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THE STAFF AT ADOPTION
ACCESS
updated
August
2010
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Executive/Administrative Staff |
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debbiehug@adoptionaccess.com |
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Executive Director
Licensed Child
Placement Administrator
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I started
Adoption Access in 1992 with the purpose of providing more
extensive counseling to birthmothers. I have a Master's of
Science in Social Work and served as executive director of
another licensed child-placing agency prior to founding Adoption
Access. Having served on the clinical staff of a Dallas
psychiatrist, providing group and individual therapy, this was
an interest and background I felt were underused in the adoption
field. I have also had a private practice that included
biofeedback services for Children's Medical Center. I even had a
doll manufacturing business at one time. Adoption work is the
most rewarding field in which you could ever hope to find
yourself. It is a perfect fit for me, and I love everything but
the hours. It is a privilege to be part of such a profound time
in someone's life, both birthparents and adoptive parents and of
course the children. I have tremendous respect for the young
women who make such a painful and courageous sacrifice, so their
children can have the best in life. I also believe strongly in
the great gift adoptive parents provide. In over 350 adoptions
we have had only two divorces. With the average rate of divorce
for all marriages over 60% now, this is a huge gift of stability
and love. I stay in contact with a great many of my birthmoms
and parents so their gifts keep on giving to me. I also have an
incredibly loving and hardworking staff that is like family to
me. Thank you for your interest, and we hope we can provide you
with some answers to your questions and concerns. |
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brooke@adoptionaccess.com |
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Operations Director
Brooke has had a passion for the
adoption field since high school. She has several
personal connections to the adoption field including her
brother who was adopted from Africa. After graduating
from Baylor University in 2001 with a Marketing
International Business Degree, Brooke began to work as a
birthmother counselor for Adoption Access. In 2004,
she pursued her adoption career for International Adoptions
in Russia and Ukraine. It was in 2008 that Brooke
began to work for Adoption Access once again, but this time
to work with the adoptive parents. Her current role
includes working with adoptive families with post placements
and preparing them for finalizing their adoptions.
Brooke is a great asset to Adoption Access and each adoptive
family she works with!
When not busy at
Adoption Access, Brooke is very busy at her home with her
family. Brooke and her husband, Aaron, have two children, Mason
and Madison.
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pricilla@adoptionaccess.com |
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Administrator
Pricilla
McCollum graduated from Berkner High School in Richardson,
Texas. Her
most recent experience
has been working in the
administrative field for 4 years in the real estate
industry. She also has 3 years of experience working in
accounting handling payables and receivables. Pricilla also
has two children and they live in the Dallas area. We
are excited to have her as a part of Adoption Access!
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1-800- FREE HUG |
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Transportation- DFW
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www.adoptlegal.com |
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Legal Counselor
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David has been Counsel
for Adoption Access since 1994. From 1987 through 1993, Mr. Cole
represented Dallas County Child Protective Services in suits
concerning the abuse and neglect of children. In 1992 and 1993,
Mr. Cole handled the civil prosecution of every case
investigated through the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center,
including every child death case in Dallas County. Mr. Cole is a
former board member for the Texas Association for Infant Mental
Health. He is a member of the American Academy of Adoption
Attorneys and the Dallas Bar Association. A recipient of the
Dean's Merit Scholarship Award, Mr. Cole graduated from
Pepperdine School of Law in Malibu, California in May of 1987.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of
Texas at Austin in May of 1984. Dave is a tremendous resource
for Adoption Access and gives a great deal of his time and
energy to all of our clients and staff. Despite telling him all
of our bad lawyer jokes, he enjoys the highest admiration of
this staff for his character and ethics. We depend and trust him
without qualification. He has made a difference in the lives of
many children by his devotion and skill to their causes. We are
grateful and lucky to have him. |
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Child
Placement Staff-DFW |
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mary@adoptionaccess.com |
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Mary is a Virginia
native who has lived in Texas for twenty years and a
2007 graduate of University of Texas-Dallas, with a
Bachelors of Arts in Sociology. She completed her
internship with Adoption Access and knew immediately
this career path was what she wanted to pursue with
her education. Mary's passion for adoption and
working with birth mothers is somewhat unique. She
has a long relationship with Adoption Access,
first as a birth mother of identical twins, then
having completed her internship, and as a wonderful addition to our counseling staff.
Mary brings a refreshing perspective to the team
since she has been a client, intern and counselor.
