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Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys

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Home > About AAAA > Leadership

Leadership

Officers and Trustees

PresidentJenny Womack1 year term
Vice PresidentEric Freeby1 year term
President-ElectMargaret Swain1 year term
Immediate Past PresidentGenie Miller Gillespie1 year term
Executive Director - Board SecretaryJennie SullivanStaff
Art DirectorNidhi Desai1st year of 1st term
ART Deputy DirectorLaura KoupalAppointed by AAAA President and ART Director
Adoption DirectorDeb Guston2nd year of 1st term
Adoption Deputy Director of Domestic AdoptionsSherriann HicksAppointed by AAAA President and Adoption Director
Adoption Deputy Director of International AdoptionsKelly DempseyAppointed by AAAA President and Adoption Director
Trustee/TreasurerHal Atencio2nd year of 2nd term
TrusteeJanna Annest1st year of 1st term
TrusteeRob Kirsh1st year of 1st term
TrusteeJosie Redwine2nd year of 1st term
TrusteeLance Rich2nd year of 1st term
TrusteeMeryl Rosenberg1st year of 2nd term
TrusteeKim Surratt2nd year of 1st term

AAAA Committees

If you are a AAAA Fellow and interested in joining any of our committees after reading their description, please click on the Committee Chair's name to email them directly.
Organizational Committees
AmicusTabitha KohThe Amicus Committee coordinates the preparation of and submits Amicus Curiae Briefs in select cases of national importance to improve the laws and practice of law pertaining to family building throughout the United States and abroad.
AwardsColleen QuinnThe Awards Committee is responsible for maintaining and growing AAAA’s awards program, including the Fellow of Distinction, Susan Paquet Mentoring, and Unsung Hero Awards.
FinanceHal AtencioThe Finance Committee oversees AAAA’s finances and reviews the audit and investments.
GovernanceEric Stovall, Tim EirichThe Governance Committee assesses the need for and proposes appropriate amendments to the Bylaws and other governing documents. When called upon, the Committee ensures that the actions and the decisions taken by the Board are authorized by the AAAA Bylaws.
Governmental
Affairs
Adoption Director and ART DirectorThe Governmental Affairs Committee coordinates with the AAAA President and AAAA lobbyists to identify initiatives to advance adoption or ART issues before the United States federal government and coordinates advocacy on federal legislative issues with other allied organizations.
GrievanceMargaret Swain, President-ElectThe Grievance Committee is responsible for enforcing AAAA’s Code of Ethics and Bylaws. It assesses complaints and recommends disciplinary action to the Board.
Legislative (Adoption)Deb Guston The Adoption Legislative Committee monitors and reviews State legislation that may impact adoption practitioners, our clients and general policy in this area.
Legislative (ART)Kurt Hughes, Margaret SwainThe ART Legislative Committee monitors and reviews State legislation that may impact ART practitioners, our clients and general policy in this area.
MarketingStephanie CaballeroThe Marketing Committee advances AAAA’s public image. The committee makes recommendations to promote AAAA and its Fellows, refine our message and expand its reach and improve the public’s perception of the profession.
Membership Greg Franklin (Adoption), Emily McArthur (ART)The Membership Committee vets applications to AAAA and makes recommendations to the Board. Along with all AAAA Fellows, the committee seeks and encourages new applicants.
Member ValueDeb GustonThe Member Value Committee brings ideas to the Board for programs, goods, opportunities and information to benefit the Fellows.
MentorshipVirginia FrankThe Mentorship Committee welcomes recently admitted Fellows by introducing them to AAAA, other Fellows, and the larger ART and adoption community, and provides a means for Fellows to network both in-person and virtually, develop relationships, become engaged in AAAA and learn about one another’s areas of practice.
Site SelectionMark Demaray, Pat Hamilton, Rebecca Mendel, Theresa RoetterThe Site Selection Committee, in coordination with the Event Planner, investigates proposed annual and mid-year conference sites, makes recommendations to the Board, negotiates the conference hotel contracts, and serves as liaison between the conference chairs and the conference hotel.
SponsorKim SurrattThe Sponsor Committee is responsible for developing ongoing relationships for active and potential sponsors for AAAA.
Education Committees
Conference
Oversight
Catherine Keefe, Robin PopeThe Conference Planning Committee is responsible for creating consistency between conferences by establishing general guidelines and basic structure and consulting with each conference committee to meet the goals of AAAA.
EducationAppointed by the ART Director and Adoption DirectorsThe Education Committee develops and recommends education content for AAAA, including recommending topics and speakers to the conference CLE chairs and to the Webinar Committee.
