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Adoption-Link Staff
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Margaret Fleming, Executive Director and Child Welfare Supervisor (MSW, LCSW)
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Margaret Fleming, a licensed clinical social worker and former psychotherapist,
has worked in the adoption field for over 20 years. She is the mother of eleven
children, eight of whom were adopted. Her last four children were born HIV
positive. It was after spending time in a Vietnamese orphanage where so many
forgotten children with HIV were in need of adoptive families, that she founded
Chances by Choice, a program of Adoption-Link. CbC specializes in locating
internationally born HIV positive children, available for adoption, and working
with licensed international agencies to place them with adoptive families.
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Noreen Davidson, Director of Domestic Programs (MSW, LCSW)
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Noreen Davidson is a licensed clinical social worker. Her background has been
varied: she was a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools for many years. Noreen
devoted her last years of teaching to pre-school handicapped children and their
parents. She then earned a master's degree in social work, choosing to work in
the employee assistance field for 10 years. During this time she also worked in
a hospital setting providing pastoral care and focusing on the dying process.
Noreen has biological twins and has adopted two African-American brothers who
led her to the wonderful world of adoption.
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Heather Breems, International Supervisor and Haiti Program Coordinator (MSW)
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Heather has been working at Adoption-Link since June 2007 and became the International Supervisor in 2009.
She graduated in May of 2007 with a Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University, Chicago. She has been working with children in a variety of settings for over 10 years and has a real passion for bringing families together through adoption.
Heather is married and has a son, Garrett. She and her husband are licensed DCFS foster parents as well.
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Elizabeth Forte, Domestic Social Worker and Licensing Supervisor (MSW, LCSW)
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Elizabeth Forte has been employed part-time with Adoption-Link since 1996 as a home study worker and supervisor for
the domestic home study program. She is the domestic home studies and licensing coordinator for D.C.F.S. foster family home care licenses.
Elizabeth has had over 25 years of experience in a variety of settings which has included in-patient psychiatry,
medical and rehabilitation hospitals, homeless shelters and community counseling centers.
In addition to working for Adoption-Link, she has been employed with a local Chicago rehabilitation hospital for 17 years.
Elizabeth received her Masters in Social Work from UIC. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Oak Park.
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Erin Collin, Operations Consultant (BA)
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Erin has been employed part time with Adoption-Link since February of 2010 and has been involved in various Adoption-Link
projects in the past. She has professional experience in marketing, client management, budgeting, billing, and managing
multiple accounts. Erin is an adoptive parent of two children, Ben and Grace, and is married to a board member of
Adoption-Link.
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Donnie Morey, Family Adoption Specialist
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Donnie Morey has been employed by Adoption Link since 2003 as a Family Adoption
Specialist completing international home studies, domestic home studies and
post-placement reports. Prior to coming to Adoption Link, Donnie worked for
over 13 years in the field of child welfare, focusing on providing in
therapeutic foster care for individuals with special needs. Donnie currently
works for Adoption Link on a part-time basis, and has made a new full-time
career in selling real estate in Chicago's richly diverse neighborhoods. Donnie
is originally from Oklahoma, but has called Chicago home since 1988. Donnie
received his bachelor of science in psychology from Oklahoma State University.
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Stephanie Francois, Family Adoption Specialist (MSW, LSW)
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Stephanie has been employed part-time with Adoption-Link since October 2007. She received her Bachelor’s in Social Work in 2001, and then obtained her Master’s in Social Work in 2007 from the University of Michigan.
Stephanie spent one year living and working in an orphanage in Honduras and has a passion for international child welfare service. She has four years experience working in domestic and international adoption and has provided direct service to adoptive parents, birth parents and adoptees.
Stephanie enjoys living in Chicago and taking advantage of all the activities the city has to offer.
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Ramona Shaeffer, Family Adoption Specialist (BA)
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Ramona has worked in the field of child welfare for many years in a variety settings.
She has had a great deal of experience in writing home studies and is presently conducting international home studies for Adoption-Link families. Ramona lives in Chicago with her husband and children.
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