Victoria (Torie) is a speaker, consultant, and cultural anthropologist. As a biracial Black transracial adoptee, she was raised in KY in a white Italian American family. She is the founder of Wreckage and Wonder LLC, a small business that educates prospective white adoptive and foster parents and provides webinars and trainings to adoption and child welfare organizations. Torie has been featured on podcasts, participated on panels and given presentations at conferences such as Replanted Conference, INSIGHT Conference, and The Families Rising Conference. Torie is a doctoral candidate in Anthropology at Indiana University working towards a dissertation titled “Transracial Adoption in the Age of #GeorgeFloyd: Race and Kinship in U.S. Adoption.” Torie’s personal life and academic pursuits have made her passionate about addressing racism within the domestic and international adoption industries and advocating for family preservation and reproductive justice. She was recently named an Indiana University Griffin Graduate Pathways Fellow for Summer and Fall 2023 where she worked with adoption agencies and post-placement organizations to improve adoptive family education and create adoptee and birthparent centered programming. She is honored to participate in the inaugural BIPOC Adoptees Conference and is a firm believer in our collective power to bring about healing. ​

Steve grew up on a small farm in the Midwest. In 2005, he and his wife moved to Eugene where he would serve the international adoption community for over 17 years. Steve led thousands of Adoptees, adoptive parents, and child welfare professionals around the world through social, educational, and community-building programs. He is an international presenter and trainer advocating for an elevated voice of the unheard. He received his MSW in 2009 from Portland State University and later worked as adjunct faculty teaching advanced community-based social work. Steve strongly believes in the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and uses those principles to build safe and secure spaces where people can discover the best versions of themselves. In his free time, Steve enjoys family life with his wife, daughter, two cats, and a dog. He loves consumer electronics, international travel, and subjecting his family to new (sometimes terrible tasting) recipes.

Shanta Loecker founded 75/25 Impact in 2020, a company that builds custom education, consulting, and media projects through an intersectional anti-oppression lens. With close to five years of experience in this role, Shanta applies her skills as a coach, complex problem solver, and critical thinker to create identity-forward and People of the Global Majority-centered solutions using four core pillars: critical thought, cultural humility, inclusive leadership, and healing justice. Shanta shifted to her current role at 75/25 Impact after a hugely successful 14-year career in college, international and professional sports, including eight years as an NCAA head women’s lacrosse coach. Shanta produces Human Regards, a bi-weekly podcast that unapologetically centers the diverse experiences of women, femmes, and gender expansive folks of the Global Majority. She has produced the podcast for two seasons, showcasing her expertise in content creation, production, and strategy through an intersectional anti-oppression lens. Additionally, Shanta is an essay writer, songwriter, and screenwriter who independently writes, produces, and publishes original music, essays, and more. Their work has been featured in independent productions. Read more at medium.com/@sloecker. On the human side of things, Shanta identifies as an immigrant, Queer, Bengali-American, and transracial international adoptee. They currently reside on land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Chumash and Tongva/Gabrieleño Peoples in so-called Los Angeles.

Katelyn Rivas is a poet, essayist, researcher, teaching artist and mother who examines themes of Black girlhood, transracial adoption, motherhood, abolition and care for Black bodies through her work. She completed an MA from Eastern University in Urban Studies and Community Arts and has a BA in English and Writing and Art and Design from Northern Michigan University. In 2019, she published the chapbook “Radical Self-Care for Black Women” and founded the Detroit chapter of The Free Black Women’s Library. She is currently at work on a memoir that is about her experience as a transracial adoptee composing her own definition of Blackness where she weaves personal and political narratives through braided essays that combine prose, verse and Black Feminist reproductive rights issues. When not writing she can be found adventuring with her daughter and partner, laughing with friends and dreaming up her garden.

Kit Myers is a transracial/national Hong Kong adoptee and an assistant professor in the Department of History & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at University of California, Merced. He was previously a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Merced. His teaching interests include the study of race and other social categories of difference, especially theoretical and legal aspects. His forthcoming book, The Violence of Love: Race, Adoption, and Family in the United States, with University of California Press (2024), uses interdisciplinary methods of archival, legal, and discursive analysis to argue that while adoption is imbued with love, violence is attached to adoption in complex ways. The book comparatively examines the transracial and transnational adoption of Asian, Black, and Native American children by White families to understand how race has been constructed relationally to mark certain homes, families, and nations as spaces of love, freedom, and better futures against others that not. Myers has also published journal articles in Adoption Quarterly, Critical Discourse Studies, Adoption & Culture, and Amerasia. He serves as on the executive committee for the Alliance for the Study of Adoption and Culture. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of California, San Diego in ethnic studies and his B.S. in ethnic studies and journalism from the University of Oregon.

