Our Leadership
Recognized for its leadership and expertise in child welfare—especially adoption from foster care—NACAC’s board of directors includes adoptive, foster, and kinship care parents, child welfare professionals, adoptees and people who were in foster care, researchers, and other advocates who have a wealth of experience.
“NACAC is an introduction to innovation, progressive thinking, and forward-moving by people who are always looking for ways to do what we do better, faster, and smarter.”
–Claudia, adoptive parent and professional
Denise Goodman, PhD, ACSW, Ohio, President
Denise is an independent trainer and consultant from Ohio. Her areas of expertise are the topics of foster care and adoption. She has been a foster parent and has worked in child welfare as a childcare worker, ongoing protective worker, and coordinator of residential treatment.
Deborah Goodman, Oklahoma, Vice President
Deborah is the retired adoption programs administrator for the Department of Human Services in Oklahoma. She is an adoptive parent and kinship caregiver.
Laura Eggertson, Nova Scotia, Vice President
Laura is a journalist, writer, and editor who is an adoptee and an adoptive parent.
John Ireland, California, Treasurer
John is co-founder and media director of RaiseAChild in California. He is an advocate for LGBT adoption, a former foster parent, and an adoptive parent to four children.
Pat O’Brien, MSW, New York, Secretary
Pat is a recruiter and consultant from New York and is an expert in finding permanent families for teens and young adults. He is the founder of You Gotta Believe! The Older Child Adoption and Permanency Movement, and served as the organization’s executive director for its first 18 years. He also produces both a radio show and cable access program called Adopting Teens and Tweens.
Kim Brown, California, Director
Kim is the co-founder and president of Capital Adoptive Families Alliance that serves families who have adopted children with special needs in California. She has worked as a social worker in foster care and as a family therapist. Kim is an adoptive parent, parent group leader, and strong member of the Community Champions Network in Sacramento.
Rowena Fong, EdD, Texas, Director
Rowena is the Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Professor in Services to Children and Families in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a prolific scholar, researcher, author, and trainer on child welfare topics such as transracial and inter-country adoptions, positive ethnic identity formation, and racial disproportionality and disparities. She also co-directs an annual Chinese culture camp for children adopted from China and their siblings.
Kim Grzybowski, British Columbia, Director
Kim is the former adoption manager for Lalum’utul’ Snum’eem Child & Family Services where she strived to ensure that Cowichan children who were in care and couldn’t return home could move into forever homes through adoption. She has conducted research and training on the importance of cultural planning for indigenous children who are adopted.
JaeRan Kim, PhD, Washington, Director
JaeRan is an assistant professor in the Social Work and Criminal Justice Program at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Her research focuses on post-permanency placement stability experiences of families and the ways in which disabilities was interconnected with adoption. JaeRan, who was adopted from Korea, is actively engaged in issues related to adoptee leadership and rights.
Jarel Melendez, MBA, New York, Director
Jarel works as youth advocate coordinator at Lawyers for Children in New York City. He was adopted by his grandmother when he was 18 and is a strong advocate for children and youth who have experienced foster care.
Tia Van Fleet, BSW, Alberta, Director
Tia currently supervises a team of social workers doing intervention and permanency work for children involved in child protection. Her drive to help children and teens derives from her own personal experience in foster care. She has been a leader for the New Brunswick Youth in Care Network, done advocacy work for the Adoption Council of Canada, and served on NACAC’s youth advisory team.