{ HelpUsAdopt }

Rebecca Snyder Fawcett, Co-Founder, Executive Director
Prior to the creation of Helpusadopt.org, Becky was a successful luxury lifestyle public relations and marketing specialist who owned her own New York based firm, The Fawcett Group. Before she started her own business in 1999 she was director of marketing for Philadelphia magazine. She holds a B.A. Degree from Franklin & Marshall College, 1992. Prior to the launch of Helpusadopt.org Fawcett sat on the boards of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, The Main Line Art Center and also the Young Executive Board of Children's Crisis Treatment Center and The Pennsylvania Ballet's Cornerstone Society.

In response to their own adoption experience, Becky and her husband Kipp founded Helpusadopt.org (2007) in order to help couples/individuals overcome the financial hurdles they meet along the way to completing their own adoptions. In May, Becky was named one of CNN's 2011 Heroes and in September 2011 she was named a "Hero Among Us" by PEOPLE Magazine. Becky serves as executive director on a pro bono basis, writes her own blog (www.aninfertileblonde.com), which was recently recognized as one of the top 20 adoption blogs in the country by Adoptive Families Magazine. She dreams of writing a book and lives in NYC with her husband, two children and a somewhat disrespectful dog who likes to sleep on the dining room table when no one is looking.

Kipp Fawcett, co-founder
Kipp Fawcett is an Executive Director in the Investment Banking Department of Nomura Securities. Kipp earned his B.A. degree in finance from Franklin & Marshall College in 1993, his MBA from Villanova University in 1996 and completed his CFA degree in 1999. The decision to launch Helpusadopt.org was almost immediate once he realized what the average adoption costs are, how many couples struggle financially and how others go childless.

Joel Eads
Joel is a practicing attorney in Philadelphia. After five years with one of the world's largest law firms, Joel left to open the Philadelphia office of a California-based firm and now serves as its manager. Joel's practice centers upon business litigation concerning a wide range of commercial disputes in courts throughout the United States. Joel is a 1990 graduate of Dickinson College, where he met his wife of 12 years, Amy. They have two children. Joel serves on the parents' committee of The Shipley School and is co-chair of a Philadelphia charitable organization devoted to the families of fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lisa Glassner
Lisa Glassner has an extensive and successful background in the world of non-profit boards. In addition to her expertise in fundraising and special events, Lisa brings a unique perspective on the world of infertility and the journey to parenthood, as she has been married to one of Philadelphia's top Fertility Doctors for over 20 years. In addition to her board position for Helpusadopt.org, Lisa also serves on the boards of The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and is a Founding Board Member of GlobalisLoca. Lisa has also served on the board for The Baldwin School, in Bryn Mawr, PA, and was President of the school's parents' Association. Lisa is a proud mother of four and resides outside of Philadelphia with her husband and children.

Anthony Klarman
Anthony Klarman is a Managing Director and Global Head of High Yield Research for Deutsche Bank Securities, also covering the telecom, cable and satellite sectors for the firm in US High Yield. Anthony has been ranked by Institutional Investor as one of the top analysts in his field for the past several years and has been with the firm for over 16 years. In addition, Anthony is part of the firm's Global Research Management Committee as well as the Leveraged Credit Executive Committee in the US. Mr. Klarman is a holder of the following FINRA/NASD licenses: Series 7,24,63,86,87.

Mr. Klarman received his BS in Finance from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Aside from Helpusadopt.org, Anthony has extensive experience in the non-profit arena as he currently serves on two other non-profit boards and has been the Board Chair of one non-profit for over 7 years. Mr. Klarman has a very personal involvement with adoption as he and his wife have built their family through this process. Anthony resides in New York City with his wife Laura and children Lucas and Estella.

Laura Klarman, Chair of the Grant Selection Committee
Laura Fechter Klarman, Psy.D. received a B.A. in Psychology with Honors from the University of Michigan in 1991. She then completed a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Yeshiva University in New York City. Dr. Fechter Klarman has maintained a private practice in Manhattan for nearly nine years and ultimately resigned from administrative work in order to dedicate herself exclusively to her practice. Her clinical work with adults and couples focuses on a wide range of presenting problems including affective disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma, and relationship issues. More recently she has expanded her clinical focus to include work on infertility and adoption related issues. She has done volunteer for RESOLVE, a national infertility organization for the past three and a half years and currently serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for the NYC area. Her interest in adoption is personal in addition to professional, as she has built her family through adoption.