When Kit is not working, he loves spending time with his partner and two daughters. He also loves nature, sports, and food (except seafood and mushrooms).

Maria Trimble (AKA ML) is an Indigenous Peruvian Licensed Clinical Counselor. She has been working in mental health for 10 years and runs a private practice, specializing in attachment and complex trauma. Her counseling practice, Hiking the Heart, advocates alongside marginalized communities for mental health education and promotes normalizing conversations around mental and emotional health. She's the author of "Journaling Through Adoptee Reunion", helping adoptees navigate their way through reunion. ML hopes to continue providing resources and support to the adoptee community.

Dr. Alexándrea Evans Oneal, a multi-ethnic, same-race adoptee, brings over two decades of expertise to her work with youth, families, and couples on their paths of connection and healing. Specializing in foster, kinship, and adoptive family systems, as well as family dynamics, life transitions, trauma, grief, and loss, Dr. Alexándrea – affectionately known as Dr. A by her patients – employs a trauma-focused, biopsychosocial, and holistic behavioral approach.

Driven by a passion for empowering others to realize their full potential, Dr. A fosters an understanding of individual, community, and collective strengths and resilience.

Join Dr. A and the community on her podcast "Unasked Questions," where she shares insights from her adoption research, amplifies the voices of the adoption and foster care community, and addresses questions, often left unspoken, submitted by parents. Through firsthand experiences and expressions, the podcast aims to foster healthy family interactions and connections.

For direct inquiries and updates on her upcoming projects, connect with her at [email protected].

Alisha Bennett (she/her) aka Seon Young 선영, is a Korean adoptee with citizenship. With a heart dedicated to children, she has worked as a school social worker for the New York City Public School system for 17 years. Alongside this, she is the Clinical Director of a growing private practice in New York City. She lives in love and gratitude in Brooklyn with her partner, Dave and their 3 year old daughter. Her journey into motherhood as an adoptee has profoundly influenced her and has become a central theme in her writing and storytelling endeavors.

Cam’s work has been featured in National Council for Adoption, Christianity Today, University of Minnesota School of Social Work, and Center for Adoption Support and Education. Paired with his clinical practice, Cam serves as a training facilitator for the accredited Permanency and Adoption Competency Certificate, a leading post-Master’s curriculum shaping adoption competencies for over 1800 professional graduates nationwide. His personal experience as an international adoptee from Korea informs and inspires his current professional work. He formed his own private practice, Therapy Redeemed, in 2018 to raise awareness and respond to the mental health needs of adoptees and their families wherever they may be in their adoption journey. Cam’s global vision for adoptee-centered advocacy is evident through his 1:1 counseling services, interactive keynotes and workshops, hands-on support groups, Masterclass options, and his unique blend of content creation and collaboration across diverse media channels. His book The Adoptee’s Journey: From Loss and Trauma to Healing and Empowerment addresses the intersection of adoption, faith, mental health, and social responsibility. Cam's vulnerable insight stands honestly next to his professional acumen, making him a transformative force within the adoptee community and throughout fields of advocacy and healthcare.

Isaac Etter is an adoptee and social entrepreneur who was transracially adopted at the age of two. He founded Identity, a startup focused on creating a world where adopted and foster children feel seen, heard, and valued. At Identity, Isaac is working on re-imagining post-placement support for

adoptive and foster families. He uses his story and deep passion for adoption and foster care

education to bring relevant, quality, and diverse resources to adoptive and foster parents.

Isaac utilizes his experience of being adopted to curate deep conversations about race, identity, and adoption. With his unique insight, Isaac facilitates impactful discussions about adoption's impact on children and how parents can support their children in navigating identity and racial identity

development. He specializes in helping child welfare professionals and parents understand the unique challenges and joys involved in transracial adoption and fostering.

Nari Baker is a mother and a Korean transracial adoptee who was raised in WA State. She is an art maker, yoga teacher and Fulbright scholar who has contributed to community organizing for over 18 years. Nari currently co-hosts Labor of Love: A Podcast for BIPOC Adoptees Navigating Parenthood. She also facilitates an Adoptees Connect support group and a BIPOC self care collective.

