Founder, President

Becky Fawcett is the founder and president of Helpusadopt.org, an equality based organization that seeks to reduce the financial burden of adoption by awarding large, life-changing, problem-solving grants.

After graduating from Franklin & Marshall College, Becky had a successful career in the magazine industry, first for Baltimore magazine, and then for Philadelphia magazine as the director of marketing. In 1999, she founded The Fawcett Group, a full-service public relations and marketing firm with offices in New York City and Philadelphia.

Becky and her husband Kipp adopted their son, Jake, in 2005, and their daughter, Brooke, in 2009. After adopting their son, Becky and Kipp, were so grateful that they had the financial means to adopt that they decided to make a donation to an organization that would help ease another family’s financial burden. Sadly, they could not find an adoption grant organization that was based on a mission of equality. To address this need and help all types of families, they founded Helpusadopt.org in 2007. Under Becky's leadership, Helpusadopt.org has grown from a kitchen-table organization into a strong, national presence with a full time staff of four, board of twenty two, hundreds of volunteers, and thousands of donors.

Helpusadopt.org has been featured on CNN, People.com, The Today Show and Good Morning America and in The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, O Magazine and Good Housekeeping for their groundbreaking work in the world of adoption.

Becky lives in Manhattan with her husband Kipp and her children Jake and Brooke.

Founder, Vice Chair

Kipp is a consultant at Accordion Partners. Accordion is the only consulting firm focused exclusively within the Office of the CFO. Accordion works alongside Private Equity sponsor management teams to support initiatives across the entire finance function. While engagements span all industries and sizes, the focus is consistent: flawless execution.

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

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.

Treasurer

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.

Secretary

Sarah Marshall joins our board as 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.

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Veronica Miele Beard was raised in northern New Jersey. She graduated from Franklin & Marshall College and studied abroad in Florence, Italy. With a head for business and a heart for culture, she is inspired by myriad forms of art and has always enjoyed taking fashion risks. Her first job was on Wall Street in sales and trading. After a brief stint in the ‘90s working for Ron Galotti at Vogue, Veronica returned to the world of finance. She reached the pinnacle of her finance career when she helped Philippe Laffont launch Coatue Management, LLC, a premier technology hedge fund, where she was partner and COO. There she learned how to manage and organically build a business. Her quest to find and fill a void in the market led her to the fashion industry to create the perfect uniform for women; cool, sexy and chic. She believes in enhancing a woman’s personal strengths and features through her individual look. Veronica lives in Manhattan with her husband, Anson H. Beard, and their five children, Helaina, Scarlett, Anson Jr., India, and Matthew Rhett.

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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, he is the light of her life and she wanted to give back. She was introduced to the organization three years ago through an existing donor and immediately got involved on the committee of 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 board of Helpusadopt.org to build more families and continue the work they started together in her husband’s memory.

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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.

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Ana was drawn to Helpusadopt.org because she was adopted in Brazil as a baby and has a strong desire to support an organization which is close to her heart. Ana is a Brazilian and British national and has lived in three continents: South America, North America, and Europe. She has created an established international network through her business, educational and exploratory experiences in various countries and has learned four languages. She attained a BA in Social Communication and Journalism in Brazil and an Executive MBA from Cass Business School in London. Ana has had a distinguished career during her last 11 years at Bloomberg LP. She started her time at Bloomberg at the European headquarters in London. In 2016, she followed her dream and relocated to New York City. Ana currently manages business in New York, Southern Florida and the Caribbean for Bloomberg.

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Lisa Blair Davis is currently Global Head of Human Resources, Medical Devices at Johnson & Johnson. She is responsible for global HR strategy for the Medical Device sector. Lisa is focused on driving long-term successful Leadership, Talent and Culture at J&J.

Lisa has been with Johnson & Johnson for over 25 years having served in each of the three business sectors. She was Head of Global Benefits & Health and International Total Rewards here the led the strategy, design and execution of Johnson & Johnson’s global benefits programs while providing oversight of the international Total Rewards functions. In this role, Lisa advanced industry-leading Workplace policies and programs including global parental leave, consistency of eligibility in policy harmonization, fertility and adoption. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of Florida. Lisa lives in New Hope, PA with her husband, Paul, and her son.

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Jeff Dorschuck serves as the Vice President of Business and Professional Banking Regional Manager at M&T Bank where he has worked for over 16 years. Jeff was born and raised in Valley Stream, NY and is married to Danielle with whom he has a three month old named girl, Isabella Marie. He is a sports enthusiast being a big fan of the NY Mets, NY Jets, and Penn State football. He's an avid traveler who has visited over 36 countries and enjoys play golf on his downtime.

Jeff is passionate about Helpusadopt.org's mission and is very excited to help more kids who are in need of a loving, permanent home.