She is passionate about the opportunities that
prevail for both the birth mother and the adoptive
parents, and recognizes the importance of making
great life choices. She looks forward to being a
positive influence/role model for birth mothers and
their families on what you can achieve if you
believe in yourself.
Mary is enthusiastic about her role at Adoption
Access!
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carolina@adoptionaccess.com |
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Carolina
was born in the
United States
and was raised in Guatemala.
She received a Bachelor’s & Master’s degree in
Social Work. It was while completing her
practicum for her Master’s degree that she
discovered her passion for adoption. In 1991,
Carolina
relocated to Dallas
with her husband and their 6 children were she has
continued to work in the adoption field, primarily
with the Hispanic population.
Carolina
not only has a passion for adoption, but also has a
passion for helping women in
all
situations. She currently gives some of her
time working with mothers who have delivered at an
early stage of their pregnancy at Parkland
Hospital.
Carolina
is also very active in the community working at the
Angel’s Clinic, were free pre and post natal
services are offered
and also Project
Gabriel, a mentoring program for pregnant women.
Carolina
has worked in the adoption field for 22 years, and
has grown to love it more each day! She is a
wonderful contribution to our agency and is very
appreciated!
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debchristian@adoptionaccess.com |
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Debby joined
the staff of Adoption Access in 2004 initially to help our staff
and clients with support and transportation needs. She
immediately blossomed into an invaluable asset to our entire
staff, birthmothers, and adoptive parents alike. Having been adopted herself, Debby has a keen
insight and understanding of adoption that our birthmothers and
adoptive parents undoubtedly need. Her consistent advice and
support are an underlying factor of the agency’s success. She
is here to step in and help with a smile in every capacity of
the job, and her positive attitude is a driving force behind
successful placements. Debby has the capacity to help in each
and every situation, and her devotion to and love for our
clients is immeasurable. In addition to her availability 24
hours a day, literally, she is currently pursuing her degree
with a specialization in Family Studies. She also has a true
life dedication to her family, and she and her husband raise
their precious son Kevin. Debby touches people’s lives, and our
clients are lucky to have her on the receiving end of a phone
call. We are indebted to her service and dedication, and
Adoption Access functions better because of her. |
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Stori Schulze
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stori@adoptionaccess.com |
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Stori joined our
staff in 2008, and has been a wonderful support to our
counselors in the DFW area. Her compassion with
birthmothers and adoptive parents shines through in everything
she does! Stori has a passion for helping others, and has
previously worked in emergency medicine. While not
working, she is busy with her two precious babies, Dylan and
Jackson. |
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Child
Placement Staff-Houston |
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amy@adoptionaccess.com |
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Amy
comes to Adoption Access with an extensive background in
adoption. Both a biological mom and an adoptive mom, Amy wrote
Waiting for Lucinda, a book that tells the story of the
international adoption of her daughter Lucy from Guatemala in
2003. A freelance writer and passionate adoption advocate, her
articles have frequently been published in Adoption Today
magazine and Adoptive Families magazine. Amy annually
attends a summer camp for Latin American adoptive families in
Colorado where she plays a prominent role in workshop
programming for parents and adoptees. She is also very active
in the online adoption community. A former high school English
teacher who earned a Master’s degree in Humanities and a
Bachelors degree in English, Amy spent thirteen years in the
classroom teaching and counseling junior high and high school
students. In 2004 Amy, her husband Dave, and their two
daughters moved to the Houston, Texas area. Because she has a
great deal of respect, admiration, and compassion for her
younger daughter’s birth mother, Amy sees it as an honor and a
privilege to work with Houston birth mothers, to help them make
decisions, and to stand side by side with them throughout the
adoption experience. |
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somer@adoptionaccess.com |
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As a counselor in the Houston area, Somer joined the Adoption
Access staff in 2010. She grew up in North Carolina and attended
the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She graduated
with a double Bachelors in Psychology and Criminal Justice in
2008. After graduation, in search of something new, she
relocated to Houston, Texas. She plans to get her Masters in
Psychology in the future. Somer brings compassion, understanding
and enthusiasm to her position at Adoption Access and is very
excited to have joined the staff! |
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Child
Placement Staff-El Paso, TX. |
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rose@adoptionaccess.com |
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As a Counselor to the
agency in the El Paso area, Rose began working for Adoption Access in October of
1998. She has a Master's degree in Counseling and Guidance from
Webster
University and a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from
University of Texas at El Paso. Additionally, Rose possesses
eleven years of experience working with Head Start, the
homeless, and at-risk youth in the El Paso area. Because of her
