The 12th Annual Beyond Borders International Adoption Conference
"Helping Children Reach Their Full Potential"
September 29, 2012Moody Gardens, Galveston, TX
Sign-in begins at 7:30AM
View our conference schedule and sessions!
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About BBC This year's Beyond Borders Conference, as always, is committed to educating families and adoption professionals about the many facets of this journey and advocating for improved international adoption processes and humanitarian aid for children in need. We aim to inspire, educate and generate awareness for international adoption advocates so that we can all continue impacting positive change in the adoption community.
Representatives from around the world will be present to talk about adoptions in their respective nations and to raise awareness of the present situations and circumstances of their countries' orphans. Previously known as the "East Meets West" conference, this annual conference was renamed "Beyond Borders" to better reflect the adoption and humanitarian aid needs of the more than 143 million orphans worldwide.
The Beyond Borders conference brings together a diverse delegation of United States and foreign government officials and adoption authorities, worldwide orphanage directors, humanitarian aid organizations and adoptive families. Several educational tracks will also feature topics such as China's Waiting Child Program, bonding and attachment issues, trans-racial adoption, coping with the adoption wait and process, and an adoptive family panel will also present on their adoption experience.
Reserve your seat and learn about ways you can impact a child's life. Social workers get a special discounted rate. Contact us for more details.
Keynote Speakers
Kathleen Strottman, Executive Director at the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute
Kathleen Strottman has extensive experience in adoption policy, as she served for nearly eight years as a trusted advisor to Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and then as an associate at Patton Boggs, LLC before becoming the Executive Director at CCAI. As the Senator's Legislative Director, Kathleen worked to pass legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act, The Medicare Modernization Act, The Inter-Country Adoption Act, The Child Citizenship Act of 2000, The Adoption Tax Credit and the Family Court Act.
Throughout her career, Kathleen has worked to increase the opportunity for positive dialogue and the exchange of best practices between the United States and countries such as China, Romania, Russia, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ethiopia and India. In 2010, Kathleen spearheaded The Way Forward Project, a project to stimulate dialogue among child welfare experts, government leaders, and investors on the need for family-based care, chairing the project's Working Group on Legal, Government and Social Infrastructure. Kathleen attended Whittier Law School's Center for Children's Rights where she graduated with honors and received a state certified specialty in juvenile advocacy. A member of the Whittier Law Review, Kathleen published an article entitled "Creating a Downward Spiral: Transfer Statutes as Answers to Juvenile Delinquency." Kathleen received her bachelor's degree in political science from the College of the Holy Cross and went on to serve as a Jesuit Volunteer. She and her husband, Matt, are the proud parents of three children, Grace, Noah and Liam.
Elizabeth Styffe, Director of Orphan Care Initiatives at Saddleback Church
Elizabeth Styffe is the director of both the Orphan Care Initiative and HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church, Lake Forest California. She has led efforts both locally and globally to mobilize the church to care, empowering every person to act on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children around the world. She leads the team that is equipping and launching churches across the globe to care for children, supporting and providing families for every child. In addition, she is the director of the Rwanda Orphan Care Initiative, a strategic PEACE plan partnership between The Government of Rwanda, the local churches of Rwanda and Saddleback Church to initiate and support indigenous church-initiated interventions which are family centered, sustainable and reproducible.
Receiving firsthand knowledge in multiple countries in Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, Russia and Ukraine, Elizabeth works from her previous experience and education as a Pediatric Nurse, Administrator and Clinical Specialist to inspire and equip local churches to care and act. Styffe and her husband, Glenn, have been married for 27 years and have seven children ages 7-22. Three of her children were adopted from Rwanda.Distinguished Speakers
Dr. Jane Aronson, Founder and CEO of Worldwide Orphans Foundation; Director of International Pediatric Health Services, PLLC
Dr. Aronson has been in private practice as Director of International Pediatric Health Services in New York City since July of 2000. She is Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and has evaluated well over 4,000 children adopted from abroad as an adoption medicine specialist. She has traveled to orphanages in Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Latin America. Since 1997, she has conducted research and provided education in orphanages abroad through her 501(3) (c) foundation, Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO). WWO documents the medical and developmental conditions of children living in orphanages abroad in order to identify their immediate healthcare needs and to advocate for their well-being through the Orphan Ranger Program.
- Vietnam: Trieu Thi Thu Thuy, Deputy Manager of Department for Documents Approval, Department of Adoption, Ministry of Justice (invited)
- Honduras: Felipe Arturo Morales Cárcamo, Executive Director of the Honduran Institute for Children and Family (IHNFA) (invited)
- China: Mr. Su Yao Xing, Zhongshan Children’s Welfare Institute (invited)
Other Invited Distinguished Speakers
CE Hours Issued By:
Advanced Training Associates is approved as a provider (provider # 1131) for continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards 400 South Ridge Parkway, Suite B, Culpeper, VA 22701. www.aswb.org. ASWB Approval Period: May 18, 2010 –May 18, 2013. Advanced Training Associates maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
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