Valerie Lehner, Founder and President of FIV
Valerie Lehner is an adoptive mother of two daughters from Vietnam and a computer programmer at Hewlett Packard. She received a B.S. in Nursing from Wheaton College and an M.S. in Computer Science at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
In addition to being a mother and serving the children of Vietnam, Valerie has a passion for animals. Prior to volunteering with FIV, she ran a foster care program for abandoned cats and dogs in New York. She currently resides in Austin, Texas.
Christen Buchert, Director of Hanoi Program
Christen Buchert is the mother of 5 children, 3 of whom were born in Vietnam. She attended Old Dominion University and enjoys ongoing continuing education in child development, early childhood education, and anatomy and physiology. In addition to volunteering with Families In Vietnam, Christen’s other passion is being an instructor for Infant Swimming Resource’s Self-Rescue™ Survival Swim Lessons as part of a campaign to prevent childhood drowning.
She also currently teaches Lifeguard courses, CPR/Automated External Defibrillator (AED), O2 and First Aid along with Water Safety Instructor training and swim programs for the American Red Cross. Christen resides in North Carolina with her husband and children.
Anita Falcone, Secretary
Anita Falcone has a lifetime of experience working with children and a passion for helping those who are less fortunate to realize a better life. Professionally, Anita’s focus has been on holistic health, being a certified Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner (Japanese Acupressurist) and a distributor of Kangen water.
As a volunteer in Mexico, Anita has carried out humanitarian work with orphans, battered women, and alcoholics living at a garbage dump. She is an ordained minister.
Anita is blessed with two children and a grandson. She is a native New Yorker and currently resides in Montgomery, New York with her cat Merlin.
Bonnie Lockwood, Director of Lang Son Program
Bonnie Garner Lockwood is a Nationally Certified Psychoanalyst (NCPsyA) with a Master’s Degree in Psychology. After completing post-graduate psychoanalysis training in Self Psychology at the Training and Research in Self Psychology Foundation (TRISP), she designed and conducted healing retreats focused on Transforming the Wounded Heart. Her private practice and volunteer work revolved primarily around issues of child abuse.
In 2000, Bonnie became a full-time mom of two daughters born in Vietnam. Still deeply drawn to healing work, Bonnie has begun an organization called Birth Family Services, providing links for adopted children and their parents with their birth families in Vietnam. Bonnie lives in New Jersey with her family and their two miniature horses, Winnie and Biscuit, their rabbit, Larry Alfalfa, and their dog, Missy.
Jennifer McGough-Barber, Esq., Director of Communications
Jennifer McGough-Barber received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, and her Master of Dispute Resolution and Negotiation (M.D.R.) degree from the acclaimed Straus Institute, before becoming a licensed attorney.
Jennifer is one-half Vietnamese and loves and embraces all aspects of Vietnamese culture. She and her husband have have already begun to pass on to their infant daughter the language, customs, and traditions of Vietnam. Jennifer is fluent in French and Spanish, and can speak conversational Vietnamese. She and her new family currently reside in Orange County, California with their rescue dogs.
Janet Whitehead, Director
Janet Whitehead studied Anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Prior to adopting her daughter in Vietnam, Janet lived in Thailand and travelled extensively. She currently resides in Washington State, working as a professional recruiter at Microsoft. Janet and her daughter love riding and caring for horses.
