Meet Our Staff
Liberty (Barrett) Thompson – Founder, Executive Director
Liberty grew up in the Boise area as the third of seven siblings. From a young age, she demonstrated a deep concern for the overlooked and pursued friendships with those forgotten by others. In 2008, Liberty founded JEMfriends with the vision that every youth aging out of foster care would have the opportunity to flourish in a society that understands their adversity and supports them in becoming thriving, independent adults. As Executive Director, she leads programs that transform the lives of aged-out youth. Beyond JEMfriends, Liberty actively engages in personal mentoring and coaching. In all she does, Liberty is driven by a passion to see lives transformed—helping individuals uncover their unique strengths, grow into who they were created to be, and give back to others. She leads with enthusiasm, creative leadership, and a heart to serve as Jesus did—loving without overlooking anyone. Outside of her work, Liberty enjoys discovering waterfalls, taking easy hikes, playing basketball, sipping home-brewed coffee, and spending time with her husband, Daniel, and their three children: Jaynah, Joshua, and Aviana.
Alexis Flores – Community Engagement Coordinator
Alexis was born and raised in Texas and moved to Idaho when she was a freshman in high school. She graduated college in Salem, Oregon, with a degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Trauma and Addictions and Children and Family. Alexis loves to spend time with friends and family, go for drives listening to music way too loudly, meeting others for coffee to share the joys and struggles of life, and being in the sun outside whenever she can! Alexis is excited to be part of the JEMfriends team because of how JEMfriends serves to be a support and friend to those who need it. She firmly believes that everyone needs one person in their life who makes them feel seen, heard, cared for, and worthy of love. Alexis believes anyone has the ability to make a difference in their community and is passionate about getting people involved. She has personally experienced the change in her life through relationships and desires to be a JEMfriend wherever she can!
Priscilla Breck – Strategic Communications & Messaging Manager
Priscilla has been volunteering with JEMfriends for over 3 years. She has joined the JEMfriends team and brings her marketing and communication experience to the organization. Priscilla has an MBA and many years of experience in strategic planning, marketing planning, and event planning. Priscilla also brings her communications skills to grant writing for JEMfriends. She lives in Boise with her husband, daughter, 21, and son, 18, two dogs and one cat. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and gardening.
Mercy Sorich – Operations Manager
Mercy was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. After graduating high school she opened her Piano Studio as well as pursued work experience in a variety of fields. Mercy is also a published author. She has been involved with JEMfriends in various capacities over the last 12 years. She is very motivated by seeing improvement and accomplishing goals. She enjoys making the JEMfriends leadership’s vision for growth a reality, especially when she can use spreadsheets and flowcharts. Mercy enjoys playing the piano, hiking, baking, drinking coffee, and spending time with her husband and four kitties.
Faith Pinedo – Giving Specialist
Faith grew up in a large Christian, homeschool family. She enjoys doing pretty much anything with a friend or family member whether that’s coffee dates, volleyball, skiing, studying (reading a book or studying God’s Word together), walking, or serving our King together. Some of Faith’s goals are to follow God faithfully, serving Him cheerfully, obey His Will for her life diligently, to play guitar, and to become fluent in American Sign Language. Her top goal is to honor, love, respect, and faithfully submit to her husband. She enjoys doing life with him, including being foster parents, and being parents to their labradoodle, Bruno.
Jennifer Polanchek – Independent Living Specialist
Jennifer was born and raised in the birthplace of Montana—Fort Benton—and is the youngest of four siblings. She is the proud mom of her incredible son, Jack. After graduating from the University of Great Falls (now the University of Providence) in 1999, she eventually made her way to Boise in the fall of 2009. Drawn to serving her community, Jennifer first joined JEMfriends as a volunteer. Her heart for helping youth grow their own success stories led her to officially join the staff in November 2025. A proud and faithful follower of Jesus Christ, Jennifer loves the journey He continues to lead her on. She enjoys the outdoors, quality time with family and friends, and returning to her home state of Montana—though only in the summer, when it’s safely above freezing!
Aaron Hancock – Independent Living Specialist
Aaron has called Nampa home since 2020. Originally from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, he later attended college in Kansas before settling in Idaho. He and his wife, Karen, married in 2019 and welcomed their daughter, Brinley, in October 2024, a milestone that deepened his passion for helping young people build strong, stable futures. Aaron first connected with JEMfriends in 2026 after hearing a presentation at the Nampa Rotary Club. As the Community Connections Pastor at Nampa College Church, the mission resonated immediately, and he felt drawn to support youth navigating the challenges of independence without the safety net many take for granted. Outside of work, Aaron enjoys spending time with his family, getting lost in a good book, and hunting for treasures at local thrift stores. He is grateful to join a community that shows up for youth and is excited to help Friends House for young men continue to be a place of growth, belonging, and hope.
Krista Bell – Independent Living Specialist
Krista is originally from Oregon, where she grew up in an environment that shaped her love for community. Her journey with JEMfriends began after she first learned about the organization’s mission when she heard Liberty speak at her church. Deeply moved by their dedication to supporting youth aging out of the foster care system, she knew she wanted to be involved with these youth’s transition into a stable adulthood. Outside of her meaningful work as an Independent Living Specialist, she enjoys playing games with her family, loves diving into a good book, and spending quality time catching up over coffee with her friends.
Volunteer Staff
Olesya Loginova – Volunteer Specialist
Conner Buckner – Friends House Resident Advisor
Sonja Jordan – Amanda House Resident Advisor
Kerri Anderson – Monarch House Resident Advisor