| 2007 Board of Directors | |
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Irma "DeeDee" Barrera (Preisdent)
has been a member of AKA for four years. She has served as membership committee
chair and on the conference and education committees. She and her husband,
Carlos, are adoptive parents of two boys. Presently, she is a stay-home
mother, a lector at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, and actively
involved in the schools and extra-curricular activities of her children.
She enjoys exercising and completed two triathlons last summer. As a speech-language
pathologist, she is interested in developmental issues of children, and
in particular, how adoption may impact their social-emotional skills. She
has also taken an interest in nutrition and alternative medicine as a means
to address the development of the whole child, including how emotions,
behaviors, and health are inter-related. She believes that AKA has educated
and supported her in this endeavor. You can contact DeeDee at cbarrera2@austin.rr.com. |
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Nancy Johnson (Past President), was born in Kansas City, Missouri in an
Adoption Home. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from University
of Nebraska at Omaha and has about 20 hours of post graduate work. After retiring
from having taught Elementary school for 38 years, she went to work for Steck-Vaughn
Publishing. She worked at Steck-Vaughn for 5 years before returning to the classroom
2 days a week teaching struggling readers, which she has been doing for the last 6
years. She lives with her husband of 42 years in northwest Austin. She volunteers at
the Wildflower Center, her church; St Matthew Episcopal, and Adoption Knowledge Affiliates.
She was a founding member of AKA and served on its first board of directors for two
terms and has continued to co-chair AKA's Search and Assistance Program for the last
13 years. She is dedicated to helping people find their birth families and discovering
their family roots. Nancy was lucky enough to find the ‘marvelous’
help she needed when searching for her birth family and believes that everyone should
know their family history. You can contact Nancy at nhink@yahoo.com. |
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Angie Rollmann (Vice-President),
has been a member of AKA for over two years. She and her husband, Keith, are adoptive parents
of a boy and girl who are full siblings. Presently, she is the Vice President of Professional
Services for a medical software company in Austin, TX. With her degree in Sociology from
Virginia Commonwealth University Angie has spent her career focusing on social issues such as
Medicaid and housing issues for the underprivledged. She is excited to be a part of this
organization. Angie is actively involved in her church as a Hope Group Intercessor, Ministry
Coordinator, Prison Ministry Educator, and Baptismal Coordinator. Angie enjoys scrapbooking,
cooking, and traveling. You can contact Angie at arollmann@earthlink.net. |
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Mike Schoenfelder (Treasurer),
an adoptive parent, was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. In 1983, he moved to
Austin to attend The University of Texas. Mike earned his Bachelor of Science degree
in Electrical Engineering with high honors, then went on to earn his Master's
degree in Engineering. While pursuing his Ph.D., Mike and another
student decided to start a computer consulting business that continued
for 10 years. Now, Mike works as a software development manager for
Avaya, a telecommunications corporation. Mike lives in Austin with his
wife, Katy, and their son, Griffin. In addition to volunteering
with AKA since 2003, Mike has been an active volunteer in his faith community.
Mike appreciates the knowledge obtained from AKA and wishes to give
back to such a uniquely helpful organization. You can contact Michael at mschoenfelder@avaya.com. |
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Valentina Vassallo, LMSW (Member At-Large)
was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2003
with a BA in Government and quickly decided to return and complete a BSW in Social Work in
2004. In 2005, Valentina graduated with a Masters of Science in Social Work with a Clinical
Concentration from The University of Texas at Austin' Hook 'em! After finishing graduate school,
Valentina obtained her licensure as a Masters-level Social Worker. She then began working
as the Maternity Services Coordinator for Adoption Advocates, Inc. She currently works
full-time for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas as an Enrollment Specialist.
Valentina also works part-time as an apprentice for Janie Cravens, LCSW doing home
studies for pre-adoptive families and post-adoption counseling. In addition, she enjoys
designing the quarterly newsletter for Adoption Advocates, Inc. Valentina recently bought a beautiful home in the Crestview area of Austin with her boyfriend, Blake. They share their home with a cat, Chase, and a new dog, Maisie Mae. Valentina enjoys volunteering with AKA and also participating in volunteer work with the Christian Children's Fund. She believes that adoption creates beautiful families, both immediate and extended. Valentina thinks it is important to advocate for all parties involved in adoption 'the children, the hopeful parents, and the birth families. When all parties are respected and given a voice, adoption becomes a celebration' and with that, she believes, society's attitude towards adoption begins to shift to see adoption as a positive way to build families. You can contact Valentina at valentinavassallo@hotmail.com |
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Rowena Fong, Ed.D., MSW (Member At-Large) is the Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Professor in Services to Children and Families in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. She has written books in the areas of child welfare, immigrants and refugees, and culturally competent practice. A graduate of Harvard University (EdD), the University of California at Berkeley (MSW) and Wellesley College (BA), Dr. Fong's interest in adoptions began when she was doing clinical social work in Oakland California and worked with adopted children and families as a social worker in a Day Treatment and Residential Treatment Center. When she was a professor at the University of Hawaii she helped Casey Family Programs set up their POI (permanent option initiative) with adoptive families and did focus groups and research with all TRIAD members. She has also worked with American families who have adopted children from China and has done training for fost/adopt parents in China with the Beijing Child Welfare Institute. You can contact Rowena at rfong@mail.utexas.edu |
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John Marostica (Member At-Large) was
born while his birth mother was residing at the Home of the Holy Infancy, now Marywood
Children and Family Services in Austin, Texas. John was lucky enough to be adopted before
his 2nd birthday. John has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, with a major
in Computer Information Systems from Southwest Texas University. In his work life, he has
been a statistician for the Texas Vital Statistics Unit of the Department of State Health
Services, a computer programmer and an electronic technician in prior jobs. When working
for the State of Texas, John was the webmaster for the Texas Vital Statistics Unit website.
He and his wife (Jean) are currently webmasters for Adoption Knowledge Affiliates and Austin
Pets Alive. John also assists Jean with the Greater San Antonio Restless Legs Syndrome Support
Group, a website she designed. Both are active members in the Austin Genealogical Society (Jean
currently serves on their Hospitality Committee and John is a member of their Board).
While John grew up in New Braunfels, Texas, he has lived in Austin since 1970 and has
been married to Jean over 30 years. John is committed to the beliefs that everyone has
the right to know the details of their origin; that open adoptions are healthier than
closed adoptions, and that laws advancing the rights of adopted persons need to be
pursued, not only in Texas, but throughout the United States. You can contact John at John@Marostica.org. |
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Terri Stewart Haas, an adoptive mom, was born in Baytown, Texas and moved to Austin in 1995. She received
a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, then went on to earn a
Master's degree in Business from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. She completed her formal education by
earning a Ph.D. degree in Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Terri
spent 25 years in the field of health care policy and management, which included an political appointment by former
Gov. Ann Richards, to the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners (board that licenses and disciplines physicians).
She is currently a mediator specializing in labor/employment and medical malpractice legal disputes. She is the Parent Coordinator for her son's Montessori class and is a member of the Dispute Resolution Center Board of Directors. She lives with her engineer husband, Fred and son, Stewart, and two cats in Southwest Austin. She enjoys floral design, glass mosaic-making, photography, singing, college sports, scrap booking and dancing. AKA was instrumental in providing education, encouragement and support before, during and after the adoption of her precious son. Terri would love for folks affected by the loving process of adoption to take full advantage of the services and warmth offered by AKA. You can contact Terri at terri@haasconflictresolution.com. |
Adoption Knowledge Affiliates
PO Box 4082 Austin, TX 78765
512.442.8AKA
Email: aka@adoptionknowledge.org