Meet the Voices

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt.

Simon Benn

Simon was adopted at five weeks old in February 1967 and wasn’t conscious of any trauma until age 40, when he discovered his childhood teddy bear was a gift from his birth mother—triggering a wave of anger, rejection, and feeling unloved. This awakening sparked a healing journey and a deep desire to help others. He now does that through the Thriving Adoptees podcast, launched in April 2021, and by training using the THRIVE Framework, built on insights from over 500 interviews for the podcast.

Blue circular icon with a white chain link symbol in the center.
LinkedIn logo with a blue circle and white lowercase 'in' in the center.
Instagram logo in blue and white.
Facebook logo with white lowercase 'f' in a blue circle.
A woman with long blonde hair, wearing a white sleeveless top, black earrings, and a gold necklace, smiling outdoors with steps in the background.

Marcy Bursac, MA, MBA

Marcy an adoptive mom of siblings and 2025 Missouri Mother of the Year® selected by American Mothers, Inc., is a nationally recognized social entrepreneur and foster care adoption advocate who leads this movement as a volunteer alongside a full-time career in technology. She used a stimulus payment to found The Forgotten Adoption Option, simplifying the adoption process for families and helping children in foster care find forever families. Marcy’s impact includes a national reading program, multiple books, a podcast, and a research study focused on barriers faced by non-kin adoptive families—efforts that were recognized by U.S. Senator Roy Blunt from Missouri in 2022 when she was named an Angels in Adoption® Honoree and that also earned her the 2022 G2 Overachievers Grant from Pilot Pen on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Blue circle icon with a white chain link symbol in the center, representing a hyperlink or connection.
LinkedIn logo with white letters in a blue circle
Instagram logo in blue and white on a light gray background.
Blue Facebook logo with white letter 'f' on a gray background.
Pink heart with a white outline of a person inside it.

Brandi

Brandi is the mother of three biological children. In 2014, she made an adoption plan for her middle child while continuing to raise her oldest. Years later, she gave birth to her third child, whom she is also raising. Today, she remains in an open adoption relationship with her middle child and the adoptive family.

A portrait of a mature woman with curly blonde hair, wearing a black top, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression, against a dark background.

Janet Craig

Janet is a foster and adoptive mom, actress, director, and former professional tennis player whose storytelling is rooted in lived experience. She acted in, directed, and co-wrote Wake Up, a powerful film inspired by youth impacted by the foster care system. Watch the trailer and explore the story at www.officialWAKEUPmovie.com. Her favorite work blends artistic excellence with a passion for justice, using film to spark awareness and change. Updated lists of acting and directing work can be found by visiting www.imdb.me/janetcraig.

Instagram logo in white on a blue circular background.
Facebook logo with a blue circle background and a white lowercase 'f' in the center.
A smiling middle-aged woman with wavy, shoulder-length grayish-brown hair wearing a black sleeveless top and colorful beaded necklace against a plain white background.

Lane DeGregory, MA

Lane has been a newspaper journalist for more than 30 years and prefers writing about people in the shadows. She won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for a Tampa Bay Times story about a child who had endured extreme neglect named Dani, who was rescued then adopted. And she has written about dozens of children in foster care. Her story about a teenager who went to church to ask for a family was the basis of a documentary, The Davion Effect. Lane has two sons, two dogs, and a podcast called WriteLane. Her book, The Girl in the Window and Other True Tales, is an annotated anthology of some of her stories—including the ones about Davion and Dani. Her connection to adoption includes her maternal grandfather, who was adopted in the 1920s and moved from Kentucky to Florida, and a cousin who adopted a daughter from China.

LinkedIn logo with white 'in' inside a blue circle on a gray background.
Instagram logo with a white camera icon inside a blue circle
A woman with curly blonde hair wearing a light gray sweater, standing outdoors on a city street, smiling with a confident expression.

Connie Going

Connie is a nationally-recognized adoption advocate, speaker, and child welfare professional with over thirty-five years of experience in direct service. Connie is the mom of four children—two of whom she adopted as teenagers through foster care—and she is the founder of both The Adoption Advocacy Center and of Going Adoption and Surrogacy. Her foster care adoption journey is featured in The Davion Effect, a documentary highlighting the real-life story of a teen’s plea for adoption and the case worker who answered with love.

LinkedIn logo with a blue circle and white lowercase 'in' in the center.
Instagram logo on a gray background.
Facebook logo with white lowercase 'f' on a blue circular background.
A woman with blonde hair smiling, wearing a black shirt with a logo that reads 'Marrow Matters'.

