MEET THE Defend TEAM
caitlin sund, Executive Director
Caitlin has been married to her high school love, Brad for 17 years. They have three children. The Lord placed a love for the Fatherless on Caitlin’s heart at a young age. She and Brad adopted their youngest daughter from China in 2013.
Shortly after their adoption, Caitlin began serving as an occupational therapist in Chinese orphanages during short term mission trips. It was at that time that she decided she wanted to do more for the local foster and adoptive communities and that is how the York County Foster Closet, now Defend the Fatherless was born.
In her free time Caitlin enjoys spending time with family through boating, camping and travel.
Marybeth Robinson, Special program manager/Volunteer Coordinator
Marybeth married her husband Joey in May 2008. When she was pregnant with their second son in 2013, God fueled her desire to become a foster parent while reading a book handed out at a weekend church service called Journey to the Fatherless.
In 2016, their family began foster and respite care. They quickly learned the busyness and challenges that come along with this calling. During a season of having young children, God showed them that there were different ways to serve this community and answer His calling. She has had the privilege of working with the York County Foster Care Closet since 2016.
Marybeth had the opportunity to travel abroad with Caitlin in November 2018 and this is where God began writing His story for an international adoption and a third little boy for the Robinson family. They have been anxiously waiting to travel since the pandemic started in winter 2020 to bring their son home.
NAME OF TEAM MEMBER HERE
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name@defendthefaherless.org
Anthony Boddie, Chairman of the board
Anthony is a husband to Kathy, and father to Addison. He strongly believes mentorship is so important to any walk of life but can be especially impactful to certain communities. Anthony believes it could be a life changing experience. He is a living proof of that and places a significant value on mentors.
In November of 2020, Anthony was elected Board of Trustee for the Fort Mill School District. He is known in the community for his charity work. He serves with Community Café, serves on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for Anne Springs Close Greenway, and the Community of the Hearts Project, which donates goods to the underserved communities in the York County area. He attends Forest Hill Church.
Currently, he works as an executive professional sales rep for a global organization named RICOH USA. His role is to open new doors with key stakeholders in most vertical markets and help them solve critical business challenges with a diverse services and solutions portfolio. With over 25 years of leadership experience, his professional career has revolved around creating memories for millions of visitors at entertainment venues across North America. Over the years, he honed his management, communication, training, planning, and sales skills in executive positions.
Christi Halpin, board member
Christi Halpin is a Memphis, TN native where she earned a business degree from the University of Memphis. She is married to Tripp since 2002 and they have 3 sons. Their family relocated to Fort Mill in 2009 and have loved it ever since.
Christi is a stay at home mom but is very active in her church and community. In 2020 their family became licensed to foster and as of March 2022 have welcomed 12 teen boys into their home and continue to open their home to foster children particularly of greatest needs, teen boys. She has a huge passion for foster children and fixing the brokenness inside her own community by raising awareness for the need for more foster parents. She was nominated York County Foster Parent Innovator of the Month and CN2 News Hometown Hero in February 2022. She loves to travel with her husband and really enjoys watching all her boys play football and lacrosse.
Elizabeth Leventis, Treasurer
Elizabeth is a Fort Mill native and a local business owner. She graduated from Wofford College with a BA in Intercultural Studies for Business and Spanish and currently serves on the Young Alumni Leadership and Advisory Council for the school. She married her college sweetheart, Jason and they have two beautiful children.
As the co-founder and President of Arrow & Bow Wealth Advisors located in Baxter Village, Elizabeth works with families and businesses to build customized financial plans and leave a legacy for the next generation.
Locally, she serves as a Board Member on the Town of Fort Mill Historic Review Board, volunteers with her family to clean up trash around Fort Mill and is a Friend of the ASC Greenway.
She is often spotted walking and rucking around town or on the trails at the Greenway in between meetings. Elizabeth loves cheering on her son at the baseball fields and tennis courts and enjoys getting away with her family and friends for quick weekend adventures. Elizabeth and her family attend Lifepointe Church in Fort Mill.
Ruth Ramirez, board member
Ruth Ramirez is married to Josh since 2008. They have one daughter- their miracle baby born in 2010.
Ruth loves working with children and was a kindergarten teacher for 20 years at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, CT before moving to South Carolina.
She served as the outreach coordinator for the school- organizing donation drives to help the homeless in New York City and with children in both Stamford,CT and Port Chester, NY.
Ruth is most proud of serving on the board of the Africa Task Force for the school and successfully raised thousands of dollars to help build a boarding school for girls in Uganda.
Greg Seeger, Board member
Greg Seeger is a regional manager and President of the Southeast Regional Board for Thrivent, a Fortune 500 financial services company. His role over the past 7 years largely consists of introducing people to Thrivent through charitable events across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Prior to his role at Thrivent, he served in a number of different pastoral roles within the church for 22 years. Greg and his family, Kirsten, Brady (15), and Hannah (12), reside in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Louise Southern, Board Member
Louise has been married to her husband Michael since 2004, and they have 3 children. They adopted their two oldest boys through the North Carolina foster care system in 2012. Louise holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from North Carolina State University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has worked with children and adults with social and behavioral differences since 1998. She currently serves as the Associate Clinical Director for the Autism Society of North Carolina, the largest and oldest non-profit in the state that specifically supports the autism community. Louise provides direct intervention and consultation to families and professionals, and she delivers conference presentations, workshops and ongoing coaching to school systems, service providers, and other stakeholder groups across the state. Areas of focus include equity in education and behavioral intervention, culturally responsive and restorative practices, and scaling up the implementation of evidence-based practices across schools and systems. Louise is passionate about serving her heart and home community via her role with Defend the Fatherless.
Brad Sund, Board Member
Brad graduated from the University of Florida with a Business Management Degree with a Minor in Environmental Engineering. After College he started a Cabinetry Company in Naples Florida and ran it for 5 years until he made his move to the Charlotte working with Advanced Drainage Systems for the last 18 years managing the company in the Carolinas. Brad and his family currently reside in York County SC.
Brad has been married to his wife Caitlin for 18 years and has three children Kyrie (13), Brooks (11), and Olivia (9). He has always had a passion for volunteering with children including coaching soccer and special needs ministries. In 2011 Brad found his love for orphans when he adopted Olivia from China.
Brad combines his business acumen and love for fatherless helping to guide Defend to achieve all of their goals.