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Interview: Mary Robinson, CEO of the National Council for Adoption
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Mary Robinson was recently named the new CEO and President of the National Council for Adoption (NCFA). In spite of her considerably full schedule, she made time to answer some questions for the Examiner.
The press release announcing her appointment contains this statement about the mission of the NCFA:
NCFA is committed to serving the best interests of children and believes every child has a right to a loving, permanent family. Through research, education, and advocacy, NCFA provides adoption information to the general public, promotes ethical adoption practices, informs public policy and opinion leaders about adoption issues, and serves as a resource for women with unplanned pregnancies, adopted persons and their families, those seeking to adopt, and adoption professionals.
Examiner: How did you become interested in adoption?
Mary Robinson: My interest goes back to when I was 8 or 9 years old. My neighborhood dance class performed in a small fundraiser for a local home for children which my mother and her friends supported. I have a vague memory of touring the home, seeing the babies and finding it all really interesting. Later my doctor adopted a baby girl from this same home which solidified my interest even more. Growing up I had a number of friends who were adopted and I was always fascinated by their stories and perceptions.
But I only started thinking seriously about adoption when my husband and I found that we each had varying degrees of infertility. After the initial period of loss and grief, I dove into the adoption process with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately, that early effort did not bear fruit. I despaired of ever being a mother and drowned myself in work. It was one of the most wonderful moments in my life when I received a totally unexpected call from a social worker. She told me that my husband and I had been selected by a young woman who wished to make an adoption plan for a baby boy due in two weeks! Four years later, our son was joined by a sister, a beautiful three-year-old girl whom we adopted from Bulgaria. Our happiness in our children is boundless.
What are the major thrusts for the NCFA for the next 3-5 years?
MR: NCFA’s mission is to promote the positive option of adoption, with the goal of finding a loving, permanent family for every child without a family. Here in the U.S., that mission may lead us into a more active role in foster care, where over 129,000 children are waiting to be adopted. We will seek out the best models for transitioning children into permanent homes as quickly as possible. We also hope to spearhead a cultural shift in which adopting older children is welcomed and supported on many levels.
Internationally, millions upon millions of children spend critical growth years in orphanages at a time when we have clearly documented evidence of the physical, emotional and intellectual damage caused by institutionalization. Looking ahead, we hope to work with our partners in other nations to find ways to place orphaned children in loving, permanent families both within their own countries and here in the U.S.
Next year marks NCFA’s thirtieth anniversary and we intend to pursue these goals more vigorously than ever.
Coming up: Part 2 on open adoption, Part 3 on open records, Part 4 on mutual consent.
Related posts:
Twenty years of open adoption: interview with Lutheran Family Services
Adoptees and original birth certificates
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