70th Anniversary Conference The Commitment of a Lifetime THE ADOPTION JOURNEY

21st Annual Conference Saturday, March 21, 2015 The Barker Adoption Foundation Presents

The Commitment of a Lifetime THE ADOPTION JOURNEY

The 70th Anniversary Adoption and Foster Care Conference

Keynote Address: News Anchor, CNN’s New Day

The Robin B. Allen Memorial Address: Dr. Harold Grotevant, Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Additional presenters include: Judith A. Stigger, Social Worker at The Cradle and Adoption Therapist/Clinical Director, AdoptionLearningPartners.org Lisa Highfield, Child & Youth Counselor, Founder of Healing Hearts

Saturday, March 21, 2015 The Universities at Shady Grove Conference Center Rockville, Maryland

With gratitude to: CohnReznick; Chesapeake Management Group; Gary D. Rappaport; Neighborhood Development Company; RBC Wealth Management; Linowes and Blocher, LLP, and the Minehan-Luck family for their generous support. Adoption… not a one-time event, but an enduring commitment, even when the going gets tough…

Few these days disagree with the once-revolutionary concept that the “adoption life cycle” exists, with birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees facing developmental tasks at each stage of the life cycle. And whether they interact regularly or meet only in their minds and hearts and souls, the members of the triad are without question a significant presence in each other’s lives. What are the responsibilities of each member? Was the original commitment real and deep, or superficial and mere words mouthed as a means to an end? How can we find ways to transform the original pledge into an unwavering life- long commitment to stay connected? And as open adoption has increasingly become the norm, we surely acknowledge and applaud the reality that birth parents are no longer the silent partners but rather committed participants. Whether one is a birth parent, an adoptive parent, or an adopted person, the powerful efects of adoption can take us by surprise as we attempt to navigate life’s normal passages. Our commitment sometimes falters. It seems too hard. At such times, post-adoption supports are needed, and each of us must be bold and courageous enough to seek help. Being aware of the ways in which adoption may afect us at each stage of our lives can give us the necessary wisdom not just to survive but to strengthen the original commitment we felt at placement.

Join us on March 21st for the opportunity to: ● Hear some of the nation’s foremost post-adoption experts speak on the profound ways in which adoption shapes our life journeys ● Understand how the losses of adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents may reappear when they least expect it ● Hear the results of a groundbreaking longitudinal study on openness in adoption ● Gain insights into the way adoption impacts each stage in a child’s education ● Explore the ways in which the journey may look diferent in transracial, transcultural, and older child adoption ● Learn about the ways contact with birth relatives may afect identity development ● Explore how cultural attitudes, laws, and social media contribute to enhanced openness in international adoption ● Learn first-hand what it is like to parent children who have experienced trauma ● Embrace the need for significant post-adoption services ● Exchange ideas on how all members of the family of adoption can remain committed to each other’s needs throughout their lifetime

Read on for the conference agenda and descriptions of breakout sessions, or visit our website at www.barkeradoptionfoundation.org. Speakers Sharing a Wealth of Experience and Insight

Michaela Pereira is an award-winning news anchor, adoptee, and advocate for adoptees, foster children, and at-risk youth. Pereira is the news anchor for the CNN’s morning show, New Day, with and . She is also the co-anchor of @This Hour with . For nine years she was the co-host of KTLA Morning News, ’ number one rated morning newscast, during which time the program won nine Emmy Awards. Among her many other awards are three Radio & TV Association Golden Mike Awards. Pereira made her news television debut in 1993 in Victoria, B.C. as a beat reporter and host of a magazine program. Beyond her broadcasting achievements, Pereira is active in community organizations working with at-risk children and teens. She served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Long Beach Boys and Girls Club; an advisory board member of CASA, supporting children in foster care; and co-chair of the advisory board of Optimist Youth Home. Her community awards include the Genii Award for Excellent in Broadcasting from Alliance for Women in Media and the Celebrity Philanthropist Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Pereira is a member of the National Association of Black . She was adopted as an infant, and her parents adopted four other girls, as well. A strong advocate for adoptees, foster youth and at-risk youth, Pereira is based in .

