boardofdirectors
Founder
Becky Fawcett
Becky Fawcett is a mother. She adopted her daughter Jane in 2005 and her daughter Brooke in 2009. She founded Helpusadopt.org in 2007 in her NYC apartment and has grown it into a national multi million dollar adoption grant program. A fierce advocate for change within the adoption community and beyond, she fights for family, equality and inclusion every day of her life. She lives in NYC with her family.
Founder
Kipp Fawcett
Kipp is a Managing Director in the investment banking group at Janney Montgomery Scott. Kipp originally joined Janney in 2004. Since then, he has worked in investment banking at Bear Stearns, Jeffries and Nomura, covering the specialty finance sector. He most recently was with Accordion Partners where he served as a strategic consultant to CFOs of middle market private equity-backed companies. Kipp rejoins the Firm with over 15 years of investment banking experience and has led and executed over 100 merger and capital markets transactions throughout his career. He specializes in financial institutions with a focus on the specialty finance sector. 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.
Board Chair
Michael Morgan
After a successful career in information technology consulting, Mike made a second career of giving back, paying it forward, and making community impact in VA, PA, and NYC through full-time community and nonprofit leadership, coaching and mentoring, and raising two sons while supporting his wife Jen’s successful career as a technology executive. Mike serves on several nonprofit Boards of Directors and several other nonprofit Committees, and coaches swimming and formerly baseball. Mike has been honored as a “Volunteer of the Year” and “Coach of the Year”. Mike became involved with Helpusadopt.org as an adoptee. He was adopted after his birth in 1969 by his parents through an adoption agency and foster family. His birth mother Diana was just 20, and his birth father, 24, had been killed in a drunk driving accident eight months before he was born. After college, he found Diana, and met his biological family on both sides. Mike says, "It has been an incredible experience of the miracle of life, timing and circumstance, and nature and nurture. I am blessed, fortunate, and grateful to have been conceived, born, and then adopted by my loving parents Patricia and Chuck; have a younger (also adopted) sister Michelle; have found my birth mother Diana; be happily married to Jen; be a Dad to two great sons, Ned and Eric; and be alive and well with terrific family and friends. Since meeting Helpusadopt.org Founder & President Becky Fawcett, I have served on Faces of Adoption Leadership Committees, and am honored and proud to serve on the Board of Directors."
Vice Chair
Kimberly Rescigno
Kim was born in South Korea and raised in Connecticut by an Italian-American family. She is passionate about bridging digital innovation with the retail experience and is currently working on Product Data & Analytics and Operating Model work for Amazon Grocery. As a proud international adoptee, the mission and inclusivity-driven aspect of Help Us Adopt resonates with Kim, and she looks to apply her expertise in data and analytics at the board level to serve this organization.
Treasurer
Michael Miller
Michael Miller, current Board Treasurer at Helpusadopt.org, is a founder and Vice President of Miller Bros., an energy services firm based in Conshohocken, PA. He is part of the founding team at Miller Bros. Solar, a National operations and maintenance provider to owners of solar generating facilities. Michael is also a founder of GreenPrint Capital, a finance firm providing tax equity investments in the renewable energy space. He spends as much time as possible raising, watching, laughing and learning with his family.
Seema Baranwal
Seema Baranwal is a board-certified internal medicine physician and serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. She was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. Seema earned her M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed her residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. Seema and her husband Ash are the proud parents of three children, one of whom was adopted from India in 2011. Seema enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, mentoring medical students, caring for patients, and giving back to her community. Seeing how adoption has built her wonderful family, Seema is passionate to help support and build as many loving families as possible.
Veronica M. Beard
Veronica Miele Beard is an entrepreneur and brand-builder who exists at the intersection of style, culture and technology. Miele-Beard began her career in equity sales and trading on Wall Street and advertising sales at Vogue, before becoming partner and COO at the premier technology hedge fund, Coatue. While there, she learned how to build a thriving brand and business in a tumultuous tech market. On a quest to create a uniform for women in the way men have suits and ties, Veronica and her sister-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard launched their namesake brand in 2010 with the very first Dickey Jacket. Today, Veronica Beard is a full lifestyle brand, offering ready-to-wear, handbags and shoes with 36 stores worldwide. Forever inspired and driven by a make-it-happen mindset, her happy place is off-the-grid, exploring the world with her 5 children.
