Meet the Team

Kim Eckel
Founder and CEO

Kim Cauley Eckel is the CEO of Footbridge for Families and founded the organization in order to fill a much needed gap in our society’s safety net.

Kim has been the Manager of Strategic Initiatives at Allegheny County’s Office of Children, Youth and Families, the state’s Young Child Wellness Coordinator for Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health), and earlier, a Senior Advisor in the Office of Data Analysis, Research and Evaluation at Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services. Kim spent nearly a decade in management consulting at the beginning of her career.

She holds a B.A. in Ethics, Politics and Economics from Yale University, an M.Sc. in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston College.

KimberlyEckel@afootbridge.org

Taafoi Kamara
Director of Growth and Marketing

Taafoi is the Director of Growth and Marketing at Footbridge. She is passionate about building new strategies to create solutions to challenges within our communities.

Taafoi carries a wealth of leadership expertise accumulated over 15 years across health systems, academic institutions, and the civil service sector. Her dedication to public health has ignited a profound commitment to uplifting communities most susceptible to adverse health outcomes.

Taafoi holds a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

TaafoiKamara@afootbridge.org

Deirdre Riely
Director of Operations

Deirdre is the Director of Operations at Footbridge. She has a history of volunteering and believes that all people deserve support in times of need.

Prior to joining Footbridge, Deirdre has worked as an assistant project manager for an online brokerage firm and recently worked at Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation in Mountainside, NJ, where she assisted with aspects of the foundation operations. Working for CSHF fostered her passion for helping children and families facing difficult circumstances.

Deirdre holds a B.A. in History from Yale University, a Diploma in Business Studies and Information Technology from University College Dublin, and a Masters in Accounting from Seton Hall University.

DeirdreRiely@afootbridge.org

Jeff Wolstoncroft
Chief Financial Officer

Jeff joined Footbridge for Families as he feels everyone needs a path across the turbulent waters of life. Jeff ‘s role as CFO for Footbridge is to help ensure Footbridge is capable of providing all families that Footbridge serves access to a more stable stage in life. 
In addition to Jeff’s role at Footbridge, Jeff is the Assistant Control at the Croatian Fraternal Union of America, a non-for-profit insurance company, and is the owner of Wolstoncroft Accounting Services PC, where he advises organizations of all types, including his passion, nonprofit organizations.

Jeff is a Certified Public Accountant and received his B.S. in accounting from Westminster College. JeffWolstoncroft@afootbridge.org