24/7 CRISIS SUPPORT:
Pregnancy ONLY
Hotline: 1-888-731-6601
PWNL After Hours Crisis Hotline: 1-888-955-3339
24/7 CRISIS SUPPORT:
Pregnancy ONLY
Hotline: 1-888-731-6601
PWNL After Hours Crisis Hotline: 1-888-955-3339
One of Barker’s most distinguishing assets is our well-trained and experienced professional and administrative staff. Our staff includes persons who, in addition to their professional credentials, are also themselves birth parents, adoptive parents, adoptees, and passionate about serving the adoption community. Continuing in the tradition begun by Ruth and Richard Barker, our staff also provides consultation services and in-service training for teachers, physicians, nurses, social workers, and parent groups in the community.
BS, Lenoir-Rhyne University; MSW, Syracuse University
Sue heads The Barker Adoption Foundation, one of the nation’s leading and oldest comprehensive adoption organizations. Her experience includes nearly three decades of social work practice focused exclusively on child welfare and adoption work locally, nationally, and internationally. She previously served in numerous roles at Barker. Sue’s experience includes direct-service and managerial positions in foster care, treatment foster care, and independent living programs. Prior to her work at Barker, she directed programs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau supporting the federally mandated child and family services reviews and title IV-E foster care eligibility reviews of state child welfare agencies. Sue has also developed and conducted training for foster care and adoption staff throughout the country and serves on the National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents Content Committee.
BSW, Andrews University; MSW, Andrews University
Beverly is the Senior Director of Clinical & Support Services and responsible for managing, developing, implementing, and providing oversight and quality assurance for the clinical aspects of the work provided by the agency’s adoption and support programs. Beverly has more than 21 years of experience as a social worker and clinician, with many of those years focusing on children and families. Previously, Beverly was the Director of Barker’s Project Wait No Longer. Prior to Barker, Beverly worked in the foster care system, family preservation programs, and domestic and international adoption programs. As an adoptive parent herself, she brings both a personal and professional understanding of the adoption process as well as a passion for supporting families and achieving permanency for children.
BSBA, Washington University in St. Louis
Linda joined the Finance team at Barker in January 2024 and brings her extensive accounting experience working with public accounting firms and multiple non-profit organizations in the DC metro region. She also prioritizes her volunteer work for other non-profits in the area and is an avid Washington Nationals baseball fan. Linda is excited to contribute to the Barker mission to provide lifelong support to all individuals as they navigate their adoption journey.
BSW, James Madison University; MSW, University of Central Florida
Cynthia heads the Family and Post-Adoption Services Department at The Barker Adoption Foundation. She provides oversight of Search & Reunion Services, Support Groups, the Clinical Counseling Program, and Training & Education Services at The Barker Adoption Foundation. She has 20 years of experience dedicated to serving children and families in leadership and clinical therapy positions through non-profit work and county government agencies. She has focused on child advocacy efforts, analyzing public local policies, developing innovative programming for youth/children, and provided clinical therapy to children and adolescents. Cynthia’s area of expertise is in providing pre and post-adoption services in a variety of local, national, and international agencies to anyone touched by adoption. She and her wife are parents by adoption of two wonderful children.
BA, Kenyon College, MSW, Catholic University
Emily currently serves as the Director of the Foster Care Adoption Consortium at Barker. She moved to that position after leading our international adoption programs for several years. Prior to her work with Barker, Emily worked as a School Social Worker, providing ongoing clinical counseling and case management, as a Child and Family Therapist, and as a Social Worker for children in the foster care system in New York. In addition to her clinical experience, Emily brings her Spanish speaking skills to the clinical team. She is very excited to translate her wealth of knowledge and experience working directly with children into working on behalf of children who are in need of permanent and loving families.
Michele is the Director of Development and responsible for crafting, implementing and managing development and fundraising strategies. She is also responsible for expanding and deepening relationships with the Barker Adoption Foundation community.
With ten years’ experience as a manager and individual contributor in a fast-paced, mission and metrics driven environment at the American Heart Association, and account management and business process experience at Siemens, she is a successful architect and implementer of strategic and tactical development plans that aligned with organizational mission.
Michele has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a National Rome Betts Award winner for consistent performance, leadership, professionalism, and dedication; an award granted annually to those who value and exhibit integrity, excellence, vision, dedication, inclusiveness and sensitivity in their work. With a business mind and mission heart, she thrives in meaningful and challenging roles that benefit children and families.