Sarah Cotenoff
Sarah was the cofounder and Head of Sales of Podsights, which Spotify acquired in 2022. She was born and raised in New Jersey. She currently resides in LA with her dog and cat. Sarah is passionate about helping companies and organizations that solve real-life problems, like HelpUsAdopt.org. Her family was built in part by adoption and she wishes every couple or person who has it in their heart to adopt should be able to. She strongly believes the high cost of adoption should not be a barrier for children to find loving homes.
Christina Donelson
Christina is a highly respected executive leader known for building high-performing teams, fostering inclusive cultures, and driving organizational growth. She is the Chief Administrative Officer at League One Volleyball (LOVB), a first-of-its-kind professional volleyball league dedicated to elevating the sport in the U.S. by investing in both the professional and youth levels to build a strong pipeline for the game’s future. Her career spans leadership roles at globally recognized brands, including Caesars Entertainment, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, and Delta Airlines, as well as regional and high-growth startups. She has successfully helped guide organizations through large-scale transformations, mergers, and acquisitions while aligning leadership performance with business goals. Beyond her executive career, Christina is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion—values that align with the mission of HelpUsAdopt.org. As an adoptive mother, she understands the importance of making adoption accessible to families of all backgrounds. Through her role on the board, she is committed to raising awareness, increasing fundraising efforts, and supporting families navigating the adoption process.
Deborah Drinkwater
Debbie Drinkwater is an adoptee. She was raised in St. Louis by her adopted parents along with her younger brother Steve, who is also adopted. Deb attended Franklin & Marshall College and graduated in 1992 with a degree in Political Science. While attending F&M she met her future husband, Mark Drinkwater, and married in 1993. Together they raised their three children in Duxbury, MA. They currently live in Stowe, VT full time. Deb and Mark have three biological children, Liz, Caroline, and Sam. In the mid-nineties Deb worked on the Weld-Cellucci Committee and then transitioned to a role as an Executive Assistant to Governor Bill Weld. As a mom Deb became a habitual volunteer for local community causes. She Chaired the Duxbury Beach Preservation Society for 4 years, raising money for the barrier beach's restoration efforts. She also ran events for the Jett Foundation of Pembroke, MA, Crossroads for Kids of Duxbury, MA., and The Mt. Mansfield Ski Academy in Stowe, VT. In 2021, working through a social worker, Deb has found and established connections with her biological family. With the support of her adoptive family, she is currently building some amazing relationships with her extensive biological family who are mostly in the Kentucky area.
Samantha Firestone
A NYC native, Sam earned her undergraduate degree from George Washington University and her Masters degree from USC School of Social Work. For almost two decades, Sam worked with children of differing circumstances in a wide variety of psycho-educational capacities in private, public and at risk therapeutic and school settings. Upon adopting her youngest child in 2018, Sam decided to shift her career focus. In 2023, Sam created LELUXE, a collection of luxury fashion staples where she currently serves as both Creative Director and Founder. Sam and her husband, Jonathan, live in Los Angeles with their three children Charli, Hudson and Emma. Their family is philanthropically passionate in their support of organizations serving the needs of children. Growing their family through adoption has been the greatest gift for their family and they are personally focused on creating opportunity for others to do so. The important, impactful and transparent work of Help Us Adopt resonates with Sam and speaks to her passion for sharing the blessing of adoption.
Paige Grimaldi
Paige is a visual merchandiser and manager at Skirt, a multi-brand luxury retail clothing store on the Main Line in Bryn Mawr, PA. Paige graduated from Marshall University with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts, with an emphasis on textile design, and carved a path as a go-to visual merchandiser at companies such as Lilly Pulitzer and Addison Bay. She currently resides in Bryn Mawr, PA with her rescue vizsla-plott hound, Archie. Outside of being an avid runner, she enjoys down time on the shore in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. A birth-mother, adoption is a personal story to Paige. Through her journey in the adoption process, she has experienced first-hand the positive impact and the pure joy that adoption has had on her child’s adoptive family. Being on this Board of HelpUsAdopt.org is among the productive ways for her to share her own story while helping with the important work of the organization.
