Our Leadership

Our Roots & Our Reach

A Legacy of Purposeful Action Before officially launching Dancing with Fireflies Foundation as a 501(c)(3) in 2025, our journey began in the small, quiet moments of service. For years, we worked side-by-side, teaching our children that even the smallest act of kindness can create a ripple of meaningful change.

These shared experiences inspired us to focus our efforts on the most vulnerable youth in our communities. We are committed to ensuring that children in the foster care system experience the dignity, comfort, and joy they deserve during their most uncertain times.

[Read the Firefly Story ↗]

A Multi-Generational, Woman-Led Mission

Five Women. Two Generations. One Goal. We are a unique team of five women: three longtime friends and two of our daughters. This bond allows us to lead with a rare blend of seasoned experience and the fresh, analytical energy of the next generation.

As mothers, educators, entrepreneurs, and future engineers, we bring a specialized perspective to foster care advocacy. We don’t just focus on a child’s physical needs; we prioritize the emotional dignity and the sense of “home” that every child deserves.

Why Our Model is Different

We pair professional excellence with a maternal heart to create a standard of care that is both high-impact and deeply personal.

• Professional Integrity: We manage every resource with the transparency and precision of the corporate and engineering worlds we come from.

• Emotional Dignity: We believe a “home” is more than a roof; it is a sense of belonging. Our initiatives are intentionally designed to ensure every child feels seen, valued, and loved.

•A Scalable Mission: Our work begins in Tennessee, a state that carries a disproportionate responsibility within the foster care system, with a high percentage of youth entering and aging out of care compared to many other states. While we are starting where the need is critical, our vision is built for growth. We are developing a replicable, high-standard model of care designed to expand our reach and bring stability to vulnerable youth in every community we touch.

“By modeling the power of female leadership across generations, we are proving that a dedicated circle of women can spark a movement of light and hope that grows with every community we touch.“

[Meet the First Sparks ↗]

Meet Our Board

Katherine Cadiz serves as the primary public advocate and community liaison for the Dancing with Fireflies Foundation. With nearly two decades of experience in sales and administrative support, Katherine brings a compelling charisma and “no-nonsense” pragmatism to the board. As Co-Founder and President, she is the forward-facing voice of the organization, utilizing her exceptional interpersonal skills to build the corporate partnerships and community trust vital to the foundation’s mission.

Katherine’s leadership is defined by a sharp, tactical eye and a hands-on approach to service. A cornerstone of her community, she spent nine years as a co-leader for Girl Scouts and Frontier Girls, where she was known for her ability to identify unmet needs and step in with creative, decisive solutions. This proactive nature, combined with her experience raising an independent, resilient child, informs her dedication to the youth the foundation serves. At Dancing with Fireflies, Katherine bridges the gap between organizational goals and community action, ensuring that every project is executed with the charisma to inspire others and the craftsmanship to make a tangible difference.

Jennifer Heitz is the principal architect and operational lead of the Dancing with Fireflies Foundation. A seasoned entrepreneur with a mastery of organizational design, Jennifer built the foundation’s infrastructure from the ground up, ensuring a seamless transition from vision to execution. Her professional background—ranging from high-precision roles as a Security Design Admin in Silicon Valley to successfully launching and helping run multiple small businesses—provides the essential administrative backbone and entrepreneurial grit required to power the organization’s daily operations.

Beyond her technical expertise, Jennifer’s vocation is rooted in the advocacy and holistic development of youth. Her years as a public school para-educator for special needs students and a decade of leadership within the Girl Scouts and Frontier Girls organizations have deeply informed her approach to nonprofit work. As a devoted homeschooling parent, she leads with a nurturing yet strategic focus on early-intervention support. Through the Dancing with Fireflies Foundation, Jennifer channels her lifelong passion for helping others into tangible impact—bringing light, dignity, and hope to vulnerable children by providing a foundation of love and stability to help them grow into independent, well-rounded adults.

Amy brings a lifelong dedication to foster care advocacy and early childhood development to the Dancing with Fireflies Foundation. Inspired by her father—a child abuse detective and community advocate—and her grandparents, who served as foster and adoptive parents, Amy’s commitment to vulnerable youth is deeply personal. Her academic background in the Administration of Justice and Early Childhood Education provides her with a comprehensive understanding of the systems and emotional needs surrounding children in crisis.

With 16 years of experience in preschool education and a successful tenure as an office manager, Amy offers a wealth of knowledge in child development and administrative coordination. Her history of service is extensive, having served as a Boy Scout den mom, a Girl Scout leader, and a longtime board member of the Coyote Ridge PTA. Married to her high school sweetheart, a recently retired law enforcement officer, Amy leads with a foundation of integrity and compassion. At Dancing with Fireflies, she utilizes her specialized expertise to ensure that the foundation’s programs remain centered on the safety, growth, and long-term success of every child they serve.

Jacqueline Cadiz brings a high degree of structural thinking and organizational discipline to her role as Secretary. A former member of the National Honor Society and a standout 2025 graduate, Jacqueline is responsible for the precise documentation and administrative integrity that keeps the foundation’s logistics and record-keeping moving forward. Her reputation for academic excellence is paired with a genuine heart for service, particularly through her experience taking joy in tutoring fellow struggling students throughout high school.

Jacqueline’s history of volunteerism is rooted in years of active participation in community outreach alongside her peers. As a former Girl Scout and Frontier Girl, she has been a dedicated “hands-on” volunteer—contributing to global food drives, crafting with the elderly, and personally assembling care bags for foster youth. Currently planning to pursue a degree in Architectural Engineering, Jacqueline applies her analytical skills to ensure the foundation’s internal processes remain organized and efficient. Outside of her studies, Jacqueline is a fan of anime and gaming, and she enjoys listening to music and cooking for her friends and family.

Vanessa Heitz provides the analytical precision and fiscal accountability at the core of the Dancing with Fireflies Foundation. A former member of the National Honor Society and a top 5% graduate of the class of 2025, Vanessa manages the foundation’s financial resources with rigorous transparency. Currently pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering, she is a member of her college’s Engineering and Physics clubs. Her high-level aptitude for mathematics, logic, and complex problem-solving makes her uniquely suited to oversee the organization’s financial health and strategic resource allocation.

Vanessa’s technical skill is grounded in a deep-seated commitment to community outreach that began in early childhood. For years, she has been a dedicated “hands-on” volunteer—from packing meals for hungry children across the world and crafting with the elderly to tutoring low-income students and personally assembling care bags for foster youth. In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys playing piano, gaming, and cooking—often adding a signature spicy twist to her dishes. She also loves spending time with her family and her beloved two cats and dog. Whether she is analyzing financial data or volunteering in the field, Vanessa approaches every task with a blend of logical discipline and genuine empathy.