About Us
Custody X Change makes life a little easier and less painful for divorced and separated parents and legal professionals.
We provide software that helps parents to:
- Spend adequate time with their children.
- Reduce conflict through better communication.
- Create fair schedules that both parents are happy with.
- Work toward parenting plans in the child's best interests.
- Stay organized with the details of exchanges, notes and actual time-tracking.
History
We've made regular progress to Custody X Change since work began in 2003. We are currently working on exciting new improvements.
Team
We're a small, fully-remote team, committed to creating great experiences for parents and professionals facing difficult situations.
Ben Coltrin: Co-founder and President Joined June 2004
Ben was 21 years old when he quit his job to create the Custody X Change software. He loves building this software because it positively impacts real people's lives.
Ben lives with his wife and five children in Herriman, Utah. He spends most of his free time with his family.
Ben has an MBA from MIT Sloan and a Computer Science degree from California State University, Sacramento.
Auro Mota: Software Developer Joined July 2016
Auro is a software developer who loves to master new technologies. He strives to write code that's easy to understand.
He is the lead guitarist of his band, Ávila. When he's not working or jamming out, he likes to go sightseeing or play video games.
He lives in Pouso Alegre, a city located in Minas Gerais, in southeast Brazil.
Sandro Bonagura: Lead Developer Joined June 2017
Sandro is a software developer who stays on the lookout for ways to prevent bugs and problems before they happen.
When he is not working, he is either playing video games or spending time with his wife. He loves all kinds of learning, not just technology.
Sandro has a Bachelor of System Analysis and Information Technology from FATEC-SCS. He lives with his wife in São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil.
Shea Drefs: Managing Editor Joined July 2018
Shea makes complex topics easy to read. She began her career as a news reporter and has since written for travel websites, an Ivy League school, a Silicon Valley start-up and more.
She caught the travel bug after graduating from Arizona State University. She has since lived in England, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.
When not writing, Shea is likely doing yoga or running — or dreaming of where she'll move next.
Zarira Love: Writer / Researcher Joined March 2019
Zarira is a writer from western New York. She has published work online, in-print, and served as a fiction editor for her alma mater's literary journal.
Although primarily a fiction writer, she enjoys writing journalistic and informative pieces. Her hobbies include reading, listening to music, and watching mixed martial arts and professional wrestling.
She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing from SUNY Purchase College.
Tucker Lieberman: Writer / Researcher Joined Nov 2021
Tucker is a curator of many houseplants and an occasional runner of races. He explores the city on foot and dreams big. He has written a bilingual collection of poetry and a book about railroads.
He studied philosophy at Brown University, journalism at Boston University, and life coaching at Easton Mountain. He has worked in tech user experience for a financial company.
Originally from Boston, he lives in Bogotá, Colombia.
Joanna Smykowski: Attorney, Legal Contributor Joined Feb 2025
Joanna is a licensed attorney in New York State who started her career in family court, representing children in abuse and neglect cases.
She has been writing for law schools, law firms, and legal tech companies for over a decade, utilizing her knowledge as an attorney to transform legal jargon into digestible pieces for clients.
She received her Juris Doctor from the CUNY School of Law.
Alex Scheurell: Customer Success Joined Feb 2025
Alex is a support engineer with over 15 years of technical and customer support experience.
He lives with his wife and their cat in Milwaukee. In his free time, he enjoys gaming, cooking, and doing theater related activities.
He has a bachelor of the arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Research methods
We strive for the utmost accuracy, with the goal of helping parents ensure the best possible future for their children.
Here's how we do it:
- We research across national, state and county borders to understand the local custody processes.
- We discuss and fact-check with professionals in varied roles: lawyers, judges, mediators, evaluators, parenting coordinators, family law facilitators, parenting educators, etc.
- We dig through websites and documents from governments, courts and legal aid societies to extract the most important information.
- We sit in on public custody hearings to observe procedures firsthand.
I found the software very easy to use. It's flexible, making a tough job with a tricky schedule easier to work out.
Russ Hayes
Franklin, OH