Our History – iFoster

Our Origin

In the fall of 2010, ifoster.org, the first national online community specifically for those involved in the foster care system, was created by Serita and Reid Cox, who combined their personal connections to the foster care system, as well as their knowledge of nonprofit management, business development, large scale e-commerce platforms, and social networks to bring it to reality.

Our Founders - Serita

Serita grew up in and out of foster care, while Reid was raised in rural poverty, and was the first in his family to earn a graduate degree. They each overcame great adversity and met while students in the MBA Program of McGill University. Serita went on to become the Vice President of eBusiness and IT at 3Com and to advance to the VP of Strategy and Business Operations for one of the business units of 3Com, responsible for $550 Million P&L. Following 3Com, Serita joined The Bridgespan Group, a part of Bain & Company, where she focused on child welfare and the nonprofit industry.

Our Founders - Reid

Reid pursued a career in corporate finance, business development
and financial reporting for several publicly traded companies. His final
engagement, while launching ifoster.org, was as a consultant to the
executive team of LinkedIn during its initial public offering, where he
learned as much as possible about creating and growing a large-scale
social network.

Reid and Serita’s shared passion for improving the foster care system, and
their unique career paths shaped the vision of what ifoster.org could be
and what iFoster has become.

Why We Exist

Young people being raised in the child welfare system are one of the
most marginalized communities in the United States.

They are being raised in a system that underinvests in their success,
isolates them from society, and does not prepare them to be
successful when they age out of the system.

Each of us, together, is helping kids in foster care reach their full
potential. We are the bridge between the child welfare system
and the world outside, collectively helping young people
in foster care reach their full potential.