Our Team
LEADERSHIP
Erin Valentino
CO-FOUNDER + CO-DIRECTOR
she/her
Erin is a graphic designer and mom to two lovely girls. Her youngest is from Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. She loves to spend time outdoors with her family and she is currently studying Mandarin at her local Confucius Institute.
Faith Winstead
CO-FOUNDER + ADVISOR
she/her
Faith is a capital public defender by day, and mom to two beautiful boys from China. Her oldest is from Nanchang, Jiangxi, and her youngest is from Changzhou, Jiangsu. She loves to read and travel and, like Erin, she is working to learn Chinese.
认识你很高兴!
Cassidy Sack
CO-DIRECTOR
she/her
Cassidy is an adoptee from Chongqing, China, who joined Nanchang Project in the autumn of 2022 as the organization’s first adoptee in a leadership role. Previously, she volunteered three years for The Roots of Love. Cassidy enjoys meeting fellow adoptees and is excited to help implement new ideas and programs with Nanchang Project! She loves plant-based cooking and spending time with her pup Noodle.
Jolanda Blaauw
BIRTH FAMILY REGISTRATION COORDINATOR
she/her
Jolanda is a mom to three daughters from China, one adopted from Jiangxi and two from Guangxi. In addition to her contributions to Nanchang Project, Jolanda volunteers for International Child Search Alliance (ICSA). She and her husband are the owners of a supermarket.
COMMUNICATIONS
Katie Lauder
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
she/her
Katie was adopted from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China and grew up in the Chicagoland area of the USA. She joined Nanchang Project due to a passion to advocate for Chinese adoptee issues that intersect with her interests in international relations, cultural education, and establishing adoptee voices in the Asian American community. She is currently in grad school but in her free time enjoys traveling with friends and keeping up to date with movies and tv shows.
Katelyn Connor Lin
CONTENT COORDINATOR
she/her
Katelyn was adopted from Hanchuan, Hubei, and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, with a younger sister who was adopted from China 2 years after her. Katelyn holds a dual degree BFA in Dance and BA in Media Advertising. She discovered Nanchang Project during research for her choreographic work, which investigates the unprecedented, multi-faceted experience of being a Chinese-American, transnational, transracial adoptee, an identity that is central to her philosophy and practice in life and in her creative work. Katelyn is thrilled to be working to uplift and amplify adoptees’ diverse experiences and voices.
Bryanna Young
AMBASSADOR + STRATEGIST
she/her
Bryanna was adopted from Chengdu, China, and grew up in the Bay Area, California. She is a marketing specialist for a sustainable start-up and pursues freelance photography on the side. She also loves going to the beach, spending time with her dog Marshmallow, and traveling to new places. Bryanna joined the Nanchang Project in hopes of learning from other adoptees and acting as an advocate for adoptee voices.
EmmaRose Strybel
TIKTOK COORDINATOR
she/her
EmmaRose was adopted from Fuzhou, Jiangxi. She grew up in San Diego, CA, and Louisville, KY. She recently found her biological sister through 23andMe, and just graduated college with a B.F.A in Graphic Design. EmmaRose is excited to connect with more adoptees and help others find their roots and birth families by using social media. In her free time, she enjoys ballet, Latin dance, nature walks, traveling, and hanging out with her family, friends, and dog.
DEVELOPMENT
Xavier Huang
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
they/them
Xavier is an orphan from Jiangxi province and is an uninvited settler on the unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples (colonially known as Victoria, B.C.). X is a prolific writer with creative non-fiction work to be published in August of 2023 and a fantasy novel on the backburner. Xavier is passionate about community and people, and they work for the Vancouver Island Human Rights Coalition (VIHRC) where they provide free legal education about disability, accessibility, and the legal duty to accommodate in British Columbia, Canada. Xavier is thrilled to join the Nanchang Project as a Grant Writer and hopes to conduct their own birth family search along the way.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Taylor DePetris
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
she/her
Taylor is an adoptee from Hunan, China, and was raised in the mid-west of the United States. She grew up around art and creativity which eventually led to her day job as a 3D designer at an advertising agency. Outside of work she enjoys playing with her pup Terra Bear, learning to crochet, and simply draw. In 2022, she started volunteering her illustration skills to China Children’s International for their social content. Now she is expanding those talents to The Nanchang Project. Taylor hopes to continue to make beautiful work that helps spread awareness for adoptees as we search for our connected roots.
ORIGINS SEARCHES
LuLu Grant
ORIGINS SEARCHES COORDINATOR
she/her
LuLu grew up near Seattle, USA, and moved to Puebla, Mexico, in 2014. When she’s not teaching English to Chinese children, you can find her reading or working on her memoir. LuLu was adopted from Fuzhou, Jiangxi, and found her birth family in 2022. She is very excited to help others do the same.
Elowyn Collins
ORIGINS SEARCHES COORDINATOR
she/her
Elowyn was born in Chenzhou, Hunan, and raised in Oregon, USA. Throughout her schooling, she was a student in a Mandarin language immersion program for about 15 years. She is proud of her Chinese heritage and does what she can to learn more through language, food, and more. Elowyn is currently an undergraduate student studying international and global studies with an Asia region focus.
