The Adoption Discovery Virtual Summit
The Adoption Discovery Virtual Summit will equip people interested in adoption with the knowledge and tools needed to adopt a child into their loving home. The Virtual Summit will be held soon.
Participants will hear from top professionals about:
- Financial Requirements, Budgeting, Tax Credits
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Medical
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Home Study
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Finding Children: the Match
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Groundbreaking Technology
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Legal Matters
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Parenting
Our Past Speakers
Cosme Garcia | Senior Program Manager at Google
At Google, Cosme accelerates the deployment of the most innovative compute, storage, and network infrastructure, in the world. He manages a team to deploy infrastructure for Google's Data Center Fleet. Just 15 years ago, Cosme and his wife began the journey of adoption like most couples. Only through their personal trials were they educated in the myriad of steps needed to forge through the adoption of their daughter. Today the Garcia's, Cosme, Kim, Seth and Maya live in Atlanta, GA. were they enjoy all the trappings of a modern family
Thea Ramirez | Founder and CEO of Adoption-Share
Adoption-Share is a non profit organization, designed to bring efficiency and transparency to the adoption process. Family-Match, a program of Adoption-Share, is the first application designed to leverage data and predictive models to better match children in foster care with foster and adoptive families. In addition to being named a "Young Influencer" by Catalyst (catalystspace.com), she has been featured and published on platforms such as CNN, Christianity Today, Parents.com, The Washington Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Her advocacy and innovation in child welfare has brought her to speak at the White House, the European Parliament in Brussels, and the American Enterprise Institute.
Becky Wilmoth | Enrolled Agent and Adoption Tax Credit Specialist® at Bills Tax Service
Becky Wilmoth is a member of: Congressional Coalition on Adoption, Adoption Tax Credit Working Group, National Council for Adoption/National Adoption League, North American Council on Adoptable Children, Kaskaskia College Business/Accounting Advisory Board, National Association of Enrolled Agents, National Association of Tax Professionals, Illinois Society of Enrolled Agents, National Foster Parent Association, and Christian Alliance for Orphans
Guest writer for Adoption Today, Foster Families,
Parent Match, Fund Your Adoption & multiple webinar,
podcasts & radio shows with adoption organizations. Blessed by adoption.
Laurie Goldheim | Law Offices of Laurie B. Goldheim
Laurie B. Goldheim is an attorney specializing in domestic adoption for more than 28 years and assisted reproductive law for 10 years. She is currently the Adoption Director of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys for 2018-2020. Importantly, she helped develop and raise funds for the Family Formation Charitable Trust which provides financial grants to families in need of assistance in their family building process.
Marlena E. Uhrik, Ed.D | All Ways Learning, LLC
Marlena has always been passionate about empowering people. During her 50-year career in education, she earned her Doctorate Degree and received numerous local, state and national awards for the work she has done for children and families.
She was the recipient of the United States Service Award, a 1996 Olympic Torch runner, acknowledged in the United States Congressional Record and recognized on the California State Assembly floor for her work as Founder and past Executive Director of “The Kids’ Breakfast Club.”
Now, as an award-winning author and speaker, Certified Home Stager and Realtor, Marlena continues to inspire and empower others.
Dave Allburn | CEO, BSEE/MBE fmr USAF
David Allburn is a former Air Force science officer, with engineering and management degrees from Case Western Reserve. He’s a Viet Nam vet who worked in Flight Test at Ohio’s Wright Patterson base, fixed problems on weird spy-planes, tested astronauts for motion sickness, and developed special radar to map enemy borders.
Since then it maps the moon and now maps peoples’ teeth for dentures. He retired to form a research team to stop child sexual abusers and became a court professional witness in liability cases, addressing national seminars, church denominations, the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the US Council of Catholic Bishops, and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Eric Lupton | President Life Saver Pool Fence System Inc
Eric Lupton is the President of Life Saver Pool Fence System, Inc., the world's largest pool fence company according to Forbes. He has been featured as a business, entrepreneurship, marketing expert in two New York Times Best Sellers, the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and USA Today, including a standalone feature in Forbes.
He is highly sought after and interviewed by the media as an expert on child safety. Eric was born with cerebral palsy, requiring him to use a power wheelchair full-time. He served on the board of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, the country's largest water safety non-profit, and was eventually elected to become its Vice President. He’s a native of Boynton Beach, FL and loves Doctor Who, TED Talks, and everything dairy.
Janelle Molony, M.S.L. | Author of "Un-Adoptable"
Janelle Molony, M.S.L., author of the Amazon bestseller, "Un-Adoptable? Faith Beyond Foster Care". Molony is a former corporate culture and risk management consultant turned adoptions and special needs advocate.