Glenn Hill
Glenn Hill is the proud father of three adopted children. He is also a Managing Director with J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Global Fund Structuring Team where he focuses on structuring and funds management for private equity funds, real estate funds and hedge funds. Mr. Hill serves as President of J.P. Morgan Private Investments Inc., an SEC registered investment adviser that manages private client assets in J.P. Morgan multi-manager portfolios and feeder funds. Prior to joining the Private Bank in 2003, he worked for J.P. Morgan Partners and the J.P. Morgan Investment Bank, where he managed institutional private equity fundraisings for both internal and third-party fund managers. Mr. Hill received his M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and B.S. in Advertising from Florida State University.
Kate Jenkins
Kate Jenkins is a Managing Director and Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Ares where she is responsible for leading the firm's recruitment efforts and setting its global recruiting strategy. Prior to joining Ares, Kate was the Global Head of Investments & Client Businesses Recruiting at BlackRock. Previously, Kate was an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan, where she oversaw Global Recruitment for Investment Management. Before J.P. Morgan, she held various recruiting leadership roles at Morgan Stanley and Oak Hill Capital Management. Kate began her career in Human Resources at Penguin Putnam Publishing. Kate earned a BA degree in Sociology from Gettysburg College in 2000. She is an active member of the Millbrook School alumni association. Kate resides in Essex Fells, NJ with her husband Brady and their two children.
Sterling McCullough
Sterling has more than 30 years experience in supporting Health and Human Services (HHS) programs across the US and globally. His passion for protecting and improving the quality of life for vulnerable children and their families has driven his mission to focus on working with Children’s Services programs throughout his career. In addition, he has started and/or worked with non-profit organizations that taught entrepreneurial skills to inner-city minority students and provided social and economic guidance for inmates that were about to be released. Sterling is very pleased and appreciative of the opportunity to work with HelpUsAdopt to continue improving the lives of children and their families.
Sheryl A. Moore
Sheryl is a Florida family law attorney, cancer survivor, and child champion. She is an advocate for adoption, in particular single parent adoptions. Her son, William, who was born in her heart and not under, made her a mother in 2016 after a challenging journey where she experienced significant anti-favoritism from agencies because she was adopting as a single parent. Sheryl is committed to helping fund forever bonds by rallying financial assistance and raising awareness.
Hyla Rosenberg
Hyla Kaplan Rosenberg is originally from Barrington, Rhode Island. She is a Partner at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP in New York, NY where she focuses on employment-based immigration for Fortune 500 companies. Her passion for immigration law developed in college when she began working with individuals from underserved immigrant communities. Pro bono work remains an important part of her practice with a focus on asylum applicants and unaccompanied minors. Currently residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons, Helpusadopt.org’s mission resonates with her as she understands the importance of removing financial barriers to adoption and values the important work the organization does to build families. She feels so fortunate that as a child, her long-wished-for sibling finally arrived via adoption and hopes to help others on their adoption journeys.
Karen Anisi Sperber
Karen is a passionate proud parent of her adopted daughter Iris, who 26 years ago, came to them from Bulgaria. With her husband Marc, of 30 years, they collectively went through the rigorous process of a foreign adoptions, which offers its own challenges. Karen and Marc worked the long process and Iris made a family with them when she was 20 months old. Two other children followed, Joseph now age 25 and Sophia now 22. Karen grew up in Chicago and attended Loyola University of Chicago with a B.A in Finance She had a very successful 18 year career at The Northern Trust Company Chicago, as a Vice President in a variety of Relationship roles including the Trust department supporting insurance pension funds, Taft-Hartley and ERISA funds. She also worked at her family’s business where there were no limits to her role. Karen’s proudest impact was felt in her nonprofit efforts, where she championed many efforts in her school district and beyond for the rights of children with disabilities. She became fully committed to helping children. Karen was President of the JCC Women’s Board and currently sits on the JCC Central Board in Chicago. Karen and her family live in a Northern Suburb of Chicago.
