People Over Policy
The life you get to live is the one you are responsible for creating. Until someone takes the responsibility upon themselves and removes you from your own life.
- Quote from a People Matter Executive
Our Story
People Matter began as a response to the gaps that every family in foster care, special education, and the many other systems eventually encountered. It started with a home that opened its doors to children in crisis and discovered quickly that compassion alone could not navigate the weight of state agencies, school districts, case plans, and trauma. Years of raising children from the foster system revealed the truth. The system was never designed to be user-friendly. Families were expected to function as case managers, advocates, teachers, and therapists without training or support. The people doing the work carried the emotional load while institutions hid behind paperwork.
Out of that experience came a commitment to build something different. People Matter was created to bridge the gap between what families actually need and what systems currently provide. It grew from the lived reality of parents who fought for stability and from the drive of a young advocate. People Matter stands today as an anchor for youth and families at risk. The organization exists because the system needed a human voice strong enough to challenge policy and steady enough to carry people through it.
Our Team
Brady, Misty, and Noah built People Matter on a foundation of lived experience, research, and a commitment to human dignity. This is a family-driven movement with a statewide mission.
Founder / Chairman of the Board
Brady Cottle
Brady is a founder who brings decades of lived experience as a foster and adoptive father. He has seen the breakdown of systems firsthand and understands the weight placed on families who step into the gap. Brady brings operational discipline and a strong human rights lens to People Matter. His voice anchors the organization in compassion paired with firm accountability. He knows from experience that the system does not move unless someone forces it to.
Co-Founder / Board Member
Misty Cottle
Misty is the heart of the organization. Her leadership comes from working inside the foster care world for years and understanding the emotional, legal, and educational complexities that families navigate. Misty has supported youth through trauma, school instability, and family uncertainty. She brings clarity to chaos and gives families a steady foundation to stand on
Advocacy & Government Director
Noah Dean
Noah is the strategist and advocate who helped formalize the educational support and trauma-informed frameworks of People Matter. His background in neuroscience research, education policy research, and advocacy gives the organization a strong analytical and research-driven core. He represents the next generation of policy reform and serves as a bridge between families and the institutions that impact them. Noah reinforces the organization with innovation, precision, and an unwavering commitment to young people.
Our Mission & Vision
People Matter exists to protect, support, and elevate youth and families who stand at the edge of risk. We deliver education, advocacy, trauma-informed services, disability services and recourses connection, and resource navigation that place the human above the policy. We challenge systems that fail the people they were created to serve. Our mission is to stabilize lives and restore dignity.
We envision communities where youth and families receive consistent care, fair treatment, and trauma-informed support without being forced to fight through bureaucracy. Our vision is a society where human needs guide policy and where long-term stability is the standard for every child and every family. We aim to transform systems and rebuild trust one case at a time.