2023

We invite you to join us in reflecting on the people, services, and impact that defined 2023 for Gladney. Together, we are creating bright futures through adoption. Thank you for your support!

Explore

A MESSAGE FROM GLADNEY CENTER BOARD CHAIR, ROGER METZ, AND GLADNEY CENTER PRESIDENT & CEO, Mark Melson

2023 At a Glance
0
Children's Lives Impacted
Including
0
Children Placed with Adoptive Families
0
Adoptive Parents, Birth Parents, and Adult Adoptees Served through Post Adoption Conversations, Guidance, Resources, and Our New Counseling Services Program
0 +
Teenagers, Parents, Teachers, Doctors, Nurses, Social Workers, and Other Professionals across the U.S. Provided with Adoption Education
See our impact in greater detail
We Are Gladney

Mission

Creating Bright Futures Through Adoption

vision

For the sake of the children and those who love them, Gladney is dedicated to creating the finest adoption experience possible, while forging new paths in serving the mission of adoption

The Gladney Why

Gladney believes every child deserves a loving and caring family

Gladney On the Map

States Where Gladney Has Offices

TEXAS

  • Fort Worth (Headquarters)
  • Amarillo
  • Austin
  • Dallas
  • Houston
  • Lubbock
  • Midland

Arkansas

  • Fayetteville

Colorado

  • Colorado Springs

delaware

  • Claymont

Florida

  • Brandon

Missouri

  • Neosho

New York

  • New York

North Carolina

  • Greenville

Oklahoma

  • Oklahoma City

Pennsylvania

States Where Gladney Is Licensed

  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Missouri
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • Texas

States Where Gladney Staff Live

  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • Texas
  • Washington

Countries Where Gladney Currently Works In International Adoption And/Or Provides Humanitarian Aid Support

  • Bulgaria
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Ethiopia (humanitarian aid support only)
  • Hong Kong
  • Philippines
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
The Gladney Team

Service Awards Luncheon

Gladney hosted our annual Service Awards Luncheon in March 2023.

Victoria Azocar
Victoria Azocar
Rebeca Ciavarino
Rebeca Ciavarino
Hannah Stone
Hannah Stone
Mary Ownbey
Mary Ownbey
Joe Smith
Joe Smith
Natalie Bowen
Natalie Bowen
Mary Chapman
Mary Chapman
Ann Spriggs
Ann Spriggs
Sue Turner
Sue Turner
Vicki Carter
Vicki Carter

Service Awards

5-Year

Victoria Azocar, Program Assistant, New Beginnings

Rebeca Ciavarino, Executive Administrative Assistant

Hannah Stone, Adoptive Parent Caseworker, Domestic

10-Year

Mary Ownbey, Human Resources Assistant

Joe Smith, Maintenance Coordinator

15-Year

Natalie Bowen, Director of Foundation Relations & Donor Communications

Mary Chapman, Lead Asia Program Caseworker

Ann Spriggs, Gladney Home Supervisor

Sue Turner, Domestic Adoption Program Assistant

25-Year

Vicki Carter, Domestic Adoption Program Assistant

Staff Appreciation Luncheon

Gladney’s Board of Directors hosted our annual Staff Appreciation Luncheon in October 2023. We were excited to recognize the achievement of our staff, as well as announce our 2023 Employees of the Year and Ruby Lee Piester Award winners. The Ruby Lee Piester Award was created in 2016 to recognize an individual employee who has gone above and beyond in their role and exhibited exceptional customer service with their clients.

Ruby Lee Piester
Award Winner

Abigail “Abi” Calzada
Adoptive Parent Caseworker, Domestic Adoption

Employee of
the Year

Melanie Aguilar
Birth Parent Caseworker,
Domestic Adoption

Employee of the
Year

Lexie Frazier
Foster Adoption Caseworker,
Foster Adoption

Employee of the
Year

Elizabeth Saldana
School Outreach Coordinator,
AdoptED

One Year’s Work, A Lifelong Impact
You helped us connect more children and families, continue education and advocacy efforts among those closest to our cause, and launch a new Counseling Services program. With your help, our mission was carried out in Texas, across the United States, and in other countries where we serve.

We Impacted the lives of 238 children

0
Children Adopted through Our Domestic Infant Adoption Program
0

Children Served Through Our Waiting Child Programs

*In 2023, China began allowing adoptive families who received Travel Approval prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to travel to China to complete their child’s adoption. All other aspects of adoptions from China remain paused.