WebinarRob KirshThe Webinar Committee organizes webinars on a variety of topics relevant to the practice of family formation law.
Practice Specific Committees
Adoption Agency Lance RichThe Adoption Agency Committee discusses issues of importance to agencies; communicates with agency representatives regarding relevant issues; plans and presents webinars focused on topics of interest to agency representatives, social workers, and attorneys for CEU and CLE credit; and coordinates efforts with other committees within AAAA and outside organizations to improve laws and practices concerning agencies.
Foster CareKatie Jay, Keith WallaceThe Foster Care Committee focuses on ways to pursue permanency for children in foster care. The committee examines the legal rights of children in foster care, their caregivers, and parents.
ICPCBarbara Ginn, Rob Kirsh
The ICPC Committee works to ensure best practices across states to get families home as quickly and efficiently as possible. The committee maintains an open dialogue with the national ICPC office to bring concerns and good practices to its attention.
ICWAMark Fiddler, Larry JenkinsThe ICWA Committee seeks to advance the best interests of Native American children. The committee strives to stay abreast of the latest developments under the ICWA, and to advocate on behalf of AAAA for children in a broad spectrum of matters, from specific court cases to general policy, rulemaking, and administrative proceedings. The committee educates AAAA Fellows on ICWA matters.
Independent
Adoption
Janna Annest, Megan MonsourThe Independent Adoption Committee gathers information and shares experiences with issues unique to direct placements, such as working with a facilitator, best practices for locating expectant parents, and managing living expense payments. This committee also creates and maintains forms and resources for the benefit of AAAA Fellows and the public.
Intercountry
Adoption
Dan Berger, Kelly DempseyThe Intercountry Adoption Committee shares information and experiences among the Fellows practicing in this area and provides education on topics that are of interest to the membership. This committee actively responds to federal legislation and policy issues and provides amici briefs for AAAA for lawsuits involving intercountry adoption issues.
ART ResourceMeryl Rosenberg, Kim SurrattThe ART Resource Committee is responsible for promoting AAAA as a leader in ART law by providing, collecting and indexing resources. This Committee shares information and experiences among the Fellows and provides education on international and national topics that are of interest to the membership.
Non-AAAA Committees
Family Formation Charitable TrustDonald CofskyThe FFCT was formed to educate, support and assist individuals interested in creating families through adoption or assisted reproductive technology, primarily by providing grants to these individuals to make the adoption or ART process more affordable. Now that the FFCT is fully established, the trustees will be working diligently to secure additional donations and sponsors to help continue and increase the amount of grants given, and will be working to develop additional fundraising models and education to further the mission of the Trust. The Board Members (Trustees) have staggered terms. When there is an opening, the current President of AAAA reaches out to the membership for interested persons and then makes a recommendation to the AAAA Board to ratify the appointment.
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AAAA Mission

The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) is a credentialed organization dedicated to the competent and ethical practice of adoption and assisted reproduction law. It advocates for laws and policies to protect the best interests of children, the legal status of families formed through adoption and assisted reproduction, and the rights of all interested parties.

Contact Info

Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA)
859 Riverside Drive, #9
Greenwood, IN 46142

T (317) 407-8422
Info@adoptionART.org

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DISCLAIMER: The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) website is designed for general information only. Nothing on this website establishes an attorney-client relationship with AAAA or any of its member-attorneys.  AAAA website content does not constitute legal advice from AAAA or its member-attorneys to any reader or to the general public.  The law constantly changes and varies across state and international borders.  Consult qualified legal counsel in your jurisdiction regarding your particular situation. Click here for the AAAA Attorney Directory. The names and contact information included on this site are for the purpose of searching for an attorney for a particular legal case. The contact information may not be used for commercial, promotional, or advertising purposes.

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