Dayton teen gets White House tour after being recognized for foster youth advocacy work
Russell Florence Jr., Dayton Daily News, March 9, 2026.
Northmont High School graduate Jordan Deaton of Dayton was recognized Feb. 3 at the White House for his advocacy as a former foster youth.
Deaton joined leaders from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth who were invited to the White House by the Office of the First Lady and the Administration for Families and Children in recognition of First Lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative, which is part of her Be Best program.
“It was amazing, awesome and an honor,” said Deaton, 19. “I was a little nervous but I had a lot of courage. My passion drove my fear away. I want the world to know my experience because it’s important to show my peers and those younger than me that the youth can make an impact. My advocacy drives me to do everything I do. I’m not shy about anything.”
Deaton’s foster care history involves his adoptive parents, Sara Beth Deaton and Rodney Deaton, being indicted last summer on a dozen charges in connection to alleged physical punishments they used on their six children in Montgomery County. The incidents started as early as 2012, when the children were between the ages of 1 and 7 years old, and continued for more than a decade, according to court records.
“They adopted me,” Deaton said. “I was in foster care before and then they adopted me and then I went back in, which is unique and (something) a lot of people don’t experience. I have a lot of experience — a lot of good and a lot of pain — but it’s not holding me back. There has been negativity that’s happened to me — the story of my parents — but look what I’ve overcome."
Heather Kirkland, Deaton’s friend and former foster parent, is proud of what he has accomplished in spite of his circumstances. In addition to graduating with honors from Northmont in 2025, he received the Samuel Halperin Youth Public Service Award from the Children’s Defense Fund of Ohio, was recognized as a 2025 PCSAO Leader of Tomorrow and rose to Chief Petty Officer in the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, earning Distinguished Cadet honors.
“We are very proud of what Jordan has chosen to do with the path that he’s been given,” said Kirkland, who housed Deaton for nearly three years beginning in August 2023. “We’ve had a lot of kids in our home and not all of them choose this path. They leave and the world kind of eats them up. But Jordan has chosen a different path. He’s chosen to take what has been meant for harm to make it good and to help others, (particularly) other kids in similar situations. I think it’s admirable he chose that path (instead) of just dwelling in the past.”
In addition to serving as a member of the Ohio Youth Advisory Board, Deaton participates in Bridges, a program for young adults in Ohio who were in foster care and are now 18 to 21 years old. It is an outlet that helps participants leave foster care and start their adult life.
At the White House, Deaton was joined by DCY Assistant Director Jeff Van Deusen and his Bridges advocate Lisa Carlin. According to DCY, their visit including meetings with: Sarah Gesiriech, the First Lady’s policy director; Alex Adams, assistant secretary of ACF; and Cody Inman, deputy assistant secretary for management.
They were joined by other advocates “to discuss initiatives that will enhance foster youth’s access to services and help them transition effectively after foster care. Assistant Director Van Deusen also highlighted several programs implemented in Ohio that support the Fostering the Future initiative,” according to a press release.
The visit also included a private tour of the White House.
“Some of my favorite things were seeing all the different paintings of the presidents,” Deaton said. “Seeing the different rooms and what they were used for and why they were built was (also) cool.”
In a press statement Van Deusen praised Deaton for sharing his testimony and being a powerful advocate.
“It was an incredible honor to represent Ohio and the DeWine Administration at the White House and see firsthand the impact programs like Fostering the Future have on youth in foster care,” Van Deusen said. “Jordan’s story is a shining example of resilience and what’s possible when young people are supported, encouraged and (have) the tools to succeed.”
Deaton attends Sinclair Community College and would like to pursue a career in public service. He particularly hopes to be an inspiration for youth within the foster care system.
“We have a voice and we know how to articulate it,” he said. “We are victims but we won’t stay victims. We won’t stay down. We will change the world.”
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