Bri Morris

President & Founder, Salvo

Bri Morris is an adoptive parent through international adoption and the President and Founder of Salvo. She brings lived experience to her work supporting post-adoptive families navigating developmental trauma and behavioral challenges.

With a background in child development and a career as a nanny, Bri has spent her life caring for children and walking alongside families through some of their most vulnerable seas.

Raised in a family shaped by adoption and years of infertility, Bri’s older brother was adopted before her parents later conceived her. From an early age, she was deeply involved in church life, teaching Sunday school and developing a strong foundation in caregiving, advocacy, and service. Long before becoming a mother herself, Bri felt called to support children and families in meaningful, long-term ways.

In 2006, Bri met her husband, Drew - her brother’s college roommate - and together they have navigated military deployments, infertility, and the realities of international adoption. Their family’s post-adoptive journey revealed the immense strain that developmental trauma can place not only on children, but on marriages and entire family systems. Like many adoptive parents, they were unprepared for the emotional, relational, and financial toll that specialized care can require.

Through lived experience, Bri understands the difficult but sometimes necessary role of out-of-home placement in preserving safety, stability, and the long-term well-being of the entire family unit. She also recognizes the importance of supporting marriages, siblings, and caregivers as part of any true healing process.

Bri founded Salvo to address the significant gaps in post-adoptive support -advocating for trauma-informed care, practical resources, and financial assistance so families are not forced to navigate crisis alone. Her leadership is rooted in compassion, honesty, and a deep commitment to strengthening families through some of their hardest seasons.

Why This Work Matters

RAD is rooted in early trauma
Reactive Attachment Disorder develops when a child experiences severe neglect, abuse, or disrupted caregiving in early life.

Love alone doesn’t heal trauma
Children impacted by attachment trauma often need specialized, trauma-informed care beyond what most families can access alone.

Families are often left without support
Once adoption is finalized, many families discover that resources, qualified providers, and financial support are extremely limited.

Board of Directors

Sarena Zabilla is a seasoned Registered Nurse with more than 20 years of experience serving diverse patient populations. A compassionate advocate and thoughtful leader, she brings both professional expertise and heartfelt enthusiasm to Salvo’s mission.

Sarena’s career spans both healthcare and global advocacy. She has held leadership roles with Trades of Hope, an organization dedicated to protecting women and children from unethical labor practices through fair trade and ethical fashion. She also served in leadership at the University of Colorado.

Today, Sarena practices as a Charge Nurse in an outpatient oncology setting, where she supports patients and families navigating some of life’s most challenging seasons. Her work requires clinical excellence, emotional intelligence, and steady leadership—qualities she also brings to Salvo.

Sarena believes every child and family deserves access to resources—financially, physically, and spiritually. Her commitment to Salvo is deeply personal and rooted in both her life experiences and her professional journey caring for others. She is passionate about walking alongside families with dignity, compassion, and practical support.

Outside of her professional and board responsibilities, Sarena enjoys spending time with family and friends. She loves skiing, traveling, and getting lost in a good book.

Drew Morris serves on the Salvo Board of Directors, bringing both lived experience and strong leadership to the organization’s mission. As an adoptive father of two, Drew understands firsthand the complexities and challenges families can face in the post-adoption journey.

Salvo was born from the journey Drew and his wife, Bri, walked as adoptive parents. After navigating significant post-adoption challenges within their own family, they recognized a critical gap in long-term support for adoptive families. Drew is deeply committed to ensuring families are not left isolated once the adoption process is complete. He believes strongly in Salvo’s work to provide hope, community, and practical resources—especially during the most difficult seasons.

In addition to his personal connection to the mission, Drew brings broad leadership experience as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, current City Council member, and real estate professional. He has served on multiple local boards and commissions, as well as another nonprofit board, and contributes valuable experience in governance, strategy, and sustainability.

Drew is passionate about strengthening families and helping build lasting systems of support so adoptive families can not only endure, but thrive.



Heidi Bauer brings more than 30 years of experience in youth services, direct care, leadership, and communications through her career with the Colorado Division of Youth Services. She served as a senior advisor on internal communications, legislative strategy, and media relations, supporting a statewide system of more than 1,400 staff. Heidi also led public-facing communications, media relations and website development, helping ensure families, policymakers, and communities had clear, accessible information.

Her professional expertise is paired with lived experience as an adoptive parent. Heidi and her husband adopted through Boulder County Human Services and have firsthand experience navigating complex medical, educational, and behavioral health systems. That journey fuels her commitment to Salvo’s mission to support adoptive families raising children with complex needs and to ensure they feel informed, supported, and connected.

Heidi is known for bringing clarity, compassion, and practical problem-solving to challenging situations. She is passionate about strengthening families, improving systems, and helping build lasting supports so adoptive families can thrive.

Now retired from state service, Heidi enjoys spending time with family and friends and volunteering at a local animal shelter. She loves staying active, especially through sports and dog training, and can often be found with a good book when she has a quiet moment.



Brittany Chavez brings more than 20 years of experience serving children and adults with cognitive disabilities, mental health disorders, and Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). With a professional background spanning special education, early childhood development, and vocational rehabilitation, she has worked across schools, community programs, and therapeutic settings.

Throughout her career, Brittany has been committed to fostering resilience, emotional well-being, and long-term stability for the individuals and families she serves. She has completed specialized training in trauma-informed care and behavior management, equipping her to support children with complex needs and to partner closely with families navigating the realities of developmental trauma.

Brittany’s work is grounded in compassion, practical skill, and a deep belief in inclusive environments that promote healing and growth. Her experience and dedication strengthen Salvo’s mission to walk alongside families raising children impacted by early trauma.

Our Mission

Salvo was created to bring awareness to the struggles faced by adoptive families once the child(ren) is/are in the home, to address the financial burden of post-adoptive services on adoptive families, and to provide adoptive families with fundraising opportunities and access to financial assistance.