BSW, Oakwood University; MSW, Western Michigan University
Saara is the Director of Adoption Programs at Barker. In this role, she oversees all adoption programs including our older child foster care adoption program – Project Wait No Longer (PWNL), International Adoptions and Infant Adoptions. Saara came to The Barker Adoption Foundation in 2018 with over eleven years of experience working with children and families. She spent the first years of her career working with children who were diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and assisting families of soldiers who had served overseas in the military. The majority of Saara’s experience has been with the public child welfare system, helping children to achieve permanency either through reunification with their birth parents or through adoption/guardianship with a loving and able caregiver. Saara worked on supervisory teams to implement evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment models to best serve the vulnerable population of children within the foster care system in the District of Columbia. Her passion is mostly found in ensuring happy, healthy, and loving families for children.
MSW, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Marilyn is a manager in Barker’s adoption team. In her role she provides supervision and oversight for search and match efforts and provides clinical support to adoptive families. Marilyn graduated with a master’s degree in social work, with a concentration in Clinical work with Families and Children, from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD in 2006. Marilyn has spent her nearly 20-year social work career working in foster care, domestic and international adoptions, in-home health and aging services, and school counseling. She has a real passion for connecting loving families with older children coming from the foster care system.BA, The Pennsylvania State University; MSW, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Sami is the Senior Search and Match Specialist for Barker’s Project Wait No Longer (PWNL) Program at The Barker Adoption Foundation. Before joining Barker, Sami dedicated much of her social work career to the public child welfare system in Washington, D.C., where she worked closely with children and families to achieve permanency through reunification, adoption, or guardianship. With extensive experience supporting individuals who have faced significant trauma and navigating complex mental health challenges, Sami brings a compassionate, informed approach to every case. Drawing on her clinical expertise, Sami excels at connecting children with families and ensuring that families have access to the resources needed to meet the unique needs of each child. Her dedication and skillset contribute to creating lasting, supportive family bonds.
George Mason University – B.S, Criminology Law and Society
Caitlin serves as the Domestic Adoption Program Support Specialist for families in both the Infant and Project Wait No Longer Programs. She works closely with families and outside agencies from home study to finalization. Before coming to Barker, Caitlin served in the U.S Army as an Administrative Support Specialist, serving a tour of duty overseas. As an adoptee and birth mother herself, she brings both a personal and professional understanding of the adoption process and a passion for serving children and families in our domestic program.
BSW, Simmons University, MSW, Rhode Island College
Victoria was transracially adopted from China as an infant and grew up in Massachusetts. Her previous work history includes: supervising visitation between parents and their children, working as a school counselor in a public charter school, providing intensive, home-based therapy to children with intense emotional and behavioral needs, and providing clinical case management to LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. Victoria believes strongly in client-oriented services and that everyone should have access to the opportunities and support that they need to succeed. Victoria is also passionate about self-improvement and continuing to learn throughout your life. At Barker, Victoria is focused on working with children, young adults, parents, and family units to understand what adoption means to them and to provide a safe, supportive space for everyone to flourish. She currently lives with her partner, their two cats, and their dog. When not at Barker, you can find Victoria reading, rock climbing, or at trivia.
BS, University of Pittsburgh; MSW, University of Cincinnati
Sandy has worked in the field of adoption since 1995. Throughout that time, she has worked with adoptive families, expectant parents considering adoption, and birth parents and adult adopted persons interested in search and reunion. Since 2007, she has served as a Home Study Social Worker at Barker, where she supports adoptive parents and children throughout the adoption process.
Karen Brustad is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked with children and families for 35 years. Karen’s professional career began at St Ann’s Infant and Maternity home. She has worked at Children’s National Medical Center in their Division of Child Protection and Prince George’s hospital in their NICU and Developmental Clinic. Karen then worked in Early Intervention in both VA and MD. She is a certified infant massage instructor. Karen recently retired from the school system where she worked in the preschool special education program. Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and two children and traveling as often as she can.
University of Maryland, B.S Human Resource Management
B.A., The University of the South
Virginia serves as the case manager for families completing their home studies as well as the super user for our online platform, MyAdoptionPortal. Virginia joined our team after completing a year of service with AmeriCorps, where she worked in the DC public school system. She has a passion for women’s and children’s issues and enjoys putting her skills to work on behalf of the children and families we serve across our programs.
BSW, James Madison University; MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University
As our Child Matching & Family Support Specialist, Katie provides support to families in Barker’s Project Wait No Longer older child adoption program and is responsible for the review of child referrals and matching with prospective adoptive families. She joined the PWNL team following several years working with the international adoptions program. Prior to coming to Barker in 2019, Kaitlin worked for a non-profit serving families experiencing homelessness and poverty in the Washington, DC area. Katie is passionate about serving children and families and is excited to continue this work in the adoption field.
BSW, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; MSW, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Rebekah has been working in child welfare for over 7 years. Her work has ranged from adoption (domestic, international and foster care), refugee foster care, pregnancy counseling and treatment foster care. Rebekah had devoted her career to working and partnering with families journeying through the adoption. Adoption is more than just her professional work; it is personal and close to her heart through family and close friends who have adopted. Rebekah has been with Barker since 2022 and loves getting to connect with Barker families.
