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 daughter, Jane, in 2005, and their second daughter, Brooke, in 2009. After adopting their first child, 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 Jane and Brooke.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Christina Donelson is a C-Suite Executive with 20+ years of experience building and transforming cultures through strategic talent development and reinvestment strategies. Her public and private company Board work includes partnering with Nominating and Governance, Compensation and Board Chairs to develop programs and processes to enhance the overall effectiveness of the Board, and to align executive compensation with shareholder value. After spending several years as the SVP/Chief Human Resources Officer of a ~$2.5B+ organization, Christina now serves as a strategic advisor to Boards and executive teams looking to transform their culture and talent programs by leveraging her experience in M&A intensive environments. She is committed to helping leaders create equitable and inclusive teams. Christina earned her MA in Organizational Communication from the University of Oklahoma as well as a BA in Journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington. When asked why she joined Helpusadopt.org's Board Christina says, “As an adoptive mom, I know that families are formed in a variety of ways and come in all shapes and sizes. I love the clarity of the mission at Helusadopt.org and the emphasis on making adoption accessible to a diverse and inclusive population. It would be an honor to participate in helping the organization support more families by increasing awareness of the programs and fundraising needs throughout my professional and personal networks.”.

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.

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.

Wendy is a business executive who has generated over $20M in revenue from entrepreneurial initiatives related to market expansion and partnership development. An innovative and creative strategic thinker, Wendy has 20 years of international experience in Europe and Latin America where she has opened markets and launched products globally for top organizations such as University of Michigan, University of Chicago and UChicago Medicine, IESE Business School, Pearson, Target Stores, LVMH, and others. Wendy has her B.S. in Finance from DePaul University and her M.B.A from IESE Business School. She is fluent in Spanish. Wendy states, "As an only child, I always felt somewhat alone growing up. My parents were young when they had me (16/17) and were going to school and working throughout my childhood. I always dreamed of having a house full of kids with laughter, warmth and celebration. I have three adult children and four step-children. What I love about HelpUsAdopt.org is the idea of facilitating kids finding loving homes and parents - regardless of their race, marital status, religion and providing financial support to make this process more manageable."

Cara Kahn Fudemberg was born and raised outside of Boston Massachusetts. She attended Washington University in St. Louis where she was known for her wit, creativity, and style. After graduation, Cara joined the cast of MTV’s The Real World Chicago. Since then, she has worked as a stylist in top stores in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Philadelphia. In addition, she was a co host at a local entertainment TV show in Kansas City. Cara continues to offer personal styling and consulting as well as sharing fashion trends on local TV segments. She can also be found on QVC presenting fabulous footwear and accessories. Cara lives on the Main Line of Philadelphia with her husband Scott, their children Jack and Sloan, and their large lovable dog, Hank.

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.

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.

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.

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."

Chad Punchard is the president of Comstar Supply, a national distributor of outside plant material for the broadband industry. A family-owned business, Comstar was founded by his father, Earl, 27 years ago. Chad has spent his entire 25-year career at the company serving in multiple positions, and spearheaded its growth as president since his father’s passing 12 years ago. A graduate of Gwynedd-Mercy University, Chad is an Ambassador of the Corporate Council and a member of the Board of Visitors for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Being an adoptee himself, Chad’s mission of finding loving homes for children in need is personal. Chad lives in Villanova, PA with wife Kelly and their three children.

Kim was born in South Korea and raised in Connecticut by an Italian-American family from the Bronx. She attended Boston University earning undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Advertising and earned her M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Kim is passionate about bridging digital innovation with the luxury retail experience and is currently the Director of Global Business Intelligence & Analytics for the Estée Lauder Companies. Prior to her current role, Kim spent a decade in the data and analytics consulting space implementing reporting tools, CRM systems and modern cloud-based platforms for clients such as Stuart Weitzman, Tiffany & Company and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Kim is a proud international adoptee and has prior volunteer work experience as a middle school mentor for adopted children, an adoptee panelist for families looking to adopt, and a member of the Young Leadership Committee all for Spence-Chapin, the adoption agency she was adopted through. The mission and inclusivity-driven aspect of Help Us Adopt resonates with her immensely and she eagerly looks to apply her expertise in data and analytics at the board level to serve this high growth organization. Kim resides in NJ with her husband, son and daughter.

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.

