Meet our USA team

Dr Raymond Kirk

Chairperson

Dr. Kirk is president of RS Kirk and Associates, consultants in human services management, research, program evaluation, and training, focusing on evidence-based practice in human services. Dr. Kirk retired in 2014 as Director of the Division of Research and Program Evaluation at Independent Living Resources, Inc, of Durham North Carolina.  Formerly a Professor of Social Work at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, he has held teaching, professional and administrative positions in academe and in government, and has worked with private sector organizations and foundations in relation to their participation in the publicly funded human services.  He was the Deputy Commissioner of Social and Rehabilitation Services in Vermont during the administrations of Governors Snelling and Kunin, and served as both the Program Director and the Executive Director of the National Child Welfare Leadership Center.  His writing, research and administrative activities have focused on child welfare, child protection services, and other youth and family programs, as well as respite care across the lifespan.  His present work involves evaluations of human service delivery systems and consultation with national resource centers in the Children’s Bureau and the Administration for Community Living. He is principal author of a series of family assessment scales used in child welfare practice settings, including the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale (NCFAS), the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale for Reunification (NCFAS-R), and the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale for General Services (NCFAS-G).  He is the external evaluator of the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention.  Recent publications include works on outcome evaluation methods, and the reliability and validity of the new Trauma and Post-Trauma Well-Being scales of the NCFAS.

You can reach Raymond at [email protected]

Dr Natalie Conner

Vice Chairperson

A native Charlottean, Natalie graduated from Charlotte Country Day School and went on to receive her BA in English Literature from UNC Chapel Hill. She was awarded her Master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, and her Ph.D. from UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work.

In addition to being a researcher, Natalie also holds her clinical license, having worked as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist with adolescents for nearly 20 years. She has served locally and domestically as an evaluation and strategic planning consultant for an array of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and internationally under USAID and UNICEF, helping to create and shape child welfare systems in developing countries.

Joining the team at BTO is a coming home of sorts: Natalie has volunteered with BTO since 2008, “I had the honor of working with Geoff Hucker and the Ethiopia team, and saw firsthand the daily commitment to serving not only the children with whom they were directly helping, but also a dedication to the systems level work on behalf of all children at risk for homelessness.”

You can reach Natalie at [email protected]

Geoff Hucker

Founder and Director

Twelve years ago, Geoff’s professional career as an international pilot dovetailed into his vocational calling – founding and directing Beyond The Orphanage (BTO).
After taking a chance trip to Ethiopia, and experiencing first-hand the extreme hardships facing the country’s orphaned children, Geoff felt emotionally compelled to create change.

Since the inception of BTO in 2007, Geoff has balanced senior positions in the aviation industry (both in Australia and internationally), with his managing director duties at BTO.

Geoff’s attention to detail and innovative management of all aspects of the organization is complemented by his ability to attract and utilise global experts in the fields of development, child protection and policy.

Under Geoff’s leadership over the past decade BTO has taken over 1,000 children off the street, and provided them with the support and skills necessary to become independent young adults. His continuing commitment and dedication to the growth of BTO is reflected by the expansion of the program to Nepal in 2015.

You can reach Geoff at [email protected]

 

Kate Fewings

Director

Kate has more than 20 years’ experience as a lawyer and currently works as in-house legal counsel for one of the world’s largest financial institutions. Prior to this she worked for an international law firm with roles based in Singapore, London and Hong Kong. Kate is driven by a desire to give back to the world we all share; especially vulnerable children, believing that they too deserve every chance at life, hope and happiness. Outside of volunteering her time to various charitable institutions, she has participated in a number of not for profit projects including school renovation in Nepal, the establishment of a global travel company intended to return money to local communities and housing/building projects for women and girls in crisis across Asia.

You can reach Kate at [email protected]

Peter Banki

Director

Peter is a partner of Banki Haddock Fiora, a firm specializing in intellectual property, IT, entertainment and media law. He is an experienced lawyer and advisor negotiating contracts and representing clients in disputes in copyright and related areas in Courts and Tribunals. Peter is chairman of the Australian Copyright Council and a member of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Law Council of Australia. He has been a member of several government advisory committees on copyright and communications law and is a former chairman of the Copyright Law Review Committee and member of the board of Copyright Agency Limited.

You can reach Peter at [email protected]

Amy Horrocks

Finance Manager

Amy has a degree in Business Finance and has had many years of experience in the corporate sector within sales and business planning. She is actively involved in working within her community and enjoys spending time with her family. Amy became involved with BTO in 2012 when her and her family decided to become a sponsor. Amy joined the BTO team in 2015 and is responsible for financial administration within the US.

You can reach Amy at [email protected]

Kerry Pryor

Photographer & Child Sponsorship Coordinator

Kerry Pryor currently lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. She received a Diploma of Applied Photography in 2008 from RMIT.

She has exhibited nationally at galleries such as Global Gallery in NSW and Edmond Pearce Gallery in Melbourne. Her passion for highlighting social issues has seen her receive several highly regarded photographic awards as well as reaching the finals of the HeadOn Photographic Portrait Prize 2013. In 2015 her portfolio was reviewed and awarded the Guy Vinciguerra Fellowship by Ballarat International Foto Biennale. The fellowship will see her travel to Huston Foto Festival in 2016 to present her folio to another review panel. Pryor runs her own freelance commercial photography business in Melbourne.

Her ability to associate with people in every situation, love of story telling and gentle personality has seen her personal work and style really come into their own in her Documentary Collections.

Kerry Pryor Photography

You can reach Kerry at [email protected]