Molly Washington is a Split Feather/Lost Bird, a Native adoptee and former foster child, as well as a transracial adoptee. Molly is Apache/N’dee on her paternal side, as well as Mexican-American, and is actively engaged in the lifelong work of reconnection and reclamation of her culture and heritage. Molly serves as the Chair of the Native American Youth and Family Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit and the Vice Chair of the NAYA Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) political advocacy organization. Her work centers the voices and needs of communities of color, with special focus on issues impacting Native and Indigenous communities. Molly also serves on the Lawyers Committee for the ACLU, on the Advance Portland committee with Prosper Portland, as a volunteer with VOICES, a BIPOC Adoptee Community, and as a N’dee biyati i∤ ch’igo ahí (Apache language student) through the Apache Language Preservation Dept. of the San Carlos Tribe. Molly previously served on the Board of Oregon Tradeswomen, on the Advisory Committee for Diversity and Inclusion to the Oregon State Bar, and as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Programs Officer for the National Association of Minority Contractors, with an emphasis on advocacy, support services, and relationship building in the construction industry. Molly is a past recipient of the Wonder Woman Award, the Women of Vision Award, and the Building Equity Award. Molly has been an attorney for over 15 years, including as the deputy city attorney for the City of Portland. Molly’s approach to legal practice focuses on the decolonization of legal support and the inclusion of cultural practices and customs. To learn more about Molly’s journey, check out her interview on the Pulled By The Root podcast

My name is Frankie Forrester and I am a practicing pre-licensed therapist in the Portland area. As a Black, non-binary, transracial adoptee, identity work is the name of my game. I focus my clinical work in supporting clients of all ages navigating challenges that arise from identity work: racial, gender, familial, societal, etc. I focus my own inner work around self acceptance, growth and learning, and making sure I spend lots and LOTS of time with animals! I’m very excited to be working alongside VOICES and look forward to a tender, healing weekend with you all.

Daniel was adopted from mainland China at three years old and currently lives outside the Seattle/Tacoma USA area. He was diagnosed with a rare disease called TSC at six years old. His parents did not know about his condition until they had him evaluated by a dermatologist. Daniel is now a young adult working in the aviation industry. Daniel is also a young adult that identifies as LGBTQ+. Daniel has been involved with the TSC community for about five years and has participated and volunteered a lot of his time to the TSC community locally and globally. spreading awareness and raising money to help find a cure. Daniel started volunteer work with Daniel started volunteering with the TSC Alliance in 2017 just trying to get answers about his health condition. Just in 2023 Daniel has been advocating for both rare diseases and adoptees affected by a rare disease, medical conditions and or disability.

Tenley jumped into the fitness world at 17 while in college at Virginia Tech, and it's been a wild ride ever since. Her relationship with movement has been a constant exploration, evolving alongside her through travel and self-discovery. She's got an artistic soul, and you can see it in everything she does - from dance to snapping photos and creating visual designs that are all about harmony and emotion.

After a short stint in the corporate world post-college, Tenley decided to hit the road and see the world. Along the way, she met incredible people who opened her eyes to pursuing dreams that she never thought were possible. Eventually, her adventures brought her back home to Virginia, where she trained in contemporary Pilates with the incredible Marianne Harman.

Tenley's purpose is to explore personal growth while keeping it real, which led her to turn her pursuits into a full-on profession. She's a direct communicator and teacher, always eager to learn and share the wisdom she's gained from world-class leaders in Pilates, yoga, meditation, and various types of mind-body therapies. In 2020, she made the move to Portland, and luckily, she's been able to build an amazing community doing what she loves.

Now, Rhythms Community Studio is the culmination of all the places Tenley has been and the incredible people who have inspired her along the way. It's her way of bringing together everything she's learned and sharing it with others in the most epic way possible.

I am a licensed mental health counselor specializing in Internal Family Systems therapy. As a proud Latina, queer, polyamorous therapist, I bring all of my personal intersectionality as a strength when I work with survivors of adoption. As a transracial and international adoptee, I also have a specific interest in decolonization and reclamation work for adoptees of color and how that affects overall health and self esteem. I believe community is the medicine, both internal and external, and am honored to be part of this community and this conference. I am an adoption abolitionist and pro-liberation of all oppressed peoples.

