Our Team

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.

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.

Xavier Huang

Development Manager

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Xavier is an orphan from Jiangxi province and is a settler on the unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples (colonially known as Victoria, B.C.). X completed a BA in Political Science, a certificate in Briefing Ministers and Senior Officials, and holds certificates in both French and Chinese Language and Culture. They are currently completing a secondary BA in English. X is a prolific writer who is working on a fantasy novel and a collection of short stories. Xavier is thrilled to be a volunteer with the Nanchang Project and hopes to conduct their own birth family search along the way.

Jolanda Blaauw

Birth Family Registration Coordinator

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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.

Abby Le

Translation + TAP

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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.

Abby Papritz

Grants and Research

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Abby is a Chinese adoptee from Sanming, Fujian Province, China. She is currently a pre-med, undergraduate student studying Genetics, Genomics, and Biotechnology. Abby loves to draw, do outdoor activities, and cook.

Abi Rose-Craver

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach

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Abi is a transracial adoptee from Chenzhou, Hunan. She and her younger adoptee sister were raised in the Philly suburbs. Since 2018, Abi has worked as a development writer and she's excited to bring her skills and experiences to Nanchang Project team to help fellow adoptees connect with their heritage. She loves baking, Zumba, meeting other adoptees, and snuggling with her rescue pup.

Anna-Li Bateman

Grants and Research

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Anna-Li is an adoptee from Jiujiang, Jiangxi. She was raised in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. She is currently attending college in Maine, double majoring in psychology and sociology and minoring in Asian studies. She is planning on pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her cats, baking, and knitting.

Bella Weiss

Grants and Research

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Bella is a transracial adoptee adopted from Nanchang. She attends the University of Michigan studying psychology. Her research focus is on the intersection of psychology and social work, with an interest in Asian adoptions. Bella joined the Nanchang Project in order to contribute to the adoption community and meet other adoptees.

Brontee Colleen Xianglu Forfar

Book Project + Grants and Research

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Brontee is from Jiangxi, China, and now lives outside T’karonto (Toronto) on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee, Wyandot, and Anishinaabe peoples. She is an avid reader and writer and has published two articles on adoption. Brontee has a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Community Engagement and is passionate about uplifting adoptee voices. She is excited to join Nanchang Project, be in community with fellow adoptees, and help support their search journeys.

Catherine Van Weele

Web Development + Grants and Research

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Catherine is an adoptee from Guangdong province. She attended San Diego State University where she majored in Political Science, minored in Economics, and received a Certificate in Human Rights. Catherine currently works in the nonprofit marketing and communications field. Catherine grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoys watching cdramas, trying new restaurants, and practicing yoga in her free time.

Emily Donovan

Origins Searches

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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. 

Emma Sampson-Green

Origins Searches

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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. 

Forest Shipp

Adoptee Support + Content Creation

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Forest was adopted from the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in China and grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri. He obtained his BFA in Graphic Design in 2022. Forest is now a freelance graphic designer and published poet who is constantly looking to make a positive impact on those around him and is excited to be a part of Nanchang Project. He loves huskies, meeting new people, trying different food, reading, petting cats, and being exceptionally lazy when time permits.

Isabella DiFulvio

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach

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Isabella was adopted from Gaozhou, Guangdong. She grew up in the Washington, DC suburbs and returned to the area after graduating college. She is passionate about connecting with other adoptees and uplifting the adoptee community. Outside of work and volunteering, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and lounging with her shih tzu.

Jessie Lutz

Grants and Research

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Jessie was adopted from Yuyang, Hunan, China, and deeply loves the beautifully diverse Chinese adoptee community. Over the years, Jessie has been involved with Chinese Adoptee Links, China's Children International (CCI), Adoption Today Magazine, and Connect a Kid. Jessie is excited to join the Nanchang Project and give back to our community. Jessie went to UNC-Chapel Hill and lives in the Triangle. Jessie loves watching TikTok, swimming, traveling, and snuggling with her cat, Señor Rico.

Katelyn Connor Lin

Blog + Book Project

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Katelyn was adopted from Hanchuan, Hubei, and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, with a younger sister who was adopted from China. Katelyn holds a BFA in Dance and a 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. Katelyn is thrilled to be working to connect adoptees with their roots and uplift and amplify adoptees’ diverse experiences and voices.

Katie Mantele

Origins Searches

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Katie was adopted from Hunan Province and grew up in NY and NJ. Since 2014, she has been part of the leadership of several adoptee organizations and programs. In addition to her volunteer work with NCPT, she currently serves as the Development Director for IAMAdoptee. In her free time, she enjoys cafe hopping, bookstore browsing, and petting every dog in sight.

