Staff & Board

Kimberly Scott has worked with families and children for more than two decades.

She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and currently practices as an individual and family therapist for both children and adults. In her private practice, she empowers individuals to overcome personal obstacles by utilizing evidenced-based interventions while integrating spiritual concepts into therapy.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time growing in her faith, the outdoors, yoga, spending time with family/friends and traveling. Most importantly, Kimberly has four amazing children – three daughters and a son.

I was adopted through AGAPE (TN) and my father, Tom Slaughter, was the first Executive Director for AGAPE of NC! So, to say I have a heart for AGAPE would be an understatement! I go out of my way to make sure the kids have what they need and AGAPE families feel supported. The best part of my job is building relationships with our families and their kids, showing precious little souls what a Godly family looks like. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I absolutely love supporting a family’s foster or adoption journey. It’s a blessing to be part of the AGAPE family!

Kia Carter’s role is to train and license new families, recruit new foster parents, plan and run monthly foster parent support gatherings, visit licensed families, and train new Social Workers.

She joined AGAPE after a career in teaching since she felt led to help children in another way. “Working with children for many years, I have seen the need for good foster homes.” The main reason she loves working for AGAPE is because she feels like she’s part of a family where everyone looks out for and supports each other.

When she is not at AGAPE, she loves visiting family (especially her nephew in California!), traveling, hiking, being outdoors, reading good books and serving at church and in the community.

Most exciting? Kia not only supports our foster parents, but she is one herself!

Bailey Forrest has been a counselor and Christian educator for over thirty years.  He is energized by ministering to children and families. He wants to focus service in his later career years to invigorate a community culture that highly esteems and nurtures children.

His professional career has spanned both ministry and engineering-construction leadership. He has experienced twelve years as a full-time minister and counselor. He holds an M.S. in Counseling from NCSU.  And he is a retired executive director from over twenty-five years of construction management of major expansion projects for pharmaceutical companies. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from NCSU. 

Bailey also enjoys weekly child care for his grand-children; family time; reading the Bible’s wisdom literature; reading various books across an educational spectrum; teaching; the outdoors; and carpentry projects.

I’ve had a career in Foster Care/Adoptions for over 10 years now. I feel that it’s not just a job for me, but rather, God’s calling for my life! I’m passionate about the children and families I work with, and I love being able to be a part of helping to both restore, and build, families through the fostering/adoption process.

Keith and his family have been a foster/adoptive home for 8 years. Professionally, Keith has been caring for children and families for almost 15 years. First as a teacher and most recently as a liaison between DSS & foster families as well as a Behavioral Health Partner for foster/adoptive families. He has supported others within the foster care system by helping connect churches to engage the foster care system in their community, running trauma-informed care trainings for foster/adoptive parents, and facilitating support groups.

Keith believes with all his heart that the people of God are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities. He has spent the last ten years advocating for children and families impacted by the foster care system and creating a network of churches and individuals who are committed to living compassionately and caring for children in need. He is passionate about seeing God’s Kingdom come to all who are desperate for love and support.

In his free time, Keith loves spending time with his wife and his 6 children (Ranging in age from 1 to 11 years old.) He loves being a father and enjoying all of the little moments with his family. Keith loves spending time outdoors in God’s beautiful creation: camping, fishing, hiking, rock climbing, and just sitting and listening to the wind in the trees.

Kristen received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Mississippi State University and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Alabama. She believes wholeheartedly in the mission of AGAPE and has previously worked as a foster care social worker for AGAPE in Alabama. She is passionate about filling the large gap between the number of foster children in a county versus the number of homes and loves encouraging and equipping families that have been called to foster care. She is so excited to meet with, support and pray for families and the precious children that have been placed in their homes.

My first experience with Agape was in 2009 when my husband and I started the process to become foster parents. Foster care has a place in both of our families’ trees and we made the decision to include it on our branch as well.

I love meeting and talking with people! Joining the Agape family and spreading our mission has given me the opportunity to do something I love while helping those who are most vulnerable. As an adoptive mom, I know how important that support is. I’m thrilled to walk alongside foster families in the Charlotte area as their Foster Care Worker and by engaging caring and supportive individuals and groups in the community to wrap arms around them.

My favorite pastimes include jumping Double Dutch, playing board games with my family and loving on my Boxer, Lyla Rose.

