FRUA's Board of Directors, currently comprised of eight members, has a combined 120+ years of membership in and service to FRUA, at the local, regional and national levels. FRUA's Executive Team is comprised of four elected officer positions: Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary.  Four Board-level appointees serve as functional Chairs in areas vital to FRUA.  All Directors serve for two year terms.

FRUA's fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30. While FRUA's national incorporation is in Washington, DC, our Directors live across the United States, meeting monthly via video conference. Each summer, the board meets in person for a public session where annual reports are presented and interested parties can offer comments. Since we are all together, FRUA kicks off the National meeting with a reception to welcome US Department of State staff, foreign embassy staff from the countries we serve, additional friends of FRUA, and FRUA members.  The board also holds sessions devoted to planning for the upcoming year.

Mara Kamen, Chair
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​Mara brings a wealth of experience to FRUA through her years of volunteering in various FRUA roles, most recently as Editor-In-Chief of The Family Focus, FRUA's print journal. A member of FRUA since 1994, she has shared her skills as a change management strategist.  Her most satisfying FRUA roles have been educating parents and professionals working with our children.

Mara is the proud mother of two young adult children, adopted from Russia. She and her husband raised five children in Northern Virginia. She was a recipient of the Congressional Angel in Adoption Award.

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Eileen Bradner, Vice Chair
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Eileen was a founding member of FRUA in 1993, when FRUA was born around kitchen tables among parents in the process of adopting, or who had recently adopted, from the former Soviet Union. FRUA activities offered a way to connect with other adoptive families and keep their children's Russian heritage alive.

Eileen has worked for most of her career as a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, DC. She currently heads up the Washington office for Nucor Corporation, the larges steel company in the US.

​A graduate of the University of Toledo and Georgetown University Law School, Eileen adopted Megan Ksenia from St. Petersburg in 1993.  She lives in Arlington, Virginia

Karen Gibson, Treasurer
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​​Karen  is active in the adoption community in the Pacific Northwest, and has been part of the FRUA Facebook Group for several years. She has had a varied career in banking, brand management, administration and  finance, working at small, mid-sized and multi-billion-dollar companies. She is the Founder and CEO of a restaurant chain. Karen sold her business in 2006 and joined a large restaurant group in Seattle as their CFO. She currently leads their Accounting and Human Resource departments. 

She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Finance along with an MBA from Wake Forest University.

Karen adopted her amazing daughter as a single woman in 2012 from Novosibirsk, Russia at 19 months. They happily make their home in Seattle.

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Haroula Reitz, Secretary
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Haroula has been a member of FRUA since 2016. She spent 25+ years as a business executive with  multinational companies such as GE and Dow and several smaller start-ups. She finds it extremely rewarding to share her expertise in business strategy development, innovation and project execution with the broader community.  In addition to FRUA, she volunteers as an advisor and program leader with Meaningful Teens, a non-profit organization providing literacy and educational support for underserved students and immigrant communities. 

Haroula received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University, B.S. in Chemistry from New York University, and has continued her education with certifications in Lean/Six Sigma.  She currently resides in New York with her husband and her two teenage children adopted from Kotlas, Arkhangelsk Russia in 2010 and their dog Hallie.

Marina Demaine, Technology Chair
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​​Marina is an adoptee from Vladimir, Russia, adopted in 1996, and grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona with her mom, dad, and sister.  Her search for a community of adoptees and a connection to her roots led her to FRUA first as a Young Adult member and later as an intern/volunteer.  She is excited to continue assisting FRUA with their work as Technology Chair lending her years of experience with handbooks, graphic design, and technical writing.
 
Marina graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona with degrees in both Philosophy with an Ethics emphasis and in Linguistics.  She will continue her studies focusing on foreign policy and children’s rights. 
 
In her free time, she enjoys finding unique ways to connect with her Russian roots such as cooking recipes from Russian cookbooks and exploring Russian music, literature, history, and cinema.  

Amy Engstrom Clugg, Outreach Chair
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Amy brings her expertise as a marketer and university instructor to her role as Outreach Director, advocating for FRUA, our families, and our purpose. She is passionate about orphan support and developing our Young Adult program.  
 
Amy is a tireless champion and volunteer for International Adoption, serving as past President of CHEER; Midwest Outreach Coordinator for Children’s Home Society Minnesota; leading the annual Russian holiday exhibit for Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry; chairing gala fundraisers for Sunny Ridge; and as Coordinator for CAFFA’s Eastern European and Central Asian Kaleidoscope Culture Camp. 
 
Amy earned her Masters from The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and her BA from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she met her husband, Dave. They are the happy parents of two children adopted from The Ural Mountains. ​

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Annual Meeting 2023