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.

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.

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.  Debby serves as our night counselor, handling all after hours matters which naturally transfer into the day-to-day activity of the agency.  She also provides essential support specifically in the Tarrant County area.  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. 

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.

Brittany has a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the University of Houston Downtown.  She has a combined 6 years of experience working with children and parents alike. Brittany was a gymnastics coach for many years where she also worked one on one with Autistic kids.  Brittany is married and has 3 wonderful kids, she has two daughters and a stepson. She has been at home for the past two years caring for her youngest daughter who was unexpectedly born with Congenital Heart Disease and DiGeorge syndrome. She knows first hand how unpredictable life can be and at times demanding caring for both healthy and a special needs child. She is very nurturing and family oriented and truly believe that God only gives us as much as he knows we can handle.

We are so excited and proud to have Brittany be the newest addition to Adoption Access!

Kristen is our counselor in the Panhandle area of Texas.  She came to Adoption Access early in 2005 and is a natural fit for the agency.  She graduated from Abilene Christian University with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1999.  Next she attended Southwest Texas State University and received a Master’s Degree in Education in 2001.  Kristen taught school for 6 years and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  While teaching she mainly worked with underprivileged children, and she grew to love them dearly.  Kristen saw firsthand the need for children to be in loving, stable homes.  She is very excited about working with birthmoms so they feel confident their child will be loved and cared for by the best possible family.   Kristen has always felt it is important to have a job in which she makes a difference in the lives of others, and she feels that through working with our birthmoms she will be able to do just that.  She has three close relatives who were adopted has seen how wonderful adoption can be.  Kristen and her husband have recently welcomed their first child into their home, and she does a wonderful job of balancing parenting and working.  Kristen is a true asset to our birthmothers!

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.

Liza came to Adoption Access in 2003 and serves as the counselor in the San Antonio area. Liza graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University with a Master of Social Work degree in 1999 and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 1996. While in graduate school, Liza interned with the Southwest Independent School District Rose Parenting Program, wherein the primary purpose is to reduce the number of students who drop out of school due to pregnancy. She helped students achieve academic goals, work towards graduation, and develop job-related skills to become productive citizens. Liza enabled birthparents to become knowledgeable in child development, parenting, and home management. After obtaining her Master's Degree, she worked for Christus Santa Rosa Rehabilitation Hospital in the outpatient services department. As a Child Care Resource Specialist, she provided assistance to needy families with children to promote work, responsibility, and self-sufficiency. She enjoyed helping parents find affordable childcare through referrals to community resources and counseling. Liza is a great asset to Adoption Access, and the effort and support she puts forth for her birthmothers shows her true level of respect for what an amazing choice they are making.

Tiffany is new to Adoption Access as of January 2008.  She is a social worker at heart and has always enjoyed “helping people help themselves.”  Tiffany is an East Texas native and first attended Kilgore College to obtain her Associate of Science.  She then went on to Brigham Young University in Utah and graduated in 2004 with a BS - major in Social Work, minor in Folk Dance.  Tiffany has worked in a variety of social work fields including outpatient substance abuse treatment, service worker for men with learning disabilities, caseworker for people with MR and mental illnesses, as well as home health social work.  She has always wanted the opportunity to work in adoption.  There have been many family and friends in Tiffany’s life that have experienced adoption as a birth mother/father or as adoptive parents.  This has given her the opportunity to see the blessings of adoption and she looks forward to counseling with these brave young women who are willing to make such a sacrifice.  Tiffany is married to her husband, TJ and they have one son.

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.

Elivia joined us in 2008 as our after-hours Phone Counselor.  She also works
part-time as a Substitute Teacher.  She is very excited about joining
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.