Linda Yarden
Linda is an attorney, a Managing Director of the Golden Seeds Angel Network, and is the co-founder of In the Stacks with Linda, a facilitated book salon. She was the Managing Director of Corporate Placement and Strategy at the A.W. Rush & Co. search firm, where she now serves as a consultant. Her legal experience includes 14 years with Goldman, Sachs & Co. and 10 years at Lehman Brothers. During the course of her career in the financial services industry, Linda served as the Executive Vice President of SIFMA C&L. In addition to Helpusadopt.org, she is now on the Board of Trustees of Park Avenue Synagogue and the board of Elluminate. Linda graduated from Franklin & Marshall College and received her Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law. Linda lives in Manhattan with her spouse, Chris Smith and her two children.
EMERITUSBoard
Mary Ann Bond
Mary Ann Bond recently retired from a long time career in healthcare and senior living marketing. Her last positions were Marketing Director for Princeton Windows and Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing at New Seasons Assisted Living. She and her husband Jeff (recently deceased) adopted their son Roman in 1994 from Russia. Roman is the light of her life and she wanted to give back. She was introduced to Helpusadopt.org three years ago through an existing donor and immediately joined the event committee for Faces of Adoption® Philadelphia, where she played an impactful role in sponsorship growth for the event. This year she served as event Co-chair for Faces of Adoption® Philadelphia. She is joining the Emeritus board of Helpusadopt.org to build more families and continue the work they started together in her husband’s memory.
Jackie Cohen
Jackie Cohen had a successful career on Wall Street that ultimately left her unfulfilled and burnt out. At age 35, she decided to make a change and quit her job to travel the world for a year before coming home to join her family’s growing business, Timeless Fine Jewelry. By 42, Jackie knew she wanted a family of her own and embarked on a journey that led her to the adoption of her beautiful daughter, Julia. Being a single mother and propelling her business into success keeps Jackie very busy, but she devotes her spare time to helping others through her work with HelpUsAdopt.org, an organization committed to providing financial support to families who have a desire to adopt.
Laura Klarman
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 Clinical Psychology for over 20 years, first in Manhattan and now currently in Scarsdale, NY. She focuses on work with adults, couples, and teens, and has a particular specialty in infertility and adoption related issues. She has also served as a volunteer for the infertility organization RESOLVE. Her interest in adoption is personal in addition to professional, as she has built her family through adoption.
Keith Lavitt
Keith is the owner of the Lavitt Group, a national seller and installer of window and door products, with 12 locations in the eastern US. 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. Keith resides in Long Island, NY with his wife Lisa and their two children, one of whom is adopted.
Sarah Marshall
Sarah Marshall is an advocate of Helpusadopt.org’s inclusive, non-discriminatory mission to support and grow loving families. Since earning her MBA at Wharton in 2000, Sarah has worked in private equity, primarily as a marketing agent and fundraiser for emerging firms in the US and Europe. A 1993 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Sarah served for five years as an acquisitions officer on the avionics program for the B-2 aircraft. She and her husband Brad live near Philadelphia. Sarah is dedicated to her three children and involved with numerous efforts to support the arts in Philadelphia.
Kimberly Reinhardt-Gonzales
Kimberly brings to the board two decades of leadership and management experience in the hedge fund industry. Currently, she serves as the Head of Strategic Initiatives and Manager of Derivatives Operations. Kimberly is particularly proud of her role in mentoring; she created the firm’s undergraduate intern program and has mentored over 150 students through this initiative. Additionally, she is a strong advocate for women in the industry. Kimberly is the Co-Chair of the CFO/COO/Operations Peer Advisory Group for 100 Women in Finance and is responsible for the content of her firm’s women’s initiatives. As a trusted senior management liaison, she is regarded as essential within the firm’s infrastructure. Her passion for people drives her commitment to HelpUsAdopt.org.
Marilyn Rosen
Marilyn’s full-time and favorite job is being a mother. Having had her first child at 23 and then adopting her fourth 20 years later, she has a unique and evolving perspective on motherhood. Marilyn was born and raised in New York and attended the Pharmacy School at SUNY Buffalo. She married her high school sweetheart, Michael, at 22. They now live in San Diego where they own several successful restaurants. She is still working on raising her 17-year-old son, Max, who is finishing his senior year, and considers herself very lucky that her three grown children and two grandsons live nearby. Marilyn considers Max's adoption to be her greatest accomplishment. Knowing that she changed his life from uncertainty in a Russian orphanage to giving him every advantage that every child deserves has filled her heart and soul. The faces of the other orphans waiting for homes still haunts her 17 years later. Every child deserves a family and a home and she cannot think of a more meaningful way to share her resources and time than working with Helpusadopt.org.
advisoryBoard
Sutton Foster
Sutton Foster led Darren Star’s hit TV Land series, Younger for seven seasons and can now be seen in her highly-anticipated Broadway return as Marian in the revival of The Music Man, opposite Hugh Jackman.
