Our Leadership

Meet the Dedicated Individuals Driving Madi’s Movement Forward

Our team and Board of Directors are passionate professionals who share a deep commitment to empowering young adults aging out of foster care. With their guidance and heart for our mission, we are creating opportunities, stability, and a brighter future for those we serve.

Our Team

Effie Santos

Founder & CEO

Effie is a visionary leader, relentless advocate, and the driving force behind Madi’s Movement, founded to fulfill her daughter Madi’s dream of equipping teens aging out of foster care with the resources, confidence, and opportunities to build their futures. With three decades of experience in banking, leadership, and entrepreneurship, she excels in strategic partnerships, business development, and nonprofit growth, ensuring Madi’s Movement remains a catalyst for change and impact.

As a TEDx speaker, Effie delivers her transformational talk, “The Power of the Pause: Finding Courage in Change,” inspiring others to embrace challenges, take bold action, and lead with purpose. She is also expanding her reach as a speaker, author, and thought leader, using her platform to drive conversations around resilience, leadership, and advocacy.

Effie loves being a mom, wife, mentor, and champion for change. Madi’s fierce spirit fuels her mission to create opportunities for young adults aging out of foster care, living out Madi’s dreams every day.

KATY REY

CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER

Katy is a passionate entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, author, speaker, mother, and advocate dedicated to creating opportunities for children and young adults impacted by foster care. As the founder of Fostering Hearts FL, she has worked to close educational gaps for youth in foster care and create supportive environments where young people can thrive, not simply survive.

Katy brings that experience and passion to Madi’s Movement, helping lead programs, partnerships, and community engagement while strengthening how we support young people as they move toward independence. She is passionate about helping young people recognize their potential, challenge the labels placed on them, and believe in what is possible for their future.

An author and speaker, Katy shares those messages through her work, including her books Uniquely Loved for Being YOU and Your Labels Don’t Define You, YOU Define You.

Katy’s energy, authenticity, and compassion are at the heart of everything she does. As a mother and lifelong advocate for young people, she believes in leaving people better than she found them.

Kerri Piniero

Young Adult Connector

Kerri has dedicated over 25 years to working with children, families, and young adults, primarily in the nonprofit sector as a social worker. With 16 years of experience in mental health as a case manager and mentor, she has supported countless foster youth, ensuring they receive the care, resources, and advocacy they deserve. She has also served as a child protection investigator and teacher, further strengthening her ability to empower young people.

As Program Director of Madi’s Movement, Kerri is committed to creating programs that equip young adults aging out of foster care with the skills and confidence to transition into independence. Her passion is deeply personal—having raised her niece after she was removed from her mother’s care, she understands the gaps in support.

Madi was like a niece to Kerri, making her role in Madi’s Movement even more meaningful. She finds immense purpose in continuing Madi’s vision, ensuring young adults feel supported, empowered, and seen.

Athena Ebie

Marketing Director

Athena is a marketing strategist, entrepreneur, and creative force behind Madi’s Movement’s brand and storytelling. A graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in Marketing, she brings experience in banking, entrepreneurship, brand development, and business operations. Before joining Madi’s Movement, Athena spent more than five years in banking and built her own business from the ground up, giving her a unique ability to blend creativity with strategy and execution.

As Marketing Director, Athena leads the organization’s marketing, communications, and storytelling strategy, including branding, digital content, newsletters, fundraising campaigns, events, video, and community outreach. She is passionate about using powerful storytelling to bring people closer to the mission, elevate the voices and experiences of young adults aging out of foster care, and grow a community that wants to be part of creating change.