In her free time, she can be found juggling her two young boys and spending time with her husband.
BS, Brigham Young University-Idaho; MSW, Case Western Reserve
Lara is the Adoption Counselor and Clinical Support Specialist for Barker’s Domestic Infant Program. She supports and counsels expectant parents who are considering adoption and also provides support to prospective families who are seeking to build their family by adoption. Lara has lived experience as an adopted person. She brings her experience, her passion, empathy, and notable clinical skills to her work and is able to help families navigate complex decisions. Lara has worked in a variety of clinical settings prior to her work at Barker, including public and private sector populations. Lara believes that the essence of family is love, acceptance and understanding, and the key to a strong society is in building strong families.
Tulane University MSW, The Pennsylvania State University
Elana Lindner holds a BA in general psychology from Penn State and a Master of Social Work from Tulane University. With a background as a pre-k teacher, she has fostered nurturing environments that emphasize the power of play in early childhood development. Elana’s professional interests are rooted in clinical practice, focusing on children and adolescents, particularly in areas such as emotional regulation, self-esteem, and the impact of school and social stressors, as well as adoption and trauma work. In her free time, Elana enjoys spending time at home with her fiancé and their two cats, going to the movies, and thrifting – and always with an iced coffee in her hand! She is excited for the journey ahead and looks forward to making a positive impact while serving families in the adoption constellation.
BA in Strategic Communication from Temple University
Tenisha Lusane is a dynamic professional who holds a BA in Strategic Communication from Temple University. Her commitment to making a positive impact led her to join Barker as a Community Outreach and Recruitment Specialist. With a background in IVF patient experience and recruitment, as well as education recruitment, Tenisha brings a wealth of expertise to her role, ensuring that Barker continues to thrive and serve its community with excellence.
Dewanna McDowell is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience working in the world of foster care and adoption. Her interest in child welfare was initially sparked when her own biological parents became foster parents, ultimately providing a safe haven for nearly 20 children over two decades of service. Dewanna has worked in various positions in the public child welfare system, providing direct service, management, and training support in various capacities.
Since 2010, Dewanna has facilitated group training for the Barker Adoption Foundation, initially focused on Project Wait No Longer. She currently facilitates National Training and Development Curriculum (NTDC) pre-service training for all of Barker’s adoption programs. She is passionate about preparing adoptive families to successfully parent the children who join their families and supporting those families through placement and beyond.
BA, Boston College, MSW, Catholic University
Molly is a home study social worker with Barker. Prior to joining Barker, Molly worked as a behavioral health and oncology social worker at the National Institutes of Health. She also has vast experience working with immigrant and refugee families and advocating for the fair treatment of immigrants. She is passionate about working with vulnerable populations and adoptive families.
Mary comes to Barker with considerable experience and ability across all areas of office administration and a long-time passion for children. Prior to joining Barker in March of 2022, Mary served as the development associate at a social policy non-profit in Washington, D.C., where she successfully applied her administrative and people skills to individual giving campaigns, 50th-anniversary events and activities, donor relations, outreach, and acknowledgment. She also administratively supported the foundation side of fundraising with grant tracking, record-keeping, and grant report preparation.
Mary’s role at Barker is to provide administrative and technical support to development activities associated with contributions, grants, events, donor and volunteer engagement, and stewardship. She brings a valued knowledge to the team, a willingness to go beyond expectations, and a commitment to engage and support all in the adoption and foster care community.
B.S. University of Maryland, College Park and M.S.W, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Kellie joined The Barker Adoption Foundation as the International Case Manager and Family Support Specialist. Prior to joining Barker, Kellie has had experience working as a school-based therapist serving elementary school students with a vast variety of different social/ emotional needs, as a therapist in a private practice supporting clients from multiple age groups and backgrounds and working as a post-adoption intern during her post-graduate studies. Adoption holds a special place in Kellie’s heart and family with her older sister being adopted. Kellie is excited to join the Barker team to support families on their adoption journey and offer her clinical skillset to families during this critical and joyous time.
Dianne serves as the Adoption Programs Administrative Support Specialist providing administrative and client support to assist adoptive parents adopting children through Barker’s international adoption program. She works closely with families and outside agencies from home study to finalization.
She is a career Paralegal with over two decades of experience in law firms, corporate, and non-profit environments. Prior to joining Barker, she served as a Contract Administrator and Senior Paralegal at a DC public hospital where she played a critical role in restructuring the hospital’s internal contract process by creating new workflows, training materials, and conducting training for staff.