As a child, I watched as my mother pastored children from an inner-city church. This fueled a passion inside of me to help children in need. The passion was fueled further through the adoption of my two beautiful children. I am so blessed to have found an organization like Agape, where their mission and passion aligns with my own. My goal is to walk alongside families and help children reach their full potential and thrive within the community.

I grew up in the Allentown, Pennsylvania area. I have also had the privilege of living in Hawaii, California and Florida through the years as a young adult. My husband Ryan and I have 4 kids (ages 19, 17, 14, 12). We were on the mission field in SE Asia for several years and came back largely due to Covid. We have lived in NC with our kids for 13 years total and really enjoy it here. I have an MSW in social work and have worked as a social worker for over 20 years in the areas of foster care, school counseling, crisis pregnancy counseling/domestic violence counseling and in-home counseling with children and families dealing with mental health challenges. I personally was in foster care as a child and went through a failed adoption, multiple placements and eventually went on to be raised by my maternal aunt and uncle. I am intimately acquainted with the hardships in the system and I know what it is like to experience varied traumas and abuses. I spent most of my young adult life chasing anything that felt like love or escape- relationships, rebellion, substances. I was angry, broken and lost. It the middle of the mess, I encountered Jesus due to someone’s witness to me. Surrenduring to him wasn’t easy. I had to unlearn so many lies I believed about myself. Now, I live not just as a survivor but as a truly redeemed child of God. My whole life has been res-shaped and changed by the reality of Christ’s love for me and the healing that can come. The Lord has used my story to administer to others in foster care and to others with trauma, loss and abuse in their lives.  

Rebekah Rucker began working with Agape in January 2023 and says she is “so thrilled to be joining the Agape team!” A few of Rebekah’s favorite things are animals, cooking, traveling new places, painting, and being the mother of five children.

In 2010, Rebekah and her husband, had a 7-year-old daughter and two sons, aged 4 and 2. Rebekah writes that she “experienced the Lord’s unmistakable voice and I couldn’t let go of the sense that He was asking us to become foster parents. Though it felt crazy, we got licensed and accepted special need, newborn twin boys in December 2011.” This turned out to be a permanent decision as those boys became “forever family” in 2014.

Rebekah adds that because of their adopted sons’ disabilities, “I have spent the last decade researching and attending every therapy, attachment, and counseling session I could access in hopes of improving the boys’ chances at a beautiful future. The pool of knowledge is vast, but I have learned so much about child development, behavior, connection, attachment, trauma, and intellectual disabilities along the way.” Rebekah also recently became certified to work as a registered behavior technician in the field of applied behavior analysis. This certification allows her to work at an Applied Behavior Analysis center under the supervision of a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst.

Rebekah says she chose to work with Agape “because I believe very few things are more important than caring for the most vulnerable among us, children made in God’s image. Though it hasn’t been easy, and I feel like I’ve lived out an extended treasure hunt for resources and information, I would foster and adopt my boys again a thousand times. I am honored to work with Agape, encouraging families, spreading the message and eternal value of caring for children who need a safe space to exist in this broken world.”

I started working with AGAPE of NC in 1992 — so, I’m approaching my 30th year! I like people and like helping people, and that led to my long-time work as a Counselor and Caseworker. I’m still serving families by coordinating first aid & CPR training required as part of their fostering experience.

Jodi is passionate about justice and caring for vulnerable children and families. She earned her Social Work degree from Asbury University and has spent the last decade supporting those impacted by foster care with kindness, compassion and respect amidst their unique stories.

She values collaboration and believes in partnering with families, churches, and community groups to create strong, supportive and caring networks that help people heal and grow. Jodi approaches her work with empathy, professionalism and grace and is grateful to be part of Agape of NC’s mission serving foster families.

Outside of work, Jodi enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, hiking and running through the trees with her dog –  August, reading, and savoring good-quality coffee. She also loves exploring global cuisines and has a deep appreciation for theater and musicals.

Kat Kaufmann has her Masters of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis and moved to the triangle area in 2012. She has worked with children and families for the past 15+ years in different capacities including as a foster parent, child therapist, and family services coordinator. She is passionate about supporting and equipping families in whatever shape or form they come. 

Kat loves to travel, go on walks, be involved in her church, and spend time with her husband and 6 children.