Second Nurture
exists to ensure
that no family
caring for vulnerable children has to
do it alone.
Why We Started
What can we do to address the high rates of foster parent burnout—so that kids have the stability they need?
Second Nurture began with a deeply personal question.
Susan grew up in a family that fostered children and saw firsthand both the extraordinary commitment of foster families and the challenges they faced. Years later, she was struck by the number of caregivers leaving foster care because they felt isolated, overwhelmed, and unsupported—and by the profound impact that instability has on the children who depend on them.
As a rabbi, Susan had also witnessed something else: the extraordinary power of community. She saw how congregations hold one another through difficulty and celebrated together in joy. She began asking a different question: What if caregiving families experienced that same kind of community?
That question became Second Nurture.
Rather than creating another service for families, 2N mobilizes existing community institutions—primarily synagogues—to share in the responsibility of caring for foster, kinship, adoptive, and guardianship families. Through monthly Cohorts, Care Collectives, Family Support Specialists, and partnerships with social service agencies and other professionals, 2N creates the enduring relationships, practical support, and sense of belonging that help families thrive.
Every caregiver deserves to know they are not carrying this responsibility alone.
Professional services matter.
Community makes them sustainable.
Community
is the
Intervention
Most organizations provide services to families.
Second Nurture organizes communities around families.
Rather than creating another program, we mobilize synagogues and other community institutions to become enduring networks of relationships, practical support, and shared responsibility.
Through monthly Cohorts, volunteer-led Care Collectives, Family Support Specialists, and partnerships with child welfare agencies, caregivers become part of a community that continues showing up long after appointments end.
Because when caregivers know they belong, children have a greater chance to thrive.
Meet the People of Second Nurture
COLUMBUS
Second Nurture is honored to work alongside individuals and organizations who are creating meaningful change for children and families.
Our Network
Michael McCullough
Mike is a technology CFO and Partner in a Venture Capital firm, with a past in auditing. He received his BBA degree from the University of Iowa and the Masters of Management degree from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Michael is a licensed CPA, and a Business Management Professor at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Michael and his wife, Beth, have two daughters who joined their family through adoption from South Korea, and one birth son.
Denene Millner
Denene is the NYT best-selling author of 31 books. She is the editorial director of Denene Millner Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint for books featuring African American children and families, which have won Newbery, Caldecott and Coretta Scott King honors and the Kirkus Prize for Children’s Literature. In 2008, she founded MyBrownBaby.com which has won numerous awards and worked with many top brands, from Disney to Target. Millner contributes to national publications, including Essence, NPR, Redbook and Glamour. Her extensive television appearances include the Today show, HLN, NPR and MSNBC. She co-hosts “A Seat at the Table'' and hosts “Speakeasy with Denene.” “The Fresh Princess: Style Rules,” the second in a series inspired by Will Smith’s iconic character, debuted in April 2020. Her upcoming novel, “The Beautiful Blood", preempted by St. Martin’s Press (U.S.) and Borough Press (U.K.,) will debut in eight countries in 2023. She lives in Atlanta with her two daughters.
Peter Mutabazi
As a child, Peter ran away from an abusive home and was helped by the kindness of strangers. As an adult he helped children as he had been helped, and has fostered sixteen children, including the eventual adoption of his son. Peter is the founding director of Now I Am Known, which brings a message of hope to children who need it, affirming that they are heard, seen, loved, and known. Peter lives in North Carolina with his son and three foster children.
Danny Stewart
Danny is the Director of Operations & Finance for Safe Horizon’s Streetwork Programs, providing services with homeless and street-involved young people. He has a BBS and an MA from Hardin-Simmons University and an MSW from Hunter College in New York. Danny resides in Manhattan with his husband, Pete. In August 2000, Danny found an abandoned newborn in the subway. That infant became their son, who is now in thriving in college and loves playing ultimate.
Nikki Pauls DeSimone
Nikki Pauls DeSimone, LMSW, is a proud social worker and an even more proud adoptive parent. A Kansas City native, Nikki now considers Overland Park, KS to be home, with her husband and two daughters. Professionally, Nikki is employed as a College Assistant Professor of Social Work at New Mexico State University. Nikki received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Baker University in Baldwin City, KS and a Master of Social Work from Washburn University in Topeka, KS. Nikki continues to maintain a caseload of adoptive clients, which is a field she has now been working in for more than 20 years. Nikki’s specific areas of passion and expertise are trauma, transracial/transcultural adoption, K-12 public education, ethics, and immigration. Following the development of many latent hobbies during the quarantimes, Nikki now most enjoys jogging at a glacial pace, meal prepping, and planning vacations.
Colin Walters
Colin Walters, is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in operational leadership, sales strategy, and financial management. Currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer at Ronald McDonald House Charities in Chicago, IL, he partners with the executive team and Board of Directors to ensure the organization meets its mission objectives. Colin has a proven track record of transforming underperforming sites into profitable entities at companies like Intertek and Pace Analytical. Additionally, Colin has successfully integrated acquisitions, optimized service delivery, and launched new business lines throughout global settings. His career also includes teaching as an adjunct instructor at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Colin lives in Barrington, IL, with his wife and their children.
Janet Iacobuzio
Janet has written thousands of produced, hour-long scripts for 7 network daytime serials, a web series and a jointly produced, US-Russian telenovela. She has 2 Emmy Awards, 7 Writers Guild of America Awards and more than 2 dozen nominations. Janet worked as a co-headwriter, breakdown writer, script writer and script editor during her 35 year career in television. Janet is a firm believer in the power of a liberal arts education and received her B.A. in English from Barnard College, Columbia University. In the years since, Janet has worked as a ghost writer, a freelance editor and as a consultant and editor with college-bound students on their biographical essays. Janet is a proud member of the WGA, East and NATAS and looks forward to her very first board experience with 2nd Nurture. She lives in Montclair, NJ.
