Christina Brathwaite

Christina is the mother of 3 boys, a cat, dog, 2 fish and several plants and calls herself the Mother of Dragons.  Mild mannered scientist by day, but in the evenings and on weekends she works tirelessly for the marginalized community.

One day, Christina's son came home from school and told her he had to read the part of a slave, not once but twice.  While this was not the teacher's fault as she was just conducting her lesson, this was a moment to recognize privilege and choose a different route than allowing him to read that part.  He was bullied relentlessly that day.  Christina started out by requesting DEI training for the teachers, then quickly fell down the rabbit hole realizing there were a lot more children to serve.   She founded PFI along with Melissa Montero to try to create a better world for not only their children, but all children who may feel alone and left out. 

You can often find her reading or watching science fiction, or searching for fairies which also got her bullied as a child 

Melissa Montero

Melissa Montero is an author, entrepreneur, and an Executive Director of a non-profit organization. She is a Pennsylvania native and lives with her husband and three beautiful children in Pennsburg. 

Melissa published I Refuse to Choose in 2018. The inspiration for her children’s book was motivated by her own desire to see her three biracial children accept and love both their Hispanic and African American cultures.

Melissa decided to join Parents for inclusion because she has a strong desire to support people of all ages in finding a sense of love, pride, and confidence in their cultural and family identities.

She looks forward to making great change with the PFI team in the Upper Perk School District. 

Shetorra Nichols

Shetorra Nichols is a successful entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in beauty, creativity, and building confidence from the outside in specifically focusing on natural hair care. She was born and raised in Montgomery County but after achieving success creating her brand, Splurge All Natural, she moved to Los Angeles to expand her business.  As a mother of two and a passionate advocate for equity in education, she brings both heart and hands-on experience to her work with Parents for Inclusion.

After moving to California during the pandemic, Shetorra quickly became a staunch advocate for marginalized children particularly focusing on IEPs. She quickly became involved in her local school district-volunteering and partnering with educators to amplify the voices of students and families from diverse backgrounds. Her mission: to make sure every child feels seen, supported, and celebrated. Blending her creative background with her advocacy work, she jumped at the chance to support and advocate for all marginalized children. Shetorra believes inclusion starts at home and grows stronger through community.

Karie Ulrich

Karie is a stay-at-home parent to two daughters, and a wife. She grew up on a farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania where she fostered a love for animals and the outdoors. As a child, Karie struggled academically and socially which made it difficult for her to fit in and lead her to be a target to bullies. Despite some negative social experiences, Karie has always maintained a belief that people in general are good, and that everyone has value. Before becoming a mother, she pursued a career in Early Childhood Education so that she could be a supporter to all children, but especially children facing aversity, like she did.

In her free time, you can find Karie enjoying a nice walk, jamming out to Taylor Swift, or spending quality time with her family.

Jacque Porterfield

Jacqueline Porterfield is a full-time yoga teacher and grandmother to 5. She became a member of PFI because of the strong focus on anti- bullying and believes that our schools and communities should embrace diversity, strive for equity and demand inclusion. Two of her grandchildren are mixed race Asian and Caucasian and they have already experienced racial bias as very young children. Jacque is also a strong ally for LGBTQ+ kids and supports gender affirming choices of children and their families.

As a child she felt the trauma of bullying because her family moved frequently. She changed schools 8 times from kindergarten to Grade 9. Being the new kid subjected her to teasing, ridicule and rejection from her peers. Naturally shy, she learned to distrust people and suffered from loneliness. She eventually developed Body Dysmorphia resulting in an eating disorder. Children who are bullied bear the scars for life. We must work together to protect the most vulnerable kids.

Joy DeBach

Born and raised in a very small, very rural, and very homogenous Pennsylvania town, Joy had very little exposure to people who didn’t look, think or act like her growing up.  A lifelong career in the travel industry changed that outlook for her. 

 The opportunity to travel for both work and pleasure exposed Joy to the world’s rich tapestry of cultures, religions and worldviews.  It’s ingrained in her the belief that our differences make the world better, and the more you learn about others the bigger your world becomes.

 These beliefs drive Joy to donate her time and energy to Parents for Inclusion, where she hopes her involvement encourages others to interact with and learn from people from different backgrounds, fostering greater empathy and a more inclusive view of the global community starting right here in Upper Perk.