The award-winning actress has also appeared on Broadway in Violet, Anything Goes (Tony Award), Shrek, Young Frankenstein, The Drowsy Chaperone, Little Women, Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award), Les Misérables, Annie, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Grease. Off-Broadway, she has been seen in Sweet Charity (The Pershing Square Signature Center), The Wild Party (City Center Encores!), Trust (Second Stage), and Anyone Can Whistle (City Center Encores!).
She has toured all over the country with her solo albums, which include Take Me to the World, Wish and An Evening with Sutton Foster: Live at the Café Carlyle. Additionally, she has also appeared on television in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Bunheads, Elementary, Psych, Royal Pains, Law & Order: SVU, Flight of the Conchords and Sesame Street. She holds an honorary doctorate from Ball State University, where she also teaches.
In 2017, Foster and her husband adopted their daughter. She currently splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles.
Foster was Helpusadopt.org's Spring 2021 Voice of Adoption® Award recipient.
Leslie Grossman
Leslie Grossman’s breakout role was as the spoiled rich girl “Mary Cherry” on the WB’s Popular. She followed that up with four years on the WB series What I Like About You. She also appeared in Murphy’s film Running With Scissors, as well as his series The New Normal and Nip/Tuck, and reunited for the hit FX anthology show American Horror Story: Cult as scene-stealer “Meadow Wilton.” She rejoined the AHS cast on Apocalypse as the equally entertaining “Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Grossman always secretly wanted to be an actress, although she never really expected it to happen. Her initial foray into showbiz was as a director of one-act plays in a festival at Crossroads School, a performing arts high school in Los Angeles. She switched gears from director to actress during her senior year at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. Grossman starred in a theatre production of Cereal! which was so successful that it made a one-year run off-Broadway. Subsequently, the play made its way to Los Angeles at the Hudson Theater.
Grossman’s numerous television credits include guest appearances on Black-ish, Fuller House, Love, The Good Place, Speechless, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, 2 Broke Girls, Modern Family, Major Crimes, Whitney, CSI, Scandal, Dexter, and Grey’s Anatomy.
Grossman was drawn to Helpusadopt.org because she is not only an adoptee but also a mom by adoption. When not working, Grossman enjoys spending time with family and friends, shopping, and going to the movies.
Fran Hauser
Fran Hauser is President of Digital for Time Inc.’s Style and Entertainment Group. In her role, she oversees PEOPLE.com, the most visited site in the publishing industry, as well as EW.com, InStyle.com and others. These sites reach over 38 million unique visitors each month and generate more than one billion page views. Hauser is also responsible for the mobile and tablet strategy for these brands including the launch of over 20 consumer products, reaching more than 4 million users, available on the mobile web or as applications.
Hauser has been in the digital media space for 14 years and played an integral role in the $400 million sale of Moviefone to AOL. Earlier in her career, she held positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and Coca-Cola Enterprises.
In 2011, Hauser was named to the FOLIO: 40, a list of the most distinguished magazine and media professionals from every corner of the industry. Two years earlier, she was named one of Ad Age’s “Women to Watch”, a list of the “30 marketers, media sellers and agency executives to keep your eye on today.” She was also inducted into Media Industry Newsletter’s (MIN) Digital Hall of Fame in May 2008.
Hauser is an active philanthropist, serving on the Board of Directors of GlobalGiving and ZenCare and on the Advisory Board of Helpusadopt. She is also a co-founder of GlobalGiving’s New York Leadership Council and funder of projects relating to global women’s issues including Half the Sky (the documentary and multi-platform initiative).
Hauser is also an angel investor in technology and fashion startups and serves on their advisory boards. She resides in Manhattan with her husband and two sons.
