Nickole is the President and Founder of Ivan's Treehouse, a nonprofit supporting adoptive and foster families through compassionate mental health resources, community connection, and trauma-informed care. She is  a licensed speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience as a clinician, professor, and administrative leader in higher education and healthcare. Nickole founded Ivan's Treehouse from both professional insight and a personal connection to adoption, driven by a deep commitment to ensuring families have the support they need to thrive. Nickole has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature and a Master of Arts in Audiology and Speech Sciences from Michigan State University.

  Kristin was raised in Austin and became interested in foster care as a teen after befriending a group of children who lived in a foster home in her South Austin neighborhood. She became a certified foster parent in 2015 and co-founded the 501c3 nonprofit Carrying Hope a year later after seeing children arrive on her doorstep in a moment of crisis without any of the comfort items or essentials they desperately needed. A proud foster, adoptive, and birth mom of six, Kristin earned her undergraduate degree in journalism at the University of Texas and in 2023 earned her master’s degree in social work at Texas State University. 

   Jessica brings 20 years of experience turning big ideas into real-world results. As a Software Release Program Manager at AMD, she guides global software launches and aligns fast-moving teams in demanding environments — a blend of rigor and empathy that fuels her work with Ivan's Treehouse. She holds a BS in Atmospheric Science from the University of Arizona, which trained her to spot patterns and translate complexity into clear action. As Treasurer on the Board of Directors, Jessica pairs that program management discipline with genuine empathy to strengthen the network of support that gives every child a real chance at stability, healing, and hope. 

  Nicole Capell brings more than a decade of diverse clinical and leadership experience to her role on the Board of Directors for Ivan’s Treehouse.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Arizona State University and a Master of Science in Speech‑Language Pathology from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Nicole’s professional background in healthcare spans outpatient care, acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, schools, private practice, and higher education. 

A passionate advocate for interprofessional collaboration, Nicole is dedicated to fostering team environments that elevate patient outcomes, satisfaction, and continuity of care. Nicole is excited to bring her commitment to innovation, compassion, and community impact to Ivan’s Treehouse and its mission.

Outside of her professional work, Nicole enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family and dogs. She also embraces a daily dose of friendly competition—racing her daughter to see who can finish Wordle first.