Ashlee Heiligman is a licensed social worker with a Bachelor and Master of Social Work specializing in Direct Practice with Children and Families. Ashlee has 16 years of child welfare experience both in the U.S. and abroad. She is the Global Director of Global Child Advocates which is a team of child protection specialists working to resolve the root causes of child trafficking and orphanhood. Ashlee also serves on the advisory network for Faith to Action Initiative. In 2017, she co-founded GCA’s social enterprise Sojourn Studio, which provides dignified work for marginalized women in Thailand through handcrafted porcelain jewelry.

Julie Ann Walton has been a dedicated and passionate advocate for orphaned and vulnerable children for over fifteen years. She earned her MA in Social Enterprise at American University, where she specialized in international policy around orphaned and vulnerable children. This included the opportunity to consult with the World Bank on their programs in fragile, conflict and violent affected countries where she advocated for more sustainable development models that are driven by communities themselves. Most recently, she has worked alongside a grassroots child protection organization providing strategic leadership, communication support, program design and development, vision-casting and scaling while serving vulnerable children in Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Mexico and the Philippines. She now serves in various capacities alongside like-minded individuals and organizations seeking to better serve children throughout the world. Julie and her dog Lincoln are located outside of Austin. Read more from Julie at www.julieannwalton.com.

Nick Runyon is the Film Producer, Executive Director + Co-Founder for The Archibald Project, a non profit that uses storytelling to inspire and mobilize more people to get involved in foster care, adoption, and family preservation. Nick  leads the storytelling team where he spends time developing, producing, shooting, writing, and editing film projects for The Archibald Project. He specializes in documentaries, strategy, and innovative storytelling.  Nick is an adoptive father to 3 and is  passionate about people, justice, and a well told story.

Julie Ann Walton

Ashlee Heiligman

Nick Runyon

Whitney Runyon is the Creative Director and Co- Founder of The Archibald Project where she uses her talents as a photographer and storyteller to inspire more people to care for vulnerable children. During the past 11 years with The Archibald Project Whitney has lived in 3 countries, worked with dozens of organizations, and experienced  corruption and misinformation in the international orphan crisis.
She also works hard to elevate other non profit's mission through strategic marketing, web design, and consulting through Archibald Productions.  Whitney works and lives in Austin, TX with her husband and 3 children.

WhitneyRunyon

Together our team has over 44 years of experience, including travel to 17 countries throughout Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central America, serving, learning, and caring for orphaned and vulnerable children. Although we have encountered plenty of obstacles and made mistakes, our passion has pushed us to keep learning and not give up. This project is a culmination of our combined experience and desire to share what we’ve learned with you because only together can we reimagine orphan care. 

THIS
WORK IS
OUR PASSION.