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Kimberly has two decades of leadership and management experience in hedge fund and middle management operations. She was recruited for her current role to help strategize future goals and objectives. In this capacity, she ensures that operational functions run smoothly across all business units. Her career has spanned from positions in, Telecommunication and Information Systems Recruiter, Middle Office Analyst, Cash Management Supervisor, Head of Cash Management, to her current role as Head of Strategic Initiatives. Most recently, she was recruited to Co-Manage the Derivatives Operations team. Kimberly is also responsible for the creation and management of her firm’s undergraduate intern program. She has mentored over 120 undergrads through the program. Kimberly also created and is responsible for all content of her firm’s Women’s Initiative Network. Kimberly is a trusted senior management liaise, regarded as essential within the company’s infrastructure.

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Cindy Huang is an IP Counsel with the Intellectual Property Law Strategy team of American Express. She advises on a multitude of IP issues, including but not limited to, IP provisions in agreements, IP diligence on investments and acquisitions, and IP threats and litigations. Additionally, Cindy manages the company patent portfolio.

Prior to joining American Express, Cindy held senior counsel and counsel positions at various law firms, where she, among other responsibilities, prepared and prosecuted hundreds of domestic and foreign patent applications, prepared IP strategies, and provided clearance and non-infringement opinions for large Fortune 100-types of companies to small startups. Cindy received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago.

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David A. Javdan is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal in Washington, D.C., and New York. As a former legal executive and federal and state financial regulator, he brings seasoned experience and credibility in the corporate and public sectors. Mr. Javdan was recently appointed to Governor Andrew Cuomo's Commission to Investigate Public Corruption (“Moreland Commission”) to examine potential corruption in NY state government, political campaigns and elections. He has extensive knowledge in private equity investing, small business lending, sophisticated financial transactions, complex financial accounting and audit matters, health care law and multi-party international litigation.

Previously, Mr. Javdan served as General Counsel of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Before joining the U.S. Small Business Administration, Mr. Javdan was an attorney with Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, where he primarily focused on health care, insurance, international financial institutions and litigation. There, he represented the Austrian Jewish community on Holocaust restitution matters, leading negotiating sessions with the U.S. State Department and Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and participated in complex, multi-party international litigation.

Mr. Javdan earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and a J.D. from Fordham Law School. He helped found and served as pro bono counsel to a number of charitable organizations, including the JED Foundation, a national organization dedicated to helping prevent suicide among college students and the Iranian American Jewish Federation. He is currently a trustee on the executive committee of the New York Citizens Budget Commission.

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Robert Klein is a Partner of RedBird Capital Partners. Based in New York, Robert oversees all operational functions of the firm as well as its global Entrepreneur & Family Office (“EFO”) Network Prior to joining RedBird, Robert spent ten years at JPMorgan, most recently as Global Head of the Alternative Investments Group - a hedge fund, private equity/credit and real estate platform with over $80 billion in assets under supervision (“AUS”). During his tenure at JPMorgan, Robert was also President of J.P. Morgan Alternative Asset Management (“JPMAAM”), a $13 billion hedge fund solutions provider that served both institutional and retail investors globally. He helped to lead the group’s efforts into liquid alternatives and a more fully developed separate account capability for clients. He also served on the Private Bank’s Global Investment Review Committee, the Private Equity Advisory Committee (which manages portfolios of private equity fund of funds), the firm’s Commercial Real Estate Council, the Investment Management Americas Operating Committee and the Private Bank Investment Team. Robert also worked for four years as a Director at North Street Partners, a private equity investment firm that specialized in lower-middle market transactions. Prior to North Street, Robert worked for six years at Bernstein Investment Research & Management, where he was a Vice President in the firm’s wealth management division.

Robert is a graduate of the NYU-Stern School of Business (MBA in Accounting & Finance) and Cornell University (B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations). He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of the Make a Wish Foundation of Metro New York and is also a member of the Cornell ILR Finance Council.

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Cooper Koch is the founder of Cooper Smith Agency, a Dallas-based PR and social media firm focused on the building materials, commercial real estate and construction industries. He is also the founder and publisher of He Said magazine — an online source of things to do, see, buy, enjoy, etc., all from a witty gay perspective — and storyteller on his blog Cooped Up and Facebook Live. In 2012, Cooper and his family, including husband, Todd, and their two (adopted) children, Claire and Mason, were featured in a national Father's Day marketing campaign for JCPenney that triggered a boycott from the "Million Moms" and worldwide news coverage of the first-of-its-kind ad.

Cooper has been a vocal and financial supporter of Helpusadopt.org for many years, and has written about the organization's success for Huffington Post, dedicated his birthday as a fundraiser, and is always encouraging potential recipients to apply.

Having adopted two children himself, Cooper knows firsthand how expensive it can be. Like Helpusadopt.org's founders, he refuses to believe that any person's inability to come up with a lump sum of $40,000 should in any way be a measure of their ability to be a fantastic parent to a child who needs a home.

