Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Names Two New Board Members

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption welcomes two new board of trustees members this month. Deepak Ajmani and Robert Geen will each join the board for a three-year term.

Ajmani is the Vice President of Restaurant Services for The Wendy’s Company based in Dublin, Ohio. Ajmani most recently led the Florida Division as Division Vice President for over seven years. He has a deep passion for the Wendy’s brand and is a growth minded leader.

“It energizes me to see how Wendy’s has partnered with the Foundation in local communities to raise awareness and accomplish one goal of finding a loving family for every child in foster care,” said Ajmani. “I’m excited to now support these efforts as a board member.”

Rob Geen is also joining the board. He currently serves as the Director of Policy Reform and Advocacy at the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF). In this capacity, he is responsible for designing and implementing an advocacy strategy related to child welfare, juvenile justice and evidence-based practice.

“In the twenty years I spent as a researcher, the most rewarding experience I had was designing and implementing an evaluation of the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. It was a privilege to have a small role in helping this amazing program grow and forever impact the lives of thousands of children,” Geen said. “I am now honored to join the Dave Thomas Foundation board where I hope I can be of some assistance in further scaling Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and making sure that every child enjoys the love and lifetime security of a family.”

“We are fortunate to have both of these gentlemen joining our board,” said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Foundation. “Rob’s background in child welfare advocacy and research is priceless as we look to expand the reach of our work. Deepak’s deep knowledge of the Wendy’s system will only help further strengthen the connection between the Foundation and The Wendy’s Company, franchisees and suppliers.”

Neither Geen nor Amanji are strangers to the work of the Foundation. In fact, Geen was on the team that reviewed the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program and delivered the research proving its effectiveness. “That research has been invaluable to the Foundation as we work to partner with many more states to scale the model,” Soronen said. “Deepak has been lockstep with the Foundation in his work with the restaurants, promoting in-store campaigns, which for decades have helped fund the Foundations programs. Each member of the board is a dedicated advocate of foster care adoption and Rob and Deepak are terrific additions.”

To learn more about the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption visit our website at davethomasfoundation.org