Kerstin Lindquist
QVC Program Host
Kerstin Lindquist joined QVC as a program host in 2011. A native of Southern California, she's used to being on the move. After graduating Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Kerstin spent nine years working in broadcast journalism, including positions in Las Vegas and San Diego, before returning to the Keystone State as a QVC program host in West Chester. Along the way, Kerstin won four local Emmy® awards and was seen on NBC's hit drama The West Wing.
Kerstin and her husband, Dan, are kept very busy by their two beautiful daughters Georgia and Grace—who are just five months apart in age. (Yes, you read that right!) An active mom, Kerstin juggles family and work responsibilities along with her passionate commitment to spreading the word about infertility and adoption issues. She loves exercise and fitness, especially anything that gets her outside. Her idea of a perfect day is heading out to the beach—or even better, a boat—with Dan and her girls for some fun in the sun!
Natalie Morales
News Anchor, "Today" and "Access Hollywood"
Natalie Morales is the news anchor of NBC News’ “Today” and the co-host of the third hour, a position she has held since March 2006. Prior to her role as news anchor, Morales served as “Today” national correspondent from February 2006 to June 2011. Morales has also reported for all NBC News platforms including “NBC Nightly News,” Dateline NBC,” and MSNBC.
While working for NBC News, Morales has reported on and contributed to several major breaking news stories. As a part of TODAY’s ‘Shine a Light’ Campaign in 2014, Morales ran in and raised over $70,000 for victims of the Boston Marathon. Morales was a member of the “Rock Center with Brian Williams” team who won a Robert F. Kennedy Award for their lobster divers story in June of 2013. Twice Morales flew to London for major coverage of the Royal Family, both in 2013 and 2011, where she reported on the birth of Prince George and the Royal Wedding, respectively. In October 2010, Morales live-translated and reported on the Chilean miner rescue—coverage that was seen worldwide and recognized with a 2010 National Headliner Award. Her other notable reports include the 2009 presidential inauguration; the Southern California wildfires; the Minneapolis bridge collapse; Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy; the 2004 Tsunami; the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Francis.. In 2010, 2011, and 2012 she was awarded a Daytime Emmy award as part of “Today’s” recognition as the best morning news program. Morales was also honored with the 2013 Gracie Award for Outstanding Series for her Dateline series, My Kid Would Never.
Morales was an integral part of the network’s coverage of the 2010 and 2006 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Torino and the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Games in Athens, Beijing, and London. In August 2008, Morales had the exclusive, news-making interview with the infamous “Clark Rockefeller” interviewing him from Suffolk County Jail in Boston. Morales has also landed exclusive celebrity interviews with Angelina Jolie, when she revealed she was having twins, and Kelly Preston, in her first television interview after the birth of her and John Travolta’s son, Benjamin. Additionally, “Hispanic Magazine” named her one of the “Top Hispanics to Watch” in 2005 and one of the “Top Trendsetters” of 2003.
Morales, who speaks Spanish and Portuguese, was born in Taiwan and spent much of the first 18 years of her life living overseas in Panama, Brazil and Spain as an Air Force “brat.” She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University, New Jersey, with dual majors in journalism and Latin American studies. Morales was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.
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.
Lara Zibners
MD, FAAP
Dr. Zibners is a board certified pediatrician and pediatric emergency medicine specialist, as well as the award-winning author of If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay (Hachette, 2009). She is also the mostly-proud mother of 3 young children, two of whom are adopted.
Dr. Zibners attended the University of California, San Diego, followed by medical school at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She then completed both a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. While an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, she met her future husband, Gernot Lohr. After relocating to the United Kingdom in 2006, Dr. Zibners pursued both a writing career and also one in academic medicine. She has appeared on The Rachael Ray Show, Fox News, and multiple radio broadcasts. Her print appearances include Parenting Magazine, Men’s Health and multiple online articles and is currently a regular guest at Shot of Prevention.com. She is currently an Honorary Consultant in paediatric emergency medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital, London, as well as a nonclinical instructor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
After marriage, the Lohrs began pursuing parenthood. Fast-forward through multiple failed attempts at IVF and they welcomed two daughters in a span of 3 months. While one was born via surrogate, the other was a non-related adoption. Fervent supporters of adoption (and frankly any which way toward parenting a person might choose), they also recently adopted a son.
legalcouncil
Matthew Gorra
Attorney, DLA PIPER US LLP
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).