Emily Donovan
ORIGINS SEARCHES COORDINATOR
she/her
Emily was adopted from Nanchang, Jiangxi, and was raised in South Jersey, USA. She works with veterans as a registered dietitian, and spends her free time at the gym and trying new foods. She is excited to dive deeper into the adoptee community and help others find connection to their roots and heritage.
Liv Roy
ORIGINS SEARCHES COORDINATOR
she/her
Liv was adopted from Zhanjiang, Guangdong, and raised in Massachusetts, USA. She is a Development Associate for a public media foundation. Outside of work, Liv enjoys cooking new recipes and engaging in creative projects (such as sewing, crocheting, and painting). She is in the beginning stages of searching for her birth family, and she joined Nanchang Project to help others find their birth families as well.
Camille-Li Proteau
ORIGINS SEARCHES COORDINATOR
she/her
Camille-Li was adopted from Bengbu, Anhui, in 1996 and was raised outside of Montréal, Canada. Since the start of COVID-19, she became interested in searching for her birth family. Camille-Li seeks her roots and origins in order to find her birth parents and better understand herself. As Camille-Li knows how searching can represent a rollercoaster of emotions, she wishes to help and support other adoptees through their search process. She’s happy and eager to do this through Nanchang Project.
Lia Nagge
ORIGINS SEARCHES COORDINATOR
she/her
Lia was adopted from Nanning, China, and was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, as an only child. In 2021, she graduated with a BA in history and is currently planning on pursuing a graduate degree in genetic counseling. In her free time, Lia enjoys thrift shopping, spending time with friends, and attempting to re-create recipes from the Great British Baking Show. She is excited to join this fantastic team and help connect fellow adoptees to their birth families.
Pauline Knutsson
ORIGINS SEARCHES GENERAL INQUIRY
she/her
Pauline was adopted from Yujiang, Jiangxi. She came to Sweden when she was 5 months old and currently lives in Stockholm. Pauline recently graduated as an engineer and works as a management consultant. In her spare time she is running two side projects, one as a freelance photographer and one as a spiritual modality facilitator. She also loves to exercise, hang out with friends, and dance to some good music.
Emma Sampson-Green
ORIGINS SEARCHES GENERAL INQUIRY + TIKTOK COORDINATOR
she/her
Emma is an adoptee from Yiyang, Hunan, and was raised in Louisiana, USA, with her identical twin. She is currently attending college majoring in history with a minor in Chinese. She is planning on pursuing a graduate degree in a related field with the goal of teaching at the college level. She spends her free time hanging out with her dog, reading, and listening to music.
TOUTIAO ARTICLE PROGRAM (TAP)
Minel Cannucciari
TAP COORDINATOR
she/her
Minel is a transracial, international adoptee from Guixi, Jiangxi. From her work in marketing and online community management, she understands the power and importance of community. Therefore, Minel is looking forward to working with and supporting fellow Chinese adoptees with Nanchang Project! In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, watching reality TV shows, and kickboxing.
Abby Le
TAP MANDARIN TRANSLATOR
she/her
Abby was adopted from Jiangxi, China, raised in Massachusetts, and recently moved to Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from the University of Michigan, where she studied statistics and math, and she currently works in data science. In her free time she enjoys dancing, figure skating, reading, and playing with her cat Kumquat. Abby is looking forward to connecting with and helping fellow adoptees through volunteering with the Nanchang Project.
Mei Li Isaacson
TAP MANDARIN TRANSLATOR
she/her
Mei Li was adopted from Xiaogan, Hubei. She grew up attending a Mandarin/English bilingual immersion school, and now loves sharing her love of the language through teaching others (including some Chinese adoptees!). She is excited to join the Nanchang Project and use her Mandarin skills to contribute to the adoptee community. Outside of teaching, Mei Li loves dancing Cuban salsa.
Rebecka Rubenbauer
TAP VOLUNTEER
she/her
Rebecka was adopted from Jiangxi province in 1996 and grew up in Sweden, but is now living in the UK where she works as a graphic designer. She started searching for birth family in 2018 and has since then helped out in various adoptee initiatives. Rebecka joined Nanchang Project for their latest trip to China in 2019 as an adoptee ambassador.
Louise Birgersdotter
ADOPTEE REUNION SUPPORT COORDINATOR + TAP VOLUNTEER
she/her
Louise was adopted from Yugan, Jiangxi, China, and raised in Sweden. Since 2021, she has been in reunion with her birth family and keeps in touch with them daily. Currently a university student, Louise is majoring in Chinese and completed a study abroad in Beijing for a year. During the 2023 Chinese Labor Day holiday, she met her birth family in person for the first time!
OTHER VOLUNTEERS
We couldn’t do what we do without a ton of support. Our volunteer network is made up of adoptees and adoptive parents on the Western side and a number of amazing Chinese citizens who assist us with translations, arranging trip details, DNA testing, and helping to spread our message throughout China both via social media and local flyers. We are all committed to the same cause: to bring peace and healing whenever possible to Chinese families affected by separation. We appreciate everyone, past and present, for their contributions to our organization. 谢谢!
