Board of Directors

Mindy and Jim Savant live in Benld with their daughters. They are current, licensed foster parents and have a desire to support other local foster families. Mindy is a preschool teacher at BenGil Elementary and Jim is the maintenance supervisor for the City of Benld. They are also directors of the local Royal Family KIDS Camp which is a week long camp for kids who are in the foster care system.

Dennis Pickrel and his wife, Judy, live in Carlinville. Dennis serves on several boards and has been a long-term board member of Carlinville Area Hospitals and Clinics serving as its chair for the past 2 years. Dennis brings years of experience working with both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies.

Louie Salazar and his wife, Kathy, live in Carlinville. They were foster parents for 30 years and adopted three of the children they fostered. Louie has spent the majority of his career helping churches and non-profit institutions get incorporated and organized for business. He has helped While We Wait with all the essential business startup processes.

Beth Sies and her husband, Dan, live in Benld with their two sons. Beth has volunteered with Royal Family KIDS Camp for the past 9 years and was previously a licensed foster parent. She has a M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology and is currently serving students at 3 Arrows Pediatric Therapy in Glen Carbon.

Mindy and Jim Savant live in Benld with their daughters. They are current, licensed foster parents and have a desire to support other local foster families. Mindy is a preschool teacher at BenGil Elementary and Jim is the maintenance supervisor for the City of Benld. They are also directors of the local Royal Family KIDS Camp which is a week long camp for kids who are in the foster care system.

Dori Rhodes and husband, Kenny, live in Staunton. Dori serves as the secretary on the Board of Education for the Staunton School District. She is a retired Special Education teacher. During her childhood, her parents fostered over 27 children.

Meleah Vaughan and her husband, Christopher, live in Carlinville with their 7 children. They are current, licensed foster parents and have welcomed many children into their family over the last 6 years. Meleah holds a Master's degree in Nursing and is a National Nurse Practitioner Leader currently working for Optum/United Health Group.  Meleah and her family hold a continued desire to help build and support a strong, local foster community.