Erin co-founded Adoption Support Alliance with Charlie Marquardt in 2014 to fill a void in the services and support available to adoptive families.

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Erin’s first experience with adoption came during high school, when her family was living overseas and she decided to volunteer at orphanages in China and Vietnam. She was 15 years old, surrounded by lots of children who needed a home, and she knew she’d found her calling. When she came back to the states, she dedicated her career to helping children and parents build strong, thriving families.

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Erin has an undergraduate degree in child development and human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University, and a master’s in social work and certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgia State University. She’s also a licensed clinical social worker and has held a variety of positions related to adoption, including in the foster care system in Tennessee, a nonprofit foster care agency in Georgia and as a clinician at the Alexander Youth Network in Charlotte, N.C. She also conducts home studies through Triangle Adoption Services and produces post-placement reports for families pursuing adoption.

 

“Adoption is a lifelong commitment that starts when you find your adoptive child. But it doesn’t end there. In fact, that’s when the hard work of building your family begins. When I looked around at the adoption landscape, I realized there were so few resources to help families through that transition. Adoption Support Alliance was created to fill that void,” Erin says. “And it is our mission to help adoptive families through the unique challenges of building their forever families.”   

 

Erin is married to her husband, Ibrahim, and has two biological daughters, Olivia and Audrey.  You can read more about Erin and her story on our blog.

 

You can contact her at erin@adoptionsupportalliance.org.

Jessica is an adult adoptee and a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who joined Adoption Support Alliance in 2022.

 

Jessica has an undergraduate degree in Sociology and minor in Nonprofit Management from High Point University. She graduated with her Master’s in Social Work from The University of Carolina at Charlotte. Jessica has held a variety of positions within the foster care & adoption field.  She worked and traveled internationally with The Ties program and facilitated homeland tours for adoptees and their families. Before working full-time in healthcare, Jessica worked as a child and adolescent therapist in the community and in the school setting.

 

Previously, Jessica facilitated a group for adopted teens through ASA. She is interested in supporting everyone in their adoption journey, but Jessica is most passionate about helping transracial adoptees develop positive racial and ethnic identities.  

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Jessica is married and has an adorable goldendoodle. You can read more about Jessica’s adoption journey here.  

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You can contact Jessica at jessica@adoptionsupportalliance.org