0
Child and Teen Adoptees Made Connections through Our Camp Forge Program

1,682

expectant mothers inquired about adoption services

0

Expectant Mothers Chose to Be Admitted to Gladney’s Adoption Program

  • 27 average age of expectant mother clients
  • 38% of expectant mother clients have other children
0
Birth Mothers Placed Their Children for Adoption

Through 6,086 post adoption contacts , we served 1,960 clients, 836 birth parents, 823 adoptive parents, 301 adult adoptees

We offered hope and healing through 651 counseling sessions with 63 clients: 10 gladney home residents, 37 child adoptees, 7 birth parents, 4 adoptive parents, 3 adoptive siblings, 1 adult adoptee, 1 other

6500+ professionals across the U.S. were provided with adoption education through:

  • 538 outreach connections

  • AdoptED reached 5,019 HIGH SCHOOLS STUDENTS THROUGH AdoptED PRESENTATIONS: 99 IN-PERSON CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS AND 239 HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGH VIRTUAL CLASSROOM.

  • 80  attendees through three pathways trainings

  • 1,208  attendees at 23 Gladney University trainings

ADVOCATED FOR 108 CHILDREN THROUGH THE HEART GALLERY OF NORTH TEXAS PRESENTED BY THE GLADNEY CENTER FOR ADOPTION

134 volunteers donated 17,802 hours of service,

including our Transitional Care families, who provided 430 days of care for 29 babies.

Story Worth Sharing

In this heartfelt video, David, a Gladney Dad and musician, shares the profound impact of adoption on his family’s life. Joined by his wife, Erin, the couple reflects on their connection to Gladney through the Domestic Infant Adoption program, which brought their youngest child into their lives. Reflecting on the meaning of adoption, David and Erin emphasize the concepts of love and family. For them, adoption is the completion of their family, giving their older daughter a precious sister. They express gratitude to Gladney for meeting them in their struggle and acknowledge the role of faith in paving the way for their adoption journey. Their story is a testament to the unexpected beauty that unfolds when love and family intersect through the transformative power of adoption.

Combined Financials

$37,823,797

Value of the endowment as of August 31, 2023

$18,911,653

Total amount contributed by donors in FY 2023

*Not including special events net

*Including a one-time contribution of nearly $16 million from a donor’s legacy trust

1,824

Total # of donors in FY 2023
  • Total # of monthly donors in FY 2023: 31

$26,444,432

Total

Revenues

72% Development Revenue – $19,063,188
  • Donor Contributions – $18,911,653 *Including a one-time contribution of nearly $16 million from a donor’s legacy trust
  • Special Events, net – $147,927 *Not including The 2023 Gladney Cup
  • Nonfinancial Asset Contributions – $3,608
18% Program Revenue – $4,776,834
  • Domestic Infant Adoption Program – $4,113,751
  • International Adoption Program – $358,649
  • Adoption from Foster Care Program – $304,434
6% Investment Income, net–$1,595,136
  • Dividends and Interest – $117,543
  • Realized Gains from Mutual Funds–$78,250
  • Unrealized Gains (Losses) from Mutual Funds–$1,785,912
  • Earnings from Oil & Gas Investments–$1,771,203
  • Less Investment Fees—(66,665)
  • Less Fees from Oil & Gas Investments—(48,155)
  • 3% Employee Retention Credit–$837,487
  • 1% Adoption.com Website Advertising Revenue–$181,135
  • Other (Loss)–(9,348)

Expenses

73% Adoption Programs – $8,269,717
  • Domestic Infant Adoption Program – $3,917,060
  • Outreach/Adoption Education–$1,408,788
  • Gladney Home Residential Foster Care Program–$837,776
  • Post Adoption & Client Services–$775,270
  • International Adoption Program–$677,195
  • Adoption from Foster Care Program–$663,628
19% Administration–$2,181,172
8% Fundraising – $863,896

$11,314,785

Total

$53,424,735

Total

Assets

71% Investments–$37,823,797
18% Property & Equipment, net—$9,778,452
6% Intangible Assets, net–$3,035,610
2% Contributions Receivable–$1,097,422
1% Prepaid Expenses–$710,337
1% Beneficial Interest in Trust–$460,585
<1% Cash and Cash Equivalents–$242,642
<1% Accounts Receivable–$171,460
<1% Right-of-Use Asset, Operating Lease–$104,430
 

