 10+ years of fundraising strategy and marketing experience to the OrphanWise Board of Directors.
Mara Grisham, Board Member
Mara Grisham, retired from Cleveland City Schools, is an Elder at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Cleveland, which hosts OrphanWise’s offices and training center. Due to her love of education, she still serves as a substitute teacher at several elementary schools in Cleveland.
Mara is very active in her community. She has been involved with Habitat for Humanity since it began in Cleveland. She serves on the board of her home church, the Christian Church of the Tennesse Region, and her local YMCA. She volunteers with the United Way and the Snack Pack Program, which provides food for children in Cleveland City Schools for the weekend.
Mara has been married to her husband, Nick, for 40 years. They have two adult sons, two grandchildren, and live in Cleveland with their corgi, Trapper.
Board of Advisors
Andrew Wexler, CEO, Herschend Enterprises
Randy Kaiser, executive director, K4 Enterprises