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!
A MESSAGE FROM GLADNEY CENTER BOARD CHAIR, ROGER METZ, AND GLADNEY CENTER PRESIDENT & CEO, Mark Melson
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
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
Service Awards Luncheon
Gladney hosted our annual Service Awards Luncheon in March 2023.
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
We Impacted the lives of 238 children
Children Served Through Our Waiting Child Programs
- 27 children adopted from state foster care
- 47 children available for adoption in Taiwan assessed and advocated for through our Superkids Program
- 12 children adopted from international orphanages and foster homes*
- 8 from Taiwan
- 4 from Colombia
- 8 teen girls in state foster care served in the Gladney Home Program
- 10 children in state foster care placed with foster-to-adopt families
- 6 children with special needs in an orphanage in Ethiopia provided with nurturing caregivers, medical care, and nutrition
- 10 children adopted through private adoptions (older children and medically fragile infants)
*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.
1,682
expectant mothers inquired about adoption services
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
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.
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.
$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
- Unrealized Loss on Oil & Gas Investments—(2,042,952)
- Less Investment Fees—(66,665)
- Less Fees from Oil & Gas Investments—(48,155)
- Other (Loss)–(9,348)
3% Employee Retention Credit–$837,478
1% Adoption.com Website Advertising Revenue–$181,135
Expenses
73% 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
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
Adoption Rocks Concert featuring Abraham Alexander in Fort Worth, Texas
235 GUESTS
#TeamGladney Charity Runners at the TCS New York City Marathon in New York, New York
10 RUNNERS
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
CURRENT GLADNEY CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS – FISCAL YEAR 2024
- Roger L. Metz, Chair
- Laura L. Wheat, Immediate Past Chair
- Stephanie Perdue, Chair-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, Chair
- 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
Ryan Doty
IT Supervisor
Jennifer Hart
Director of Adoption from Foster Care
Oakley Jones
Director of Digital Marketing
Bill Porter
Director of Post Adoption & Client Services
Ashley Whiteside
Director of Domestic Infant Adoption
Follow along on social media to read, watch, and listen to stories and trainings—and then share resources forward to educate others!