Tanya Martineau is the owner of Arché Studio and an award-winning photographer, nonprofit co-founder, and seasoned humanitarian producer and director with over 17 years of experience. Tanya's work has been featured by NBC Sports, National Geographic, World Vision, USAID, Lululemon and more. With a passion for ethical storytelling and a commitment to social issues, she brings empathy and insight to every project. As a mixed Korean American, Tanya's cross-cultural experiences enrich her work, which spans over 30 countries delving into complex social issues and shedding light on underrepresented narratives. Her recent project, the Hojeok project (www.thehojeokproject.com), delves into the tension and harmony surrounding transnational Korean adoption and cultural identity on subsequent generations. She is also the co-founder of Unseen (www.weareunseen.org), a non-profit that accelerates the growth of anti-trafficking organizations around the globe. Whether she's on set, behind the lens or engaging in meaningful conversations, Tanya is dedicated to sharing stories that provoke thought and drive change.

JaeRan Kim, Ph.D., MSW, (she/hers) is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and Criminal Justice at the University of Washington at Tacoma. JaeRan’s research is focused on the post-adoption experience for adoptees. JaeRan is passionate about engaging in community-based projects and has been blogging at Harlow’s Monkey, which focuses on the transracial/transnational adoptee experience, since 2006.

Ryan Jafar Artes (he/she/they) is an activist, memoirist, and poet. Ryan re-imaginations culture via cultural renaissance from their perspective and lived experience as a transracial transnational South Asian Indian American adoptee. Ryan hosts The Adoptee Open Mic and teaches virtual writing classes to support their art and activism.

Jacque Fitzgerald (M.Ed., IFS) — aka Jax Leigh — is a musician, writer, and cultural worker from Portland, Oregon. In 2021, she released her self-titled debut record, Echo Onda. Her second full-length LP will be released later this year. Jacque is the founder of Resonance Institute where she serves as an embodied equity and Internal Family Systems consultant and practitioner. She publishes her essays and monthly newsletter on her Substack, Frequency Weaver. Jacque is a fifth-generation Oregonian and a multiracial child of a Korean-adoptee. She believes song and story can guide us towards collective harmony and remind us of our inherent belonging to the earth and to one another.

Tawna Sanchez earned a Master of Social Work from Portland State University and is currently the Family Services Director at the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA Family Center). Sanchez was elected to the Oregon State Legislature in 2016 as the Representative for HD 43 in North and Northeast Portland and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee of Ways and Means; she is only the second Native American to ever serve in Oregon’s Legislature.

As the Director of Family Services at NAYA Family Center, Sanchez has worked to both provide and improve services to Native women who have experienced domestic violence, developing programs to serve Native American Elders, children from 0-5 years old, and most importantly programs that serve the disproportionate numbers of Native American children in the child welfare system. Sanchez has taken this experience as a service provider to the Oregon Legislature, bringing real life experience and real social work values to the legislative process. Tawna is a former foster youth.

Cam is a genderfluid, mixed-Chinese adoptee comic artist and zine maker. Their work has been described as "sometimes silly, sometimes deeply touching." He is interested in magic, transformation, flawed romance, and complex depictions of queer characters of color.

Benjamin Lundberg Torres Sánchez uses their art to transform individual witness into collective action by creating work and spaces that encourage action, participation, and collaboration.

Lundberg Torres Sánchez’s work has been shown in the U.S. at the Queens Museum, Museum of the Moving Image, Latchkey Gallery, The Mills Gallery at Boston Center for the Arts, RISD Museum, and the Knockdown Center, and internationally in Montreal, Mexico City, São Paulo, Lima, and La Paz. They were a 2022 Broadway Advocacy Fellow, and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts 2017 and 2018 Merit Fellow in New Genres and Film & Video respectively

They are co-founder of We Are Holding This (www.weareholdingthis.org), an abolitionist press focused on independent publishing for people impacted by family policing and separation. Recently, they worked with a team of adopted people and first and birth mothers to completely rewrite Planned Parenthood's national website's pages on Adoption to give clear and accurate information to pregnant people in crisis. Lundberg Torres Sánchez organizes with Adopted, Fostered, and Trafficked Abolitionists (AFTA, https://we.riseup.net/aft_abolitionists) within a reparations project with adopted compas from Colombia, and colleagues at Universidad de Los Andes, and with autonomous networks of people fighting against ethnic cleansing, occupation, apartheid and genocide in Palestine من النهر إلى البحر / فلسطين ستتحرر

Madelaine Reis (she/her) is a BIPOC adoptee and the Assistant Director of the BIPOC Disability Collective, a fiscally sponsored organization by the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition. From a young age, she learned to advocate for her access needs and navigate her racial identity. Madelaine has worked on Medicare drug price negotiation policy, national vaccination campaigns, and global disability governance. Her educational journey at the University of Florida included creating inclusive environments for disabled students. Currently, she is focusing on personal