Fostering Bridges Leadership team
Amy Bobbitt
Amy is a graduate of LeTourneau University where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. She is currently employed by Methodist Children’s Home, and works as the Foster Home Developer for MCH Family Outreach in Tyler, TX licensing foster homes in East Texas. Amy has been married to her husband, Brian, for 12 years, and they have an 11 year old son named Boston. In her free time, you’ll find Amy with a suspense novel in hand. She also enjoys cooking, drinking coffee, and spending time with her son. “I am extremely passionate about helping to provide safe, nurturing homes and environments for children who have experienced harm. I am thrilled to be involved with Fostering Bridges and supporting the foster, adoptive and biological families of Cherokee County and surrounding areas.”
Emily Casey
“I’m Emily Casey and I’m so excited to be a part of all Fostering Bridges is doing in East Texas! I have been married to my husband, Ben, for 7 years and we have 3 amazing bio kids together. We own two coffee shops — Neighbors Coffee in Jacksonville and Likewise Coffee in Tyler — together with our best friends, and that is such a joy to our family! I have always had a heart for foster care; as long as I can remember, I wanted to open my home to children in foster care. However, the Lord led me to serving those families in different ways the past decade. I’ve been a CASA volunteer, a certified babysitter, and part of a local leadership team led by the Fostering Collective. While I’ve loved these roles, I’m so excited to finally be stepping into a new role as a foster mom! We are newly licensed and very ready to embrace this journey, which makes all that Fostering Bridges does even more special to our family.”
Michelle Kearney
Michelle and her husband, Jason, have been married for 21 years and have a 7 year old daughter. Michelle is a graduate of UT Tyler and University of North Texas and currently works as Dean of Enrollment at Jacksonville College. She is involved in her local church with women's ministry and missions. As an adoptive and former foster mom, Michelle is committed to supporting children and families as they walk difficult roads. "I am grateful for the much-needed work of Fostering Bridges in Cherokee County and the surrounding areas and look forward to serving and equipping families in the fostering and adoption community."
Duane Stark
Duane has been married to his wife for more than 19 years. They are the proud parents of eight children and have been certified foster parents for over a decade. Duane focuses his time on teaching, financial coaching, pastoral ministry and bringing awareness to the plight of foster children around the nation. (Click here for a more complete bio.)
Dusti Stark
Dusti Stark’s childhood experience of a broken family gave her a heart for fostering children. Growing up, her younger sister (3 yrs old at the time) was placed into foster care and eventually adopted by a non-relative foster family. Her maternal grandparents raised Dusti and her brother on and off throughout their childhood due to her parents’ addiction issues.
Dusti has been married to Duane Stark for over 19 years, and is a mother of 8 currently (birth, guardianship and adoption through foster care). The children in her home range from 3 years to 17 years old.
Dusti was crowned as the 2023 Texas USA Ambassador Lonestar Queen. She is currently a spokesmodel for K.I.D.S. Uganda. She authored the book Legacy of Love: Fostering Children. She is a Foster and Adoption Consultant through her practice Extending Grace Counseling and Consulting and a Transformational Coach in her program, Ladies without Limits. (click here for more about Dusti)