Heart Gallery of America ® Inc. Board of Directors

Diane Granito, Co-Founder HGA and Honorary Chairperson

Heart Gallery of New Mexico (CYFD)

As a recruiter with the NM Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD), Diane launched the first Heart Gallery in March 2001 as a way to help New Mexico's "waiting children" step from the shadows into the light with dignity. Diane's background in business and marketing, including 11 years with Columbia Pictures in Italy, helped prepare her to organize and promote the unique project. Early national media coverage raised some interest in the Heart Gallery and in 2005, NM reporter Rosemary Zibart's Parade article on the Heart Gallery helped spread this important message across the country.

In 2007 CYFD was awarded $100,000 by the NM legislature, to be automatically renewed each year, for the Heart Gallery of New Mexico and CYFD's successful adoption matching events. In 2005, Heart Gallery of New Mexico Foundation was created and now supports adoption outreach and the special needs of waiting children.

Heart Gallery of New Mexico
Website: http://www.heartgallerynm.org
Contact: 505-476-0145 Diane Granito, direct line, dianeg.granito@state.nm.us
Committees: Celebrity Outreach Committee, Fundraising Committee

R. Matthew Straeb, Heart Gallery of America ® Inc., President and Co-Founder

Marketing for Global Security Systems, LLC (GSS)

Mr. Straeb is Executive Vice President, Marketing for Global Security Systems, LLC (GSS) and serves on the board of America's Emergency Network. As founder of Heart Gallery of Broward, Mr. Straeb partnered with Diane Granito to found Heart Gallery of America Foundation.

Mr. Straeb holds a bachelor's of science degree in electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University. He also has been a visiting professor on courses in broadcast and entertainment technologies.

Contact: (954) 850-6606 -E-mail: Matthew Straeb
Website: www.alertfm.com

David Louis, Heart Gallery of America ® Inc., Executive Director

Heart Gallery Hawaii

David Louis founded Heart Gallery Hawaii in 2005. Drawing on experience as a counselor, advocate and former foster youth, Heart Gallery Hawaii was developed to serve children from the youth perspective while remaining therapeutically positive. Our message to children: “With a smile you can help everyone in foster care” gives participants the opportunity to help others that are in similar positions by being a voluntary part of our publicity campaigns. We also grant wishes for the children, from clothes, gifts and scholarships to special activities and even searching for “lost” family members.

Heart Gallery Hawaii has 60 professional photographer volunteers and more than 200 activity and event volunteers across the islands. We have both corporate and government financial support. We work with DHS and all social service contractors to achieve goals for foster children.

Website: http://www.heartgalleryhawaii.com
Contact: (808) 295-1929 - heartgalleryhawaii@yahoo.com

Christie Obie, Heart Gallery of America ® Inc. Treasurer

A Family For Every Child

In 2006 A Family For Every Child was started by Christy Obie-Barrett, the mother of 12 children, 9 of which are adopted. The Heart Gallery opened in November 2006 and has grown to 10 continually running venues in our area.

Since then our organization has gone on to create many other programs all born out of the need seen during our first Gallery. An Adoption Support Group, a Mentor program geared towards aging-out youth, a Family Finding program meant to reconnect Foster children with lost family members, a teen permanency program aimed at supporting and training life long committed families.

Contact: 541-683-5769 - 407-396-8844 - E-mail: Christie Obie

Jesse Miller

Heart Gallery of Tampa Bay (Florida)

Jesse Miller began working with the Heart Gallery as a volunteer photographer in 2002 and for the past three years has served as the Director for the Heart Gallery of Tampa Bay. With a background in the arts and working with at-risk youth populations, Jesse is a published photographer and aspires to create more navigable systems for adoptive families while increasing direct services that improve the quality of life for kids in care.

Each year for five years running, The Heart Gallery of Tampa Bay has created a new exhibit featuring 100 hard-to-place foster children that tours to 6-8 high traffic venues in the Bay Area such as malls and airports. HGTB has placed over 300 children in homes and has recently created cable TV commercials, billboards and is developing ancillary programs to provide mentoring and other direct services for kids in care.

Website: http://www.HeartGalleryTampaBay.org
Contact: jmiller@childrensboard.org
PH:( 813) 528-0648
Committees: Website, National Events, Photographers

Laurie Sherman Graff

Heart Gallery NYC

A former actress, entrepreneur and teacher, Laurie has always has been interested in working with disadvantaged children, and as an adoptive Mom, there is a special place in her heart for finding adoptive homes for the kids. In Los Angeles she integrated special needs kids into "regular" acting classes and initiated a program with the Santa Monica Unified School District to create dramatic arts classes for children with disabilities.

Heart Gallery NYC opened in late July 2007 with the Heart Gallery PSA proudly presented on the world famous Times Square Astrovision screen. Since then, better than 1 out of 3 Heart Gallery NYC children have been matched or placed in pre adoptive homes, and the Holiday/Matching Party resulted in another 6 potential matches.
Website: http://www.heartgallerynyc.org
Contact: lauriesgraff@heartgallerynyc.org
Committees: Fundraising, Advertising and Publicity

Denice Grugle

East Texas Heart Gallery

Ms. Grugle founded the East Texas Heart Gallery as a publisher in 2005 and achieved non-profit status in November 2005. Denice has always had a desire to help in the area of adoption having one adopted teenage sister and many foster sisters growing up. Denice was able to bridge the gap in Texas between the waiting families and available children by being an advocate and raising awareness in the Department of Family and Protective Services about the gaps in the system that created a long wait. East Texas Heart Gallery is piloting many programs with the state that may serve as a "working model" for other regions in the state.

East Texas Heart Gallery is rare in that it is a rural Heart Gallery that covers 23 counties and hundreds of miles. Venues and photo events are an ongoing collaboration due to the large area and limited number of locations. Photo events are taking on new shapes utilizing local college sports teams as entertainment. Venues have introduced themselves in the form of churches and festivals. ETHG is creating child specific public service announcements, creates rack cards and a "hardest" of hard to place magazine. ETHG has partnered with private agencies, the state and other non-profits such as CASA to create a basket of resources for interested familes.

Website: http://www.EastTexasHeartGallery.com
Contact: EastTexas Heart Gallery - 866-787-ADOPT (2367)
Committees: National Events, Advertising and Publicity