Susan Haertling, LCB

Susan is a licensed U.S. Customs Broker, international trade strategist, and adoptee who is transforming lives through genetic genealogy. She and her husband co-founded Marrow Mates, a nonprofit that helps blood cancer patients find lifesaving stem cell donors by identifying and contacting their genetic relatives—a mission inspired by her own search for biological family and her husband’s experience donating bone marrow to a young woman with leukemia in 2009. A mother of two children adopted from Romania, Susan returned there with her family in 2015 to reunite with her son’s biological mother and siblings. Her work bridges trade compliance, adoption advocacy, and nonprofit leadership, driven by science, compassion, and a deep belief in the power of connection.

LinkedIn logo with a blue circle and white lowercase 'in' inside
Blue circular icon with a white chain link symbol in the center.
A professional headshot of a man with short brown hair, blue eyes, and light skin, wearing a dark blazer over a red and blue checkered shirt, smiling against a gray background.

Rev. Ryan Hebel

Ryan is an adoptive dad, ordained United Methodist pastor, and church planter, currently serving a large congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. His connection to adoption began at age nine, when he learned that the man he called Dad had adopted him at age five. In addition to his work at the local church level, he serves on the Board of Ordained Ministry for the United Methodist Church (UMC) in Missouri and is the founder and Executive Director of The BEYOND Network and Conference, which resources and equips pastors and church leaders nationwide who share his passion for pursuing ministry work that is anchored in Jesus, centered around invitation, and unapologetically inclusive. Now a father of four—including two children welcomed through private adoption—Ryan’s experience continues to shape his understanding of family, belonging, and faith.

LinkedIn logo in a blue circle on a white background.
Blue circle with white link icon in the center.
Professional headshot of a man with dark hair and glasses smiling, wearing a blue shirt, gray tie, and dark suit jacket.

Ryan Hanlon, Ph.D.

Ryan is the President and CEO of the National Council For Adoption (NCFA), where he leads national efforts in adoption education, research, and advocacy. As an adoptive dad himself, Ryan brings more than two decades of experience—as a social worker, agency executive, and adjunct professor—into his mission to ensure that everyone impacted by adoption has the support they need to thrive.

Instagram logo in white on a blue circular background.
LinkedIn logo with a blue circle and white lowercase 'in' in the center.
Blue circle icon with a white link chain symbol in the center.
A woman with glasses and shoulder-length blond hair smiling outdoors, wearing a red cardigan over a white blouse, standing in a park with green grass, trees, and a pond in the background.

Lisa Jackson, LCSW, MSW

Lisa is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Florida State University’s College of Social Work. Lisa’s area of expertise includes identifying and addressing biopsychosocial and system-level factors inhibiting the well-being and academic progress of foster care alumni and students experiencing homelessness in postsecondary education. Lisa also co-chairs the Post-Secondary Education Subcommittee and is an At-Large Board of Directors Member for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. She was a 2018 recipient of the Child Welfare Champion Award from Florida’s Department of Children and Families. Her connection to adoption comes through her niece by marriage, who was adopted from a Russian orphanage.

LinkedIn logo with white 'in' on a blue circle
Headshot of a middle-aged man wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and a light blue tie, smiling against a grey textured background.

Todd Lake, Ph.D., M.Div.

Todd is Vice President for Faith-Based Engagement and Church Relations at Belmont University, a Christ-centered university of almost 9,000 students in Nashville. Prior to coming to Belmont, he was Dean of Chapel and later Dean for University Life at Baylor University in Texas. He served as a chaplain at Harvard and for nine years, pastored an interracial Baptist church in Cambridge, Massachusetts which engaged in a range of ministries to those in need. He has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay and a legislative aide for a state senator in California, focusing on migrant farmworker legislation. Todd received his bachelor’s degree in German Studies magna cum laude from Harvard and studied at Princeton Seminary before earning his M.Div. from Southern Seminary and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston College. He and his wife adopted the youngest of their three children from China when she was 11 months old, joining eight other families in the experience. The group remains close and gathers twice a year.

LinkedIn logo, a blue circle with white lowercase 'in' text in the center.
Close-up of a smiling man in a suit and dress shirt, with gray hair and light skin, against a black background.

Andrew C. Lewis

Andrew, a Seramount 2021 Working Dad of the Year, is a partner at KPMG LLP, one of the largest global professional services firms providing audit, tax, and advisory services. He founded the KPMG National Foster Care and Adoption Network, an employee resource group for those impacted by foster care and adoption, which has grown to several hundred members across more than half of the KPMG US offices. Andrew is a former foster parent, an adoptive parent, and serves on the board of directors of several national charities advancing foster care and adoption issues.

