Adoptive & Family Services of Cookeville > About Us
Who We Are
Crystal Young
Crystal Young is the founding Director of Hope Center Adoption and Family Services. Crystal is a 2006 graduate of Tennessee Technological University, and holds a Masters in Public Health from Liberty University.
Prior to her role as Hope Center’s Executive Director, Crystal served for 5 years with Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services, and also as Vice President to Hope Center’s Executive Board. Crystal and her husband Jonathan are proud parents to their three children.
In her role as Executive Director, Crystal looks forward to seeing the hopes and dreams of parenting and adoption become reality for both birth and adoptive families here in the Upper Cumberland.
Amanda Rippy
Amanda Rippy joined Hope Center as an Adoptive Family Advocate in 2021. Amanda is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University and holds a Masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction. Amanda has a sincere passion for serving children and families, and helping them grow in ways that glorify the Lord. Amanda has personal experience with adoption and loves the beautiful Gospel picture that adoption can illustrate to us all.
Amanda and her husband Jeff have two beautiful girls, Sadie Mae and Charlie Anne. Amanda is excited to see the ways God is going to use her, with her family’s support, to help others see God’s plan in their lives more clearly through the life giving choice of adoption, for both families and birth mothers.
Emily Bohannon
Emily Bohannon joined Hope Center in 2022 as the agency’s Marketing and Web Manager. Since 2018, Emily and her husband Ethan have supported Hope Center in various ways, and in 2019 became a waiting family with the agency. Together Emily and Ethan have a son named Ezra and are very excited to add to their family through adoption!
Emily is an alumna from Tennessee Technological University and holds a Bachelor’s in ESL Education. Emily has a diverse and creative background as a former ESL & art educator, a hairstylist, and now a photographer alongside her role at Hope Center.
Emily has a longstanding passion for adoption and is excited to share all the amazing things Hope Center can offer families!
Executive Board Members
Hope Center’s Executive Board of Directors is broad in community leadership and meets monthly to provide guidance and oversight to the agency. Hope Center’s Advisory Board meets quarterly.
Landon Vick
Executive Board President, Financial Advisor, Raymond James
DK Hall
Executive Board Vice President, Director of Ministry, Central City Baptist Church
Stephen Morrison
Executive Board Secretary, Lead Pastor, Cookeville Church of the Nazarene
Mills Rogers
CPA, Executive Board Treasurer, Certified Public Accountant, Connected Accounting
Ryan Morris
Director of Business Development, J&S Construction
Steve Chatman
Role, Rising Above
Clarissa Williams
Business Owner, Shine Social Media
Lindy Lynn, MSN, CNN
Certified Nurse Midwife, Upper Cumberland Center for Women
Elizabeth Ramsey, Ph.D, CFLE
Assistant Professor, School of Human Ecology, Tennessee Technological University
Our Services
Pre-adoption counseling & education
Post-adoption counseling
Pregnancy support
Connection to community resources
Adoption education
Home study writing
Legal Representation