Keith Lavitt
Keith Lavitt is President of Super Enterprises, the regional wholesale distributor for the Marvin family of window and door products in lower NY, NJ, DE, eastern PA, GA and southern NC. Keith received his BS from Cornell University and his MBA from New York University.

Keith is an active member of Vistage, an international CEO membership organization, and the Executive Council on Construction Supply. Keith resides in Long Island, NY with his wife Lisa and their two children, one of whom is adopted.

Guy Pedelini
Guy Pedelini is President of Double Black Human Capital Solutions, L.L.C. and Vice President of RSA Americas, a global Executive Search and Human Capital Consulting firm. Guy has over 25 years experience as a global Human Resource Executive with world class companies including General Electric, Bayer, SGS, Bowne, Universal Health Services and the Interpublic Group.

Guy holds a BS from the University of Delaware, an MBA from Monmouth University and is a Certified Senior Human Resource Professional. He is a former executive board member of The NJ Human Resource Planning Group, and also active in the Society of Human Resource Management, the Executive Human Resource Committee of the AAAA, and the Human Resource Advisory Board. An adoptive father, Guy, Julie, his wife, and Daniel their 7 year old, are the founders of the Central Jersey Adoption Support Group and are activists for domestic adoption. Guy has also been active in United Way, Big Brothers, and Special Olympics.

Liad Pernock
For more than 15 years Liad Pernock has been involved with organizations dedicated to children, including several literacy and mentoring programs and the Philadelphia Children's Crisis Treatment Center. After receiving an MBA in 2001 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Liad joined the global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. Over eight years, Liad led comprehensive marketing and public relations efforts for several of the company's biggest businesses. Liad and her husband David chose adoption to build their family, and their daughter Vivian was born in August 2009. This extraordinary experience inspired Liad to help others achieve their dream of becoming parents through adoption, and Liad has been involved with Helpusadopt.org since shortly after Vivian was born. Liad and her family live outside of Philadelphia, PA.

Oliver Wolcott
Oliver Wolcott has extensive experience in sales and business development including 12 years on Wall Street working for Credit Suisse as the head of the Floor Brokerage Unit managing all institutional equity trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Wolcott has also served as a marketing consultant for an online advertising company based in Philadelphia and as the Director of Business Development for a private membership destination club. Prior to being appointed as the Vice President of Business Development at Solairus Aviation, Wolcott spearheaded aggressive sales initiatives and client retention programs at several general aviation firms. Wolcott holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Roanoke College.

Mow Wong
Mow Wong has 15 years of investment banking and private equity experience, covering the financial services and industrial industries. He earned hi BBA in Finance from the University of Michigan. Mow’s family has been touched by adoption in a number of different ways. His involvement in Helpusaodpt.org has been an important way for him to support and encourage the cause, especially because of Helpusadopt.org’s broad definition of family and its financial commitment to helping complete the adoption process.

Johnny Cooper
Johnny has been working as a volunteer and as a nonprofit development professional for more than six years most recently serving as the Annual Giving Director for The Trevor Project. His corporate development experience is complimented by his time spent in the private sector in product development, design and sourcing for J.C.Penney prior moving professionally into not-for-profit work. Johnny's non profit work also includes his service, first as a board member and chair of development, then as full-time Director of Development & Administration at Youth First Texas, North Texas' LGBT youth resource center from 2007 to 2010. In addition to his experience in individual giving and corporate development, Johnny has also managed direct mail, planned giving, private grants as well as government funded grants. He is a creative force that values relationship building and integrity above all things in development and brings critical thinking, strategy, passion, open-mindedness and commitment to his work every day.

Amy Eads
After receiving her Master's Degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, Amy taught for one year in the Philadelphia School District. Subsequently, she was a middle School teacher, coach and community service leader for six years at Friends' Central School in Wynnewood, PA. Since 2001, Amy has worked for her alma mater, The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA, as an Admissions Director and also sits on the school's Marketing Committee of the Board of Trustees. She is also currently serving on the Alumni Board of Dickinson College. Amy is the mother to Alex and Katie.

Gennifer Flaxman
Gennifer comes to Helpusadopt.org with keen understanding and insight into the adoption process. She and her husband Stuart became parents to their son Spencer through adoption. Graduating from Adelphi University with a Masters Degree in Social
Work, Gennifer had a brief foray counseling "at risk" children and families. She has spent the last seven years as a luxury retailer with Bernie Robbins Fine Jewelry in Marlton, New Jersey.