Hyla Kaplan Rosenberg is originally from Barrington, Rhode Island though she spent time up and down the East Coast. She received her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and her Juris Doctor from Washington College of Law, American University in Washington, DC. Between college and law school, she spent a year living in Jerusalem, Israel and studying at The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Following law school, she joined Fragomen, Del, Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP, a law firm focused exclusively on employment-based immigration, in New York, NY where she has been a Partner since 2012. Immigration law has been her passion since college as it combines various interests including foreign languages and cultures as well as her love of international travel. Hyla feels so fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn about the field of immigration law through numerous internships through the years, including Senator Kennedy’s office, The Vera Institute of Justice, and other non-profit organizations focused on asylum cases and the underserved immigration community as a whole. She currently lives in Philadelphia, PA with her husband and two sons. When asked why Helpusadopt.org's mission resonates with her Hyla says, “My earliest childhood memories involve longing for a sibling – it is what I wished for on every birthday – and finally, just after my eighth birthday, my wish came true. I vividly remember my parents telling me around the Sabbath dinner table on Friday evening that a baby boy had been born that morning and that he would be coming home from the hospital with us on Monday. That Sunday was my eighth birthday party, and as I went to blow out the candles on my cake, I turned to my parents and said, “I don’t have to make my usual wish”. Of course, as a child, I never thought about the costs involved or what my parents might have had to do to make my wish come true. It wasn’t until college when a friend asked, which to this day I still cannot believe she asked, “How much did your parents pay for your brother?” To me, it was an absurd question and something I had never thought about until that moment and something I have not been able to stop thinking about ever since. I am extremely fortunate that my parents were able to cover the costs involved though I realize so many people looking to adopt cannot. I feel so strongly about Helpusadopt.org’s mission to help build families through its grant program as I understand the longing for a child (or in my case a sibling) and never want money to be a barrier to filling that hole.”

Lisa Rothblum grew up on Long Island and attended Baldwin High School. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Sociology at The George Washington University, before she learned how to "think like a lawyer" at Hofstra Law School. Lisa's 30-plus year legal career included all settings, from the government to law firms to in-house, including the SEC, Greenbaum, Woff & Ernst, PolyGram Records, Seagram, Universal Music, Infogrammes, Atari, and after 12 years as an independent legal recruiter she retired to spend more time with her two daughters, to travel and to pursue other interests. Lisa wakes up daily feeling grateful for her health and experiences, and her wonderful relationships with her two now-adult daughters and their husbands. What excites Lisa about joining Helpusadopt is the organization's dedication to helping women, men, and couples reach their dreams of adopting a child and having their own families. It is easy to presume becoming a parent is a simple biological act; easy to conceive, easy to birth (and easy to raise!). It is so much more. Lisa herself had a few early miscarriages before getting pregnant with her older daughter, Ashley, and had difficulty getting pregnant again when she hoped for a sibling to Ashley. She had many stints of injections followed by either no pregnancy or early miscarriages. She finally gave birth to Nina after almost 4 years of trying. Lisa wanted to join this Board to help even one person or couple by supporting them in their efforts to adopt a child they long for and a fuller family. She is confident her efforts will help result in positive results.

Sindy was born in Guatemala and raised in Houston, TX. She graduated from the Stern School of Business at New York University, focusing on International Business. She has worked on the business side of fashion for 15 years, and is currently Head of Operations of TonyMoly USA, the US subsidiary of South Korean-beauty company TonyMoly. She is also an avid CrossFitter and weightlifter. Sindy believes that family is not always the unit we are born into, but who we choose to let into our lives. Adoption allows people the fortuity to provide and accept family that we may otherwise not have known. It is a priceless opportunity that should happen based on factors other than financial ability to meet up-front costs.

Jerry Slipakoff graduated from the University of Miami School of Business and joined the family owned steel company. After running the company for 10 years Jerry decided to leave the steel business to join a friend to grow his start up real estate investment / management company. Starting with 200 apartment units, the Galman Group has grown over the past 30 years and now owns and manages approximately 10,000 apartment units.

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 30 years, the Global Corporate Head of Mayer Brown, adopted their oldest son Jake, from Bulgaria 25 years ago. Two other children followed, Joseph now age 24 and Sophia now 21. Karen and her family live in a Northern Suburb of Chicago, Northbrook.

Linda Yarden 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. She is now on the Board of Trustees of Park Avenue Synagogue. Linda is an arbitrator with both FINRA and the AAA. 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.