LinkedIn logo with a blue circular background and white 'in' text in the center.
Young woman with long brown hair, wearing a white blazer and smiling outdoors, blurred background with green trees and soft lights.

Thea Ramirez, MSW

Thea is the Founder and CEO of Adoption-Share, a non-profit leveraging innovative technology—like its groundbreaking Family-Match Application—to eliminate barriers that keep children from being placed in loving foster and adoptive homes. A clinical social worker by training, Thea is widely recognized for her ability to forge bold, cross-sector collaborations that drive real-world solutions, earning her features in outlets such as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and the honor of speaking at global institutions including the White House and the European Parliament. A 2018 Congressional Angels in Adoption® Award recipient, Thea’s visionary leadership has catalyzed meaningful child welfare reforms nationwide. She also has a personal connection to adoption as it is part of her family’s story.

LinkedIn logo with a blue circle and white lowercase 'in' in the center
Blue circular icon with a white chain link symbol in the center.
Close-up of a smiling woman with long wavy brown hair, wearing a mustard-colored top and a silver necklace, in an indoor setting.

Rene Savage

Rene is a nationally recognized technology executive and kinship care advocate with over thirty-four years of experience in the distribution industry. A senior leader known for driving digital transformation and operational excellence, Rene also volunteers her time mentoring young professionals and raising awareness for kinship families. Her most meaningful role began when she became the permanent guardian of her niece, stepping into motherhood through kinship care. As a single caregiver navigating complex systems with little support, Rene became a voice for others in similar situations. Through advocacy, public speaking, and storytelling, she champions the power of showing up—and the healing that happens when family is defined by love, not just paperwork.

LinkedIn logo with a blue circle and white lowercase 'in'
Portrait of a smiling woman with short hair, wearing glasses and a colorful floral button-up shirt, against a white background.

Lisa Schelbe, Ph.D., MSW

Lisa is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Jeanene M. Janes Professor in Child Welfare at the Florida State University College of Social Work. She also is a Faculty Affiliate at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Her research focuses on child well-being, specifically young people in and aging out of foster care. She is the author of Some Type of Way: Aging out of Foster Care and co-author of Foster Parent Collaboration: A Guidebook for Social Workers and Other Professionals and The Handbook on Child Welfare Practice. Her connection to adoption is that two of her second cousins were adopted as toddlers.

LinkedIn logo in blue circle on a gray background.
A man with light brown hair, wearing black glasses, a dark suit jacket, light blue shirt, and burgundy tie, smiling at the camera.

Vincent Slaugh, Ph.D.

Vincent is an assistant professor at Cornell’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration, specializing in workforce management and service system optimization for labor-intensive, care-oriented operations. He employs stochastic modeling to provide managerial insights and tactical solutions, focusing particularly on staffing in nursing homes, hotel housekeeping, and child welfare systems. Vince holds a Ph.D. in operations management from Carnegie Mellon University and degrees in industrial engineering and history from Penn State University. His connection to adoption is through three of his cousins, who were adopted from foster care.

Blue circular icon with a white link chain symbol in the center, representing a hyperlink or connection.
A confident middle-aged woman with short gray hair wearing a gray blazer and black top, standing with folded arms in front of a yellow wall with framed black-and-white photographs.

Rita Soronen

Rita is the President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for the more than 140,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Rita is a nationally recognized child welfare advocate. Under her leadership, the Foundation implements life-changing programs that act on the issue’s urgency, including its foster care adoption program, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids®, which serves the longest-waiting children. Additionally, the Foundation is helping to break down barriers by implementing awareness campaigns informed by research, advocating for adoption and foster care benefits in the workplace, innovative grantmaking, and promoting free educational and financial resources for prospective parents.

LinkedIn logo with a blue circle and white lowercase 'in' in the center.
Blue circular icon with a white link chain symbol in the center
A young woman with long dark hair smiling in front of a blurred background.

Leah Sutterlin

Leah is an award-winning social entrepreneur who was adopted from China as a baby. She graduated from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and started her career at fast-growing tech companies. She works for the National Council For Adoption as a Communications Manager for a newly formed Adoption Coalition focused on adoption messaging and the Christian Alliance for Orphans as a Data and Technology Strategist.

LinkedIn logo with a blue circular background and white 'in' text.