Liabilities

45% Note Payable–$3,427,028
33% Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses–$2,475,071
17% Deferred Adoption Fee Revenue–$1,301,710
3% Line of Credit–$250,000
1% Operating Lease Liability–$104,430
1% Other Liabilities–$40,383

$7,598,622

Total

Financial Contributions

Contributions by Program

41%* Domestic Infant Adoption Program
40%* International Adoption Program and Humanitarian Aid
17% General Operations
1% Adoption from Foster Care Program
<1% Adoption Education & Outreach
<1% Campus Improvements
<1% Counseling Services
<1% Gladney Home Residential Foster Care Program
<1% Post Adoption Services

*Including a one-time contribution from a donor’s legacy trust

96% Individuals
3% Foundations/Trusts
1% Corporations
0% Government

Contributions by Constituency

Celebrations & Events
$ 0

net raised through Special Events in Fiscal Year 2023

(Not including The 2023 Gladney Cup)

In 2023, we were excited to celebrate together and support Gladney’s mission through 5 special events:

Dining and Dancing with Daddy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

104 DADS & 140 DAUGHTERS

Gladney Night at Six Flags in Arlington, Texas

2,000 GUESTS

The Gladney Cup at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey

232 GOLFERS AND 250 GUESTS

#TeamGladney Charity Runners at the TCS New York City Marathon in New York, New York

10 RUNNERS

Adoption Rocks Concert featuring Abraham Alexander in Fort Worth, Texas

235 GUESTS
IMG_0223
IMG_0153
gnsf-b
gnsf
gnsf-c
adoption-rocks
adoption-rocks-b
Adoption Rocks - Gladney
NYC Marathon - Michelle
NYC Marathon - Darla
gladney-cup-h
gladney-cup-g
gladney-cup-f
gladney-cup-e
gladney-cup-d
gladney-cup-c
gladney-cup-b
gladney-cup

 

The 13th Gladney Cup Golf Tournament was held at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. 232 golfers participated in the tournament, and we had a total of 450+ guests at The Champions Reception at Tavern on the Green nestled in Central Park. We enjoyed watching a special performance by Ben Rector and hearing Cynthia Izaguirre speak. Cynthia is a North Texas journalist, passionate adoption storyteller of children waiting for adoptive families in the foster care system, and an adoptive mom. We are grateful for our loyal supporters, who have formed friendships at The Gladney Cup through the years and who make the event a fun time of reconnection, as well as new participants who learned about Gladney’s mission for the first time. All showing their giving hearts and belief in Gladney, funds raised during the weekend exceeded $1.1M net.

The Gladney Cup 2023 recap

Gladney Adoption Day 2023

In honor of National Adoption Month, Gladney hosted friends and family members celebrating with families who finalized their adoptions.

Thank you

Through your giving, you honor Gladney’s past, embrace the present, and celebrate our future! Because of you, we are able to continue our mission of creating bright futures through adoption and to grow in meeting the needs of all of our clients.
Leadership

CURRENT GLADNEY CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS – FISCAL YEAR 2024

  • Roger L. Metz, Chairman
  • Laura L. Wheat, Immediate Past Chairman
  • Stephanie Perdue, Chairman-Elect
  • Mark Melson, President & CEO, Gladney Center for Adoption
  • Jeremy Tilley, Secretary
  • James Tyler, Treasurer
  • Matthew Bungo
  • Cary Preston Butcher, III
  • John F. Covington
  • Alfred C. Dezzi
  • Mary Beth Dudley
  • Christopher J. Gaspar
  • Eliza Gaines
  • Duke Greenhill
  • Carolyn Hood
  • Christopher Jamail
  • Stacy Johnson
  • Robin Kochel
  • Anne Reysa
  • John Thrailkill
  • Mary Beth West

OUTGOING MEMBERS – FISCAL YEAR 2023

  • Fernando Beltran
  • Adrian B. Liddiard
  • Mark L. McLeland
  • James H. Unger

CURRENT GLADNEY FUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS – FISCAL YEAR 2024

  • Daniel P. Connally, Chairman
  • Stephen Maresco, Immediate Past Chair
  • Kevin S. McCarthy, Treasurer
  • Andrew M. Alexander, Secretary
  • John Cochran
  • Rachel Firschein
  • Colin McBurnette