Scott Rehl
Scott A. Rehl is the founder and manager of a variety of companies, including a strategic consulting firm, a luxury concierge company, and an investment development business. With a background in financial services, management consulting, and e-business startups, Scott looks for new challenges in growth businesses and emerging market opportunities in a variety of industries and geographic locations. His personal interests range from motorcycles and motorsports to tennis, travel and emerging technologies.

Scott received his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School and a BBA cum laude from Temple University, both in Philadelphia, PA.

Scott and his wife Suzanne are active in social and philanthropic activities and events, working with organizations that focus on youth development and families in need. Scott is the Treasurer for the Schoch Foundation, based in Bryn Mawr, PA. Scott and Suzanne enjoy spending many active hours with their daughters, Avery and Reese, and their dogs at their homes in Haverford, PA and Palm Beach, FL.

Dr. Jen Canter M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P.
“Dr. Jen,” is a double board certified pediatrician, professor, nationally recognized expert in child safety, and, last but not least, a mom of two sets of twins (one set of girls and one set of boys!) and a toy inventor/entrepreneur with a robust social media parenting platform. 

Dr. Canter earned her undergraduate and public health degrees from The Johns Hopkins University and her medical doctorate at The State University of New York at Buffalo. She received additional training in Pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center and completed a fellowship in Child Abuse Pediatrics. Board certified in both Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics, she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and an active member of several Child Abuse Pediatrics-related organizations.  Dr. Canter is director of one of a select few accredited Child Abuse Pediatrics fellowships nation-wide and is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at New York Medical College. Dr. Canter is engaged in several innovative and prevention-oriented research projects, including being Co-Principal Investigator of the New York State Shaken Baby Prevention Initiative. She is published in the area of child abuse and child protection, including a book chapter (“The Pediatric Patient”) in the textbook, Emergency Care of the Abused Patient (Cambridge Press). Dr. Canter has been directing the clinical and academic programs related to Child Abuse Pediatrics in Westchester County, NY since 2002.

In addition to fully supporting the open, inclusive, and inspiring mission of Helpusadopt.org, Dr. Canter’s  passion to work with Helpusadopt.org stems from what she considers the greatest gift in her life – two sets of twins from two rounds of IVF. 

Michael J. Glassner
Michael J. Glassner, MD is a founding partner of Main Line Fertility and Reproductive Medicine. He is also the founding Director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Bryn Mawr Hospital which under his tutelage has become a leading IVF center in the area. He graduated from Albany Medical College after completing both medical school and college in six years. Dr. Glassner served his residency at The Medical College of Pennsylvania and performed his fellowship in Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He has been in private practice treating infertility patients for almost 15 years. Dr. Glassner has authored numerous publications in his field, is a member of the leading professional organizations, and serves on the professional advisory board of a number of organizations. He has had the opportunity to provide care to patients locally, nationally and internationally. Dr. Glassner has been repeatedly recognized as a "Top Doctor" by Philadelphia Magazine and by Main Line Today. He was recognized as one of the best infertility physicians in the Delaware Valley by the nationally recognized Consumers Checkbook, as well as by Castle Connolly in America's Top Doctors. He has been featured as a medical expert on ABC's 20/20, NBC, CBS, as well as The Discovery Health Network and CN8.

Christina Sawicky
Christina is a graphic designer based in Philadelphia, where she maintains a successful freelance practice. Christina specializes in marketing and advertising through print media, and represents a wide-range of clients from private business to large corporations and non-profit organizations. In addition to her freelance practice, she currently serves as Marketing Art Director for Philadelphia magazine as well as Philadelphia Wedding, Philadelphia Home and Pennsylvania's Official Wine/Spirits Quarterly. She holds a B.A. in Art History with a concentration in Architecture from Fordham University and has completed studies in New York and Paris through Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture.

Martin Snyder
Martin is a computer software executive who has held leadership positions in both Boston and Silicon Valley. He has published a variety of technical articles and books, and presented at conferences across the country, most recently at the SAP Business Integration & Portal conference in 2006. He resides in the Philadelphia area and is currently a Principal at Wingspan Technology, Inc, which develops enterprise content management and integration software. He resides outside of Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

Nicholas Snyder
Nicholas Snyder is the Principal Owner of Morris Snyder Management, LLC. He has passed his NASD Series 7 and Series 65 Exams. He serves as a Board Observer for Daily Grommet, an online retailer. Nick is currently a candidate for the CFA designation and successfully passed all three CFA examinations. Nick holds a B.A. in History from Duke University.