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Courtney Lawless currently works at Morgan Stanley. She has spent her entire career in finance, and was previously the Director of Private Placement at Academy Securities (Farrell Marsh & Co) where she assisted private equity, real estate and hedge funds secure capital commitments from large institutional investors globally. She previously worked for Discovery Capital Management, a New York based hedge fund as a Chief Compliance Officer, and as an Accountant with Longwood Investment Advisors. She holds a B.S. in Accounting and an MBA in Corporate Finance from Upper Iowa University. Courtney was introduced to Helpusadopt.org through another board member, Sarah Marshall, and instantly knew she had to get involved. Many years earlier, after the birth of her son, she was not able to have more children due to health issues. She and her husband had wanted to adopt, but were told that due to the severity of her health issues at the time, the chances they would be able to adopt were likely impossible. Now being involved in the organization allows her to help other people create their own families. She currently resides on the Main Line with her husband and son.

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Michael Miller is a founder and Vice President of Miller Bros., an energy services firm based in Conshohocken, PA that constructs and maintains electrical substation, transmission and distribution systems as well as natural gas transmission and distribution systems. Miller Bros. is a resource for large investor owned utilities and private power facility owners of renewable energy wind, solar and battery storage systems. Michael is part of the founding team at Miller Bros. Solar, a National operations and maintenance provider to owners of solar generating facilities.

Michael resides in Gladwyne, PA with his wife Jennifer and their two children. Michael spends as much time as possible raising, watching, laughing and learning with his family. Mike’s other interests include history, architecture and playing golf.

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Robert R. Nuzzo is the Chief Operating Officer for the Americas Fundamental Active Equities team at Blackrock Asset Management. In this role, he is responsible for helping to grow and manage the day to day operations of the business. Prior to this role, Robert spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs Investment Bank helping the firm build out into new businesses and restructure existing businesses. Robert received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University. He was born in Brooklyn. Growing up with five siblings, and now having thirteen nieces and nephews, family is an important value to him. He and his husband Leif reside in the Union Square area of NY and are in the process of domestic adoption.

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Greg is Executive Vice President for OrthoPediatrics, a company focused exclusively on commercializing surgical devices for children with orthopedic conditions. Greg has spent his entire 26 year career in the orthopedic device industry, serving in a number of capacities from sales and sales management to executive leadership. He was part of the team that helped launch OrthoPediatrics in 2007, and has been involved in several capital raises throughout the company’s history. OrthoPediatrics completed a successful IPO in October, 2017, and is traded under ticker symbol KIDS.

Greg’s adoption story began in 2007, after years of trying to start a family, when he and his wife, Cindi, adopted Alexander at birth from Alexandria, Virginia. Three years later, they were blessed with Ryan, who was adopted at birth from Atlanta, Georgia. The Odle family currently lives in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

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Dr. Carly Snyder is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist with a unique approach that combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments. Dr. Snyder received her medical degree from NYU School of Medicine and completed general psychiatry residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center with additional reproductive psychiatry elective training at the Payne Whitney Women’s Program at NY Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. She maintains a private practice on the Upper East Side in NYC where she serves as Director of Women’s Health for Family Health Associates, and is voluntary faculty at NY-Presbyterian Weill Cornell and at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Centers. She is currently on the President’s Advisory Council and was the Research Chair and a Board Member for Postpartum Support International for several terms.

Dr. Snyder was named a ‘2019 New York Super Doctors Rising Star’ and is a frequent lecturer on the topic of women’s health and wellness. Her weekly radio show, “MD for Moms,” can be heard on TuneIn radio, iHeart Radio, the BBM Global Network or anytime on her website. Dr. Snyder’s HuffPost parenting blog shares the “MD for Moms” moniker. She also is a regular contributor to many popular websites such as Medium, Mommybites, Romper, and Wellrounded. Dr. Snyder resides in NYC and the North Fork with her husband and three awesome children. In her free time you can find Dr. Snyder training for a marathon, skiing or gardening.

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Karen grew up in Chicago and graduate from Loyola University of Chicago with a B.A in Finance. She began work immediately at The Northern Trust Chicago, as a Vice President. Karen was a Relationship Manager in the Trust Department for 16 years with clients nationwide including ERISA, Taft-Hartley and Insurance Pension Funds. Karen left Northern Trust to stay at home to care for her children full time.

Having championed many efforts in her school district and beyond for the rights of children with disabilities she became fully committed to helping children. She also sits on another Board which raises scholarship money to send kids to camp who financially could not attend.

Karen and her husband of 25 years, the Global Corporate Head of Mayer Brown, adopted their oldest son Jake, from Bulgaria 20 years ago. Two other children followed, Joseph now age 19 and Sophia now 16. Karen and her family live in a Northern Suburb of Chicago, Northbrook.