Dianne specializes in streamlining administrative processes, managing high-volume data, and handling sensitive matters with care and discretion. In addition to her passion for helping people, she loves children, reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
BSW, Stony Brook University; MSW, Columbia University
Ted is a home study social worker who joined Barker in 2018. Prior to coming to Barker, Ted worked in the public child welfare system. He initially trained and assessed foster parents to work with children who had experienced abuse and neglect. Ted has also worked with children and families to achieve permanency through reunification, guardianship or adoption with a loving permanent family. Ted also has a background in mental health as a result of his experience working with mental health patients at a hospital in Baltimore city.
BA, Boston University MA, American University MA, London School of Economics MSW, Louisiana State University
Audrey started at The Barker Adoption Foundation during her advanced field placement internship and stayed on as a home study and post placement social worker following her graduation in 2021. Audrey has worked with a variety of families throughout their adoption process particularly in the domestic infant and PWNL programs. Audrey is passionate about child welfare and families and loves getting to know a variety of families throughout their adoption journey. Prior to obtaining her MSW, Audrey lived in the UK for over two decades and worked with asylum seekers and refugees. Audrey has three young adult children, and a rescue dog, Edie.
MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Social Work
Bianchi, originally from Costa Rica, earned her Master’s degree in Social Work in the United States. She has been working for the Barker Adoption Foundation since 2013, serving as both a bilingual home study social worker and a post-placement social worker. Prior to joining Barker, Bianchi worked as a bilingual social worker at a local hospital, where she provided psychosocial assessments and counseling to women, children, and families. Passionate about helping all types of families grow through adoption, Bianchi combines her social work expertise and multicultural background to enrich her practice.
Estella Swain is a peer parent coach with over 20 years of experience in the child welfare field. Estella is a former foster parent and has attained the title of “mom” through several different avenues, including adoption, and really values and acknowledges the different paths to parenthood. Estella has a deep understanding of the challenges and rewards of adoptive parenting, and she is passionate about helping adoptive families thrive.
As a peer parent coach, Estella provides individualized support and guidance to adoptive families. She helps families develop positive parenting skills, build strong relationships with their children, and overcome challenges. Estella also provides education and resources to adoptive families, and she has worked to connect families with other adoptive families and resources in their community.
Estella is also currently the Chief Executive Officer of Swain Management Group where she works with agencies across the nation to help move the needle on their child welfare goals and practices and affect change that leads to more positive outcomes for our children, youth, and families. Estella is an excellent thought partner for families, children, older youth, communities, leaders, stakeholders, and private and non-profit agencies throughout the nation. Her professional and lived experiences coupled with her unrivaled passion make her invaluably vested in affecting positive change in the child welfare arena. Estella has worked diligently in this field and with communities nationwide to recognize the value of thinking outside of the box to find new and innovative ways to work on overcoming barriers that exist for children, youth, and families.
BSW, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; MSW, Salisbury University
Elena is the Clinical Intake and Family Support Specialist. She is responsible for completing intakes, providing clinical support, and oversight of the home study process for all of Barker’s adoption programs. Before Barker, Elena worked with the geriatric population, gaining clinical, assessment, and intake skills. As an international adoptee herself, Elena brings a unique perspective and personal passion for adoption. Elena is excited to expand her clinical knowledge and experience through her work at Barker, with a population that is near and dear to her.
University of Maryland in Baltimore
Becky has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and Psychology. She is licensed to practice in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. Becky has spent her career working in child welfare (36 years) as a full-time employee of the State of Maryland, Department of Social Services. In addition, she has consistently worked as a contractual employee with several private adoption agencies as a birth parent counselor, adoption home study worker, international/domestic trainer, refugee resettlement worker, and adoption search and reunion coordinator. Her passion for placement of older children led her to adopt an 11-year-old Russian boy, in addition to having three biological children. Becky has been with Barker for over 10 years as a trainer and home study worker. She lives with her husband in the Annapolis area and is a recent “empty nester” with three grandchildren.
Barbara Witt has been working with children and families as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for the last 27 years at The Lourie Center and is an embedded contractor with the Montgomery County Infants and Toddlers Program as a Child Development Specialist.
Barbara has extensive training in supporting parent/child attachment, parental grief and loss. She is also a Certified Infant Massage Instructor.
In the evening, Barbara leads a Perinatal Loss and Support Groups through Adventist Hospital.
When not working, Barbara and her family foster dogs through The Labrador Rescue League of Potomac, travels, and bakes unhealthy treats.
BA, Saint Louis University, MSW University of Maryland, Baltimore
Briana began her social work career in Child Protective Services in Washington, D.C. and subsequently transitioned to conducting custody evaluations and adoption home studies for families in Montgomery County. She is passionate about ensuring children thrive and families have the support and resources they need to provide a loving and stable home for those children. When not working, Briana enjoys boxing, traveling, and wedding planning!