Nia Vardalos
Academy Award® nominee Nia Vardalos wrote and starred in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” the number one romantic comedy of all time. The film garnered multiple nominations and awards that distinguished Vardalos as a writer and an actress, including Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Broadcast Film Critic, Golden Globe nominations and an Independent Spirit Award win. Vardalos was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay and went on to write, star and produce “Connie and Carla”, star in “My Life in Ruins” and reunite on-screen with her “Greek” co-star John Corbett in the indie, “I Hate Valentine's Day,” which she also directed. She has guest-starred on numerous television shows, including "Cougar Town," “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Drop Dead Diva,” and has hosted “Saturday Night Live”.

Most recently, Vardalos co-wrote the film “Larry Crowne" with Tom Hanks; who directed, produced and starred in it along with Julia Roberts. Vardalos will next be seen in Spring 2012, in "American Girl," playing her first role as a mom. Next up is “Happy Mother’s Day,” for Walden Media -- a comedy that centers on four harried moms who escape the humdrum of the suburbs by setting off on a road trip on Mother’s Day. The film, which Vardalos wrote and will star in, is set for a 2012 release.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, Vardalos attended Toronto's Ryerson Theater School. She worked in the box office of The Second City, and stayed to watch the show every night. When an actress fell ill fifteen minutes before curtain, Vardalos convinced producers she knew the show and to let her on. She was hired the next day. She became a performer/writer in twelve revues for Second City in Toronto and Chicago.

Nia Vardalos and her husband, actor Ian Gomez of ABC's "Cougar Town," were matched via American Foster Care, with their daughter when she was three years old. Nia is a spokesperson for National Adoption Day and an advocate for children and adoption. Recently, she was honored with the 2011 Angels In Adoption award. 

Caitlin Cherry - Program Coordinator
Caitlin has a passion for family development. She taught preschool in Philadelphia for several years before working in the Child Life Department at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. There Caitlin interacted with patients daily to help children, their siblings, and families cope with illness. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a M.S.Ed., Caitlin moved to New York to continue advocating for families of all shapes and sizes.

Shelly Perko - Social Media Manager
Shelly Perko is a social media enthusiast. She steers the social media marketing efforts of many companies, including those of Helpusadopt.org. She studied advertising and corporate communications at Duquesne University and worked at an advertising agency in Pittsburgh before working for her current employer, SnapRetail. Shelly's interest and fierce love for adoption advocacy stems from both of her parents being adopted. She grew up knowing this unique commonality between her parents and while she plans to adopt a child of her own in the future, being able to help make this dream come true for others is an amazing reward in the process. Shelly lives in Pittsburgh PA, and fills her "spare" time with volunteering as mentor and board member of Girls Hope, as well as being a personal trainer.

Joseph Poppa - Web Design & Analytics
Joseph Poppa is a Graphic Designer & 3D Illustrator out of the Pittsburgh area. He's been a lead artist/designer within several large companies including Fisher Scientific and McKesson, and has been designing for over 15 years. Joseph has been published in several books and magazines and has won several technical design awards. He provides design, updates, analytics and technical direction for HelpUsAdopt.org's site growth. Joseph has been working with HelpUsAdopt.org since the beginning and has seen the brand recognition, press coverage, and ability of HelpUsAdopt grow in amazing ways each year. He currently works for USA Today's HighSchoolSports.net.

Kate Sessions - Program Manager
Kate comes from an activist background in non-profits focusing on theatre, children, LGBT rights and the environment. She graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the William Esper Studio for acting in New York City. Kate was the Head of the Drama Department at Eagle's Nest Foundation and a Senior Fundraiser at Manhattan Theatre Club. Development experience also includes organizing events for ECOfest (the city's largest environmental festival) and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, where she was a two-time committee chair for their annual Media Awards. As an actor, she has been a regular on two Discovery Channel series and can be seen onstage around the city. A natural fit for Program Manager of Helpusadopt.org; she hopes to advocate for all parents, children, and learn as much as she can from the tremendous team.

Helpusadopt.org is represented by Matthew F. Gorra, an attorney at DLA PIPER US LLP in Baltimore, MD.

Mr. Gorra is a corporate transactional attorney with extensive experience advising clients on merger and acquisition, venture capital and securities transactions, as well as general corporate matters. He is also experienced in forming and managing the growth of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entities. Mr. Gorra holds a B.A. from Middlebury College (1994) and received his J.D. from Cornell Law School (1999).