Liana Marciante

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach + Web Development

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Liana is an adoptee from Hunan and was raised in Illinois, USA and later moved to Maryland, USA. She is currently studying Information Systems and Marketing at the University of Maryland and minoring in Asian American Studies. Liana loves spending time with her friends, traveling, and being active!

Louise Birgersdotter

Adoptee Support

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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!

LuLu Grant

Origin Searches + Book Project

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LuLu grew up near Seattle, USA but has called Mexico home for the last decade. When she’s not teaching English to Chinese children, you can find her reading, studying Mandarin, or writing. LuLu was adopted from Fuzhou, Jiangxi. She found her birth family in 2022 and visited them for the first time in 2024.

Mandy Myers

Adoptee Support + Translation

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Mandy was adopted from Nanjing, China, at age of 10, and moved to Colorado then Kansas City. She is a Western Kentucky University alumni, with a BA in Psychology and Chinese. Staying connected with her roots have always been important to Mandy, and along with this, her passion for adoption involvement grew as well.

Mayana Holland

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach

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Mayana was adopted from Nanning City in Guangxi province, China. She grew up in Connecticut in the USA with her older sister who was also adopted from China. She holds a BA in Government and Classical Studies and is in graduate school pursuing an MBA. Mayana joined Nanchang Project because she is passionate about connecting with other adoptees and helping to uplift their voices and experiences. In her free time, Mayana enjoys reading, baking, and live music.

Michael Zhu

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach

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Michael Zhu was born in Nanjing, China, in Jiangsu province. He grew up in the midwest of the United States and works as a consultant. Michael's interests outside of work include reading, photography, and rock climbing! He hopes to reconnect with his heritage, and contribute to the Chinese American community at the Nanchang Project!

Michelle M Miller

Grants and Research

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Michelle Miller is the Director of the International Women’s Writing Guild. With over two decades in international marketing and nonprofit leadership, she has led global campaigns for PepsiCo and Reebok and international fundraising for NGOs focused on children's welfare. A Harvard and Boston College graduate, Michelle speaks Mandarin, French, and Spanish. She is currently writing a bilingual children’s book on climate change and her first novel. She lives in Rhode Island with her daughter, LanLan, who was born in Jiangxi.

Minel Cannucciari 

Grants and Research + TAP + Web Development

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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.

Phoenix Vicari

Operations

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Phoenix was adopted from Guangdong, China, and grew up in Boulder, Colorado. She now lives in Boston, Massachusetts. As co-lead of Nanchang Project’s operations, she’s passionate about helping fellow adoptees reconnect with their roots in China. In her free time, you’ll usually find her eating good food or learning Mandarin—she recently reunited with her birth family and hopes to one day be able to speak to them in Chinese.

Ruby An-lu Bronaugh

Grants and Research

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Ruby 安路 is a transracial, transnational adoptee from Shanghai, China. Raised in the Beach Cities of Southern California, they recently moved to Austin, Texas. They love indie games, knitting, embroidery, art history, and going on picnics with her dog, Laika. They are pursuing their Master’s degree in library science, hoping to work in archives and databases. She is excited to help Nanchang Project in amplifying adoptee voices and creating safe spaces for adoptees to explore their roots.

Sarah Bolinger

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach

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Sarah is a senior at The University of Texas at Dallas, pursuing a degree in Information Systems and Technology. Originally from the Yu Lin province in China, Sarah is passionate about leveraging technology to make a difference in healthcare, education, and non-profits.

Skylar Veazey

Social Media

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Skylar is an adoptee born in Huanggang, Hubei, China. She grew up in Golden, Colorado. She is currently a student at Duke Kunshan University studying global health. While taking classes, she works for campus engagement planning events for students and continues to pursue research in biology, infectious disease, and health policy. Beyond academics she enjoys spending time with friends and rediscovering her heritage while exploring China.

Sophia Bird

Content Creation + Translation

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Sophia is a transracial, intercountry adoptee from Beijing and grew up all over the west coast states. She graduated from the University of Oregon’s Chinese Flagship Program, majoring in Global Studies and Chinese Language with a minor in East Asian Studies, and is excited to continue her education at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Outside of school and work, she loves music, art, poetry, and photography.

Taylor DePetris

Graphic Design

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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.

We also appreciate the time spent by our former Nanchang Project volunteers. Visit our Former Volunteer page to learn more about them. We appreciate everyone, past and present, for their contributions to our organization. 谢谢!