Our research team is on the cutting edge of the latest adoption research.
Robin DiAngelo, PhD
Trainer
Robin DiAngelo(she/her) is a leading scholar in Whiteness Studies, coined the term White Fragility in 2011, sparking global discussions on race. She is a bestselling author and racial equity educator and works with organizations to address systemic racism. Her research and consulting challenge white people to confront racial bias and engage in meaningful anti-racist work.
Bonni Goodwin, PhD, LCSW
Lead Researcher
Bonni Goodwin (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work and Director of the Center for Adoption and Family Well-Being at theUniversity of Oklahoma. She also serves as the Statewide Coordinator of Adoption Preservation Services for Oklahoma Human Services. Dr. Goodwin’s research focuses on adoption, permanency, and mental health, and she provides training, consultation, and policy work at the state and national levels to improve services for adoptive families and adult adoptees.
View Bonni’s CV here.
Amy Geller, DSW, LICSW
Mentor Coach
Amy (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New Jersey with more than 25 years of experience in clinical practice. An adoptee herself, Amy brings her unique combination of lived experience, clinical practice, and academic scholarship to the adoption community. Amy earned her Masters in Social Work from NYU Silver School of Social Work and a Doctorate in Social Work at Rutgers University, where her qualitative research focused on amplifying adoptee voices in social work theory and practice. She has presented nationally on adolescent adoptive relationships, loss, and attachment, and is an instructor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Social Work.
Spring Hecht
Programs Committee
Spring Hecht (she/her) is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years of experience supporting individuals, children, and families. An adoptee herself, she specializes in adoption, trauma, grief and loss, and identity development, integrating lived experience with professional expertise. Spring previously served as Vice President of Social Services at a leading foster care and adoption agency and has held leadership roles with the Washington Adoption Reunion Movement, Vashon Island School Board, and Adoptee Mentoring Society. She holds advanced certifications in attachment and trauma therapy, TBRI, EMDR, and IFS, and is a sought-after presenter and trainer.
JaeRan Kim, PhD, MSW
Trainer
JaeRan Kim (she/her) is a scholar, researcher, and adoptee whose work focuses on adoption, child welfare, disability, and race. She developed the Adoptee Consciousness Model, which explores adoptees’ evolving awareness of identity, agency, and experience. Dr. Kim is an Associate Professor and BASW Program Chair at theUniversity of Washington - Tacoma. and the author of Harlow’s Monkey, a widely respected blog on adoption, race, and social justice.
View JaeRans CV here.
Ashley Toland, DSW, LICSW
Programs Committee Chair
Ashley (she/her) is an adopted person and clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience in community mental health, social welfare advocacy, and education. Her scholarship centers on adoption trauma, post-permanency outcomes, and the impact of ADEI policies on children and families. She developed and has presented internationally on the Adoption Trauma Spectrum, a lifespan framework which explores how adopted people experience identity formation, attachment, belongingness, and grief. Ashley maintains a private practice and is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of West Florida where she enjoys teaching across the BSW and MSW programs.