She has worked with several organizations to support youth at risk and victims of human trafficking. Her stories on parenting can be found in several major print and online publications. For more information, visit JanelleMolony.com or connect on social media @AdoptionToLife
Debbi Borchers | Crossroad Health Center
Debbi Borchers is a pediatrician in Cincinnati working in a federally qualified health care clinic. She was a founding member of what is now the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Adoption, Foster Care and Kinship Care. Awards received include being celebrated as a Congressional Angel of Adoption in 2005.
Debbi is also an adoptive parent of three wonderful (now adult) and very different individuals, all born in China.
Sharon Cooksey | Kidde Spokesperson
Sharon Cooksey is a well versed and sought-after spokesperson. She has been with Kidde, a leading manufacturer of residential smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and fire extinguishers, for four years. Her expertise in fire prevention and carbon monoxide safety, combined with a natural warmth and authenticity, has made her a trusted and reliable source for leading national and regional media outlets across North America, from broadcast to print and digital media outlets.
Ms. Cooksey is an award-winning strategist, having managed corporate communications and marketing for prominent companies such as Illinois Tool Works and Newell Rubbermaid, where she oversaw a variety of houseware brands.
Ms. Cooksey holds a BA in Communications from Salem College and two graduate degrees - MBA in Marketing from Elon University and a Master of Science in Integrated Strategic Communications from Purdue University where she graduated with the school’s top honor, highest distinction award. Ms. Cooksey is currently completing her Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) and is also an adjunct professor of Marketing at Elon University’s prestigious Love School of Business, ranked in the top 65 schools in the nation.
Thea Ramirez | Founder and CEO of Adoption-Share
Founder and CEO of Adoption-Share, a non profit organization, designed to bring efficiency and transparency to the adoption process. A program of Adoption-Share called Family Match is the first application designed to leverage data and predictive models to better match children in foster care with foster and adoptive families. In addition to being named a "Young Influencer" by Catalyst (catalystspace.com
), she has been featured and published on platforms such as CNN, Christianity Today, Parents.com, The Washington Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Her advocacy and innovation in child welfare has brought her to speak at the White House, the European Parliament in Brussels, and the American Enterprise Institute.
Debbie Riley | Author, CEO & CoFounder of C.A.S.E.
Author, CEO, and co-founder of the Center for Adoption Support and Education. Ms. Riley has 40 years of professional experience, including designing and developing nationally acclaimed adoption-competent programs. She has created a continuum of innovative, culturally responsive evidenced-informed programs to improve the behavioral outcomes of foster and adopted youth and their families which has become a nationally recognized model.
Jedd Gold | Co-Founder of Artkive and Lifekive
Jedd Gold is the co-founder of Artkive and Lifekive. Artkive
is the leading app and service that solves the problem for parents of what to do with all the art kids create. Lifekive
helps families preserve and celebrate their most essential memories. He has held senior executive positions in the entertainment and interactive industries and received his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.
Rob Bertman, CFA, CFP® | Family Budget Expert
Rob Bertman, CFA, CFP® founded Family Budget Expert in 2015 to help families find the money to reach their financial goals even if budgeting hasn't worked and they don't see eye-to-eye with their spouse. Spending is the #1 relationship stressor and traditional budgeting techniques fail most people. Rob created a simple proprietary system that worked for him as well as his clients. They perform better in their relationships with their spouse and kids and find money they never thought was there.
Reverend Amy Bezecny | Cultivating Families
Reverend Amy Bezecny served on staff at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church for 10 years and launched their Adoption Ministry. Amy developed Cultivating Families during a four-year fellowship at the Hope and Healing Center and Institute (HHCI). She continues working tirelessly to open the eyes of the church to the world’s needs and the eyes of the world to the church.
Tona Ottinger | Memphis Family Connection Center
Tona Ottinger is a mom to 6 children through adoption and has been working and serving families in the world of adoption and foster care for the last 16 years. She and her husband co-founded Memphis Family Connection Center, which is a holistic care center that provides therapeutic care and clinic support and therapy for adoptive and foster families. She also provides leadership and direction to Empowered to Connect(ETC). ETC is a global attachment rich program committed to educating, resourcing, and supporting parents and caregivers in order to create safe, strong families and communities.
Lisa Qualls | Author of The Connected Parent
Lisa Qualls is the author of The Connected Parent which she co-wrote with the late Dr. Karyn Purvis. She
is the mom of 12 kids by birth and adoption, and sometimes more through foster care. Using her
training as a TBRI practitioner and as a certified Enneagram Coach, Lisa mentors and coaches adoptive
and foster moms in her membership community, the Hope Circle, so they can renew their hope, gain
courage, and become the moms they’re meant to be. She is also a speaker and the co-host of The
Adoption Connection podcast.
Julienne Marks | Author of Many Pebbles to Make a Difference
Julienne Levy Marks is an author of the book series Many Pebbles to Make a Difference. As a former Youth Services Librarian, museum educator, teacher, and parenting workshop leader she is a wealth of knowledge on many topics for parents, educators, grandparents and anyone who loves children.