Harold D. Grotevant, Ph.D., holds the Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is the founding director of the Rudd Adoption Research Program. Dr. Grotevant received his Ph.D. from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota and has served on the faculties of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Minnesota before coming to UMass Amherst in 2008. His research focuses on relationships in adoptive families, and on identity development in adolescents and young adults. He is the author of over 140 articles and chapters, as well as several books, including Openness in Adoption: Exploring Family Connections (with Ruth McRoy, Sage Publications, 1998). The winner of numerous awards, in 2012 he was honored as the Outstanding Scholar in Adoption by the Adoption Initiative at St. John’s University and Montclair State University. Since the mid-1980s, he has co-directed the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project, examining Speakers Sharing a Wealth of Experience and Insight

outcomes for adopted children whose families vary in terms of contact with birth relatives. Judy Stigger, LCSW, is a therapist serving adoptive, foster or birth families exclusively, and the Clinical Director for AdoptionLearningPartners.org, an interactive web-based, educational site. Afliated with The Cradle in Evanston, Illinois, Judy’s experience includes international and domestic adoption, organizing and creating content for AdoptionLearningPartners.org; and television and radio appearances on NPR and BBC. She serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of Adoptive Families Magazine, is a Past President of the Board of Joint Council on International Children’s Services, and is a past recipient of the Congressional Angel in Adoption award. She and her husband are adoptive parents of two grown children placed cross-racially. Lisa Highfield is a graduate of Fanshawe College’s Child and Youth Counselor Program. After thirteen years of direct work, she founded Healing Hearts, an organization ofering support and counseling service for foster, adoptive, and biological families. Together with Christen Shepherd (writer and mother of six), Lisa wrote The Promise: Truth from the Trenches of Adoption. They will be co-presenters at the conference. Joan Wittan, M.A., a co-founder of Barker’s Annual Conference, is an Independent Educational Consultant specializing in students with learning diferences. She is an adoptive parent of two. Aaron Stigger is an adult adoptee from a transracial family. He is a professional graphic designer and part- time model in Chicago. A “Cradle baby,” he has been sharing his story with Cradle’s Adoption 101 classes since he was 15 and has spoken on NPR and NBC on the same subject. As a bi-racial (Black and White) guy growing up in the diverse suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, he enjoys sharing his uplifting story and hopes to make his audiences laugh and cry.

Barker staf presenters and consultants include: Beverly Clarke, LCSW-C, Director, Project Wait No Longer Sue Hollar, LCSW-C, Associate Director Lisa Hughes, LCSW-C, Family Specialist Tina Ji, LLM, Director of International Programs Leslie LeBlanc, LCSW-C, Birth Parent Support Group Consultant Varda Makovsky, LCSW-C, Director of Family & Post Adoption Services Ann Morrison, LGSW, Director of Domestic Infant Program Marilyn Regier, Ph.D., LCSW-C, Executive Director and CEO Barker staf bios may be found at: http://www.barkerfoundation.org/about-us/ barker-staf Program

8:15 – 8:50 Registration

9:00 – 9:15 Welcome & Introductions Marilyn Regier

9:15 – 10:15 Michaela Pereira, Keynote Address A Journey to Find My Roots – and Family Redefined (followed by Q & A)

10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-11:45 Breakout Session I

A. Keys to Successful Older Child Adoption: The Story of an Adoptive Mother and a Support Worker

B. Navigating Open Adoption from Placement to Young Adulthood

C. Openness in International Adoptions

11:45-12:45 Lunch

12:45-2:00 Break-out Session II

A. Just How Long is This Kid Going to Be Here? Preparing Children for a Sibling by Adoption

B. Race and Identity: A Comfortable Conversation about being a Conspicuous Family

C. No Longer Silent: The Evolving Birth Parent Role

D. Engaging Extended Family in Support of Our Adoption Plan

2:00-2:15 Break

2:15-3:30 Break-Out Session III

A. Disruptions: Interventions Before and After (Professional Session)

B. Growing Up in a Transracial Family: An Adoptee’s Perspective

C. Empowering Middle and High School Students toward Success in School and Beyond

D. Adoptive Identity: What Diference Can Open Adoption Make?

3:30-4:30 Closing Plenary Session The Last Word: Our Experts Reflect on Conference Themes and Challenge Us Moderated by Marilyn Regier The Barker Adoption Foundation is a non-profit, comprehensive adoption agency serving all members of the adoption community – birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted persons. For 70 years, Barker has provided compassionate, professional counseling and support to more than 30,000 pregnant women and placed over 7,000 children with adoptive families. In addition, Barker has a long history of innovative leadership in adoption education. To learn more, please visit our website at www.barkeradoptionfoundation.org.

Directions to The Universities at Shady Grove Conference Center

9630 Gudelsky Drive, Building I, Rockville, MD 20850 I-495 (Capital Beltway) to I-270 North, to Shady Grove Road Exit 8 (local lanes). Exit Shady Grove Road West, cross over Darnestown Road. Turn RIGHT on to Gudelsky Way. Turn LEFT on to Gudelsky Drive and proceed to Building I.

Exit 8 West Key West Avenue

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital

Gudelsky Drive Shady Grove Road 270

Darnestown Road Serving Adoptive Parents, Birth Parents and Adopted Persons Since 1945 7979 Old Georgetown Road, 1st Floor Bethesda, Maryland 20814 www.barkeradoptionfoundation.org 301-664-9664

The Commitment of a Lifetime THE ADOPTION JOURNEY Saturday, March 21, 2015