The Team

Jodi Schwindenhammer currently serves as Vice President of Foster Care at the Children’s Home Association of Illinois, where she leads a comprehensive foster care program focused on trauma-informed practices, permanency, and family-centered support. Since beginning her career in child welfare in 2006, Jodi has held a range of roles—from working in a residential treatment center to serving as a foster care caseworker—ultimately advancing into leadership positions that shape policy and practice for youth and families across the system. 

Jodi’s passion for foster care is both professional and deeply personal. She became a relative caregiver and later an adoptive parent through the foster care system, maintaining strong, ongoing relationships with her daughter’s birth parents. Her lived experience strengthens her commitment to building systems that honor connection, healing, and long-term stability.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Augustana College and a Master of Arts from Bradley University. Married since 2006, Jodi and her husband are raising two children and share their home with two dogs and a cat. She enjoys spending time with family and keeping her kids active in sports and activities. As a Foster Village board member, Jodi brings both compassion and expertise to her role, working to ensure every family impacted by foster care feels seen, supported, and equipped.