Foster Care Directors

Denise Miney, MSW, LCSW - Director of the Foster Family and Adoption Agency

With TLC since 2001

Education
University of Michigan, 1981, Master’s in Japanese Studies
San Francisco State University, 1986, Masters in Social Work (MSW)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) since 1989

Work History
Denise has 14+ years’ experience working for Marin and Alameda Counties as a C.P.S. Social Worker. She has extensive experience in every area of Child Welfare, including emergency response, family maintenance, family reunification, permanent placement, licensing, and adoption. Denise worked for eight years in the Group Homes Unit in Alameda County where she saw many children languish in foster care without any significant connection to a caring adult. From this experience, she came to have a passion for permanence for children. Denise loves working with our wonderful families who give foster children a home and love. Denise would like to see support services to families and more homes for children, especially older kids and sibling sets.

TLC is a kid- and dog-friendly agency and folks soon meet Denise’s five-year-old poodle mix, Sasha. Denise likes to stay active by going to the gym, walking, hiking, and biking. She loves to study languages (Japanese, Spanish, et. al.) and travel - a trip to Panama and Costa Rica is next on the agenda.  Denise and her husband, Larry Schilbe, live in Santa Rosa.

JeFF Killebrew, MA - Regional Director Foster Family and Adoption Agency Mendocino Regional Office

With TLC since 1994

Education
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; 1975 – BA with Honors in Psychology
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; 1982 – MA in Social Psychology

Work History
Jeff has been working in residential care for children for over a quarter-century.  He has always been interested in how families promote healthy individuals and relationships.  Jeff grew up in a family that moved frequently and developed an early appreciation for the strength and importance of families, particularly in the face of life’s many transitions.  His experience as a stepparent has given him a personal understanding of how foster and adoptive families blend unrelated people into a new family.  Jeff finds satisfaction in supporting families involved in this very special process, and being able to see families help children find their unique strengths and talents is a constant source of inspiration for him.  As he works with the many good people that assist in creating “forever families” for children, he remains very interested in further understanding issues that affect attachment and resilience.

Jeff also appreciates his many years of working with families that find rewards in caring for children when only a temporary placement in a foster home is required.  In these cases, it is a powerful kind of giving that allows families to care deeply for children and to ultimately prepare them to leave their homes.

Jeff finds his own personal strength and feeds his creativity by spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, hiking and camping, and working with his wife on their country property.  He enjoys the worst of puns and often finds relaxation with a cat in his lap.

Alexandra Jacobs, Assistant Program Director of Foster Care & Adoptions