expensive background and experience in social work, Rose is a
natural for adoption work. She has been wonderful in connecting
birthparents to other resources that can help them go forward
with their lives. Adoptive parents don't need our help
parenting, but birthparents often do need our help beyond
placement. The counseling is always available to them, but they
may need help in other areas of their lives. Making a difference
for young people in difficult situations is something Rose has
been doing for a long time. We are very happy she is doing this
for us now. She is a very nurturing and caring person, and her
birthmoms adore her. |
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Child
Placement Staff-San Antonio, TX. |
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alma@adoptionaccess.com |
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Alma joined Adoption Access in 2008. She is originally from
Puerto Rico. She is also a US. Army veteran. In 2003
she received a Bachelors in Social Work from Auburn University,
Alabama. Her experience includes working for Head Start program
as a family service worker and also center manager. Her passion
for adoption started in 2004 when she started working as a
birthparent counselor with another agency in the state
of Georgia. After moving to San Antonio with her husband and
children she started working for Adoption Access. Alma is not
only a counselor but an advocate for her birthparents. She shows
great passion and dedication into helping birthparents through
their adoption journey. Alma's often tell us that her work comes
from her "heart". |
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Child
Placement Staff-East Texas |
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vee@adoptionaccess.com |
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Vee is so excited to serve the East Texas
community she has called home for her entire life. She
enjoys each birth mother she has the honor of working with, and
admires their strength and courage. After graduating from
the University of North Texas in 2002 earning a B.A. in
Communication Studies, she went into teaching in an East Texas
public school for 5 years. Her work with her students
taught her the many trials teens experience and the need for
counseling services at this critical time. She also
experienced many close relationships with teens experiencing
unplanned pregnancies. Vee was recently married to her
husband Wayne and enjoys family time with him and stepchildren
Justin and Jannah.
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Child
Placement Staff-Adoption Consultant |
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jenna@adoptionaccess.com |
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Jenna Howard earned her BS in
Psychology from Abilene Christian University. She obtained her
MS in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington and
then earned her LMSW. She has worked in the adoption field since
1994. In addition to working with adoptive parents and
birthmothers, Jenna is also an adoptee. Adoption has blessed her
life and she loves helping families become blessed by adoption.
She and her husband, Mark, have three sons.
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Birthmother
Hotline Counselor |
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elivia@adoptionaccess.com |
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Elivia joined us in 2008 as our
after-hours Phone Counselor. She is very excited about her
position at
Adoption Access, Inc., and brings an amazing compassion and
dedication to
Birth Mothers. Elivia is from Southern California and speaks
Spanish
fluently. She spends her free time with her husband and enjoys
reading. |
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Nursery Care Families |
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Peggy
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peggy@adoptionaccess.com |
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Peggy and her husband
Gary are one of the
Nursery Care families at
Adoption Access.
They joined our agency in 2004 and
have fostered over 60 babies since that time.
Peggy has always had a love for
babies/children.
At age 11 she was the most sought
after babysitter in the town where she grew up!
Throughout her adulthood she has
done volunteer work for various organizations involving infant
care, worked in the church nursery, done in home childcare and
has cared for several of their
11 grandchildren!
Besides her love for children, she
has a strong interest in the field of medicine and is a
Certified Medical Assistant.
Licensed by Adoption Access through
the state of Texas, Peggy & Gary are rarely without a child in
their home.
The love and commitment they have
for children is obvious to any observer.
We are grateful to have them as a
part of the Adoption Access team!
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Jim and Jeannette
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Jeannette and Jim have been foster parents for 27 years to 177
infants. Some have blessed their home for simply an overnight
visit waiting for their family to arrive, some have required
hospital visits by Jeannette and Jim for months while they grew
big and healthy enough to come home and some have blessed their
home for a year or so. Most of them come and go in just a few
short weeks. Each child is a special gift to them and they
cherish their time with them and look forward to hearing from
their "forever" families as they grow. Many of their most
treasured friendships have been built through adoption. Jim
suffered a massive stroke in 2006 and is still in speech
therapy, but spends most of his time helping with the babies.
Jeannette has a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and
Development. She was a teacher for many years and worked several
years teaching women who gave birth to low birth weight babies
how to care for them and how to improve their own lives. Jim and
Jeannette have had many special need babies over the years and
truly enjoy the challenge of meeting their special needs. |
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