OUTGOING MEMBERS – FISCAL YEAR 2023

  • Frank R. Knapp
  • Barry C. Twomey

CURRENT LEADERSHIP TEAM

Mark Melson
President & Chief Executive Officer

Heidi Bruegel Cox
Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel

Andrea Connolly
Chief Human Resources Officer

David Maxwell
Chief Financial Officer

Lisa Schuessler
Chief Development Officer & EVP Community Engagement

Diana DeGroot
Vice President of International Adoption & Executive Director, East Coast Operations

Kristin Porter
Vice President of Clinical Services

Gongzhan Wu
Vice President & Managing Director for Asia Adoption

Bill Porter
Director of Post Adoption & Client Services

Ryan Doty
IT Supervisor

Jennifer Hart
Director of Adoption from Foster Care

Oakley Jones
Director of Digital Marketing

Ashley Whiteside
Director of Domestic Infant Adoption

Continue Learning

Follow along on social media to read, watch, and listen to stories and trainings—and then share resources forward to educate others!

Rss Facebook-f Instagram Linkedin-in Youtube
Facebook-f Instagram
CloseMenu

Testimonials

Gladney Adoption Day

CloseMenu

The Gladney Home

Aliya’s Story

CloseMenu

A Caseworker's Perspective

Pregnancy & Adoption during COVID-19

CloseMenu

Lessons Learned and New Implementations:

Within 24 hours of Texas’ governor’s order to stay at home, Gladney was able to ensure that 95% of our employees who could work remotely were set up to do so in their homes. Microsoft Teams (which Gladney had had in place for over a year, though not used consistently) and other platforms, such as Zoom, quickly became commonplace and allowed us to maintain connection with our staff and teams somewhat seamlessly during the stay-at-home order. Gladney has had a business continuity plan on the shelf for some time, but this was the first real test of how it worked in practice.

What we have learned is that a need exists for a few of our operational systems to move toward a web-based platform to allow for seamless, remote continuity, should we have the need in the future. We minimized the number of staff on campus during this time to those who were truly essential for their departments and Gladney to continue to operate. This consisted of Gladney Home staff, maintenance, reception, and a few individuals in Development and Accounting. We were able to track hours and pay employees seamlessly, as well as utilize Teams/Zoom to continue the recruitment processes and training for clients, staff, and interns. However, there are still some questions on how to best onboard both staff and interns in a remote environment, and we will continue to look at processes around that.

Pretty quickly, we understood that communication was going to be critical during this time of uncertainty and developed a schedule to check-in with staff every few weeks as a large group to provide updates. These efforts have continued during this time, which has helped us all stay on track with goals, maintained connections, and provided an open forum for questions and concerns. Supervisors have continued regular check-ins with their teams and individual staff members to address any issues or concerns that may arise.

Gladney began a slow reopen in June 2020 with several protocols in place to minimize risk of working on-site. As COVID-19 numbers began to rise in Texas, we chose to re-close the campus and only allow staff to operate there on an as needed basis. Staff and scheduled visitors on campus have followed very specific protocols to ensure safety and mitigation of spread, should a staff member test positive for COVID-19. We implemented a virtual school environment at the beginning of the school year in 2020, in order to allow Gladney staff to bring their children with them on campus to have their virtual schooling done onsite. A large event space on campus was reconfigured to allow for social distancing, and a teacher was onsite to help children log into their classroom video calls, as well as assist with lessons. The teacher also conducted P.E. activities and science/art projects with the kids.

Overall, I think we are pleased with how we have operated during the pandemic, given the relatively short period of time we had to ensure business continued. Our IT team will be developing a strategy, including a timeline and cost analysis, for equipping the majority of Gladney with laptops to allow for even easier remote work, should the need arise again.

Pre-adoption trainings for families adopting children internationally and from state foster care and orientations for families adopting infants domestically transitioned to a virtual environment and have proven effective, though not ideal. Our Gladney University ongoing educational sessions moved to an all web-based training format, and we have seen an increase in the number of participants. Unfortunately, our AdoptED program had to stop temporarily when schools closed their buildings. However, through a new digital platform put in place, we have since been able to launch a Virtual Classroom for teachers and students to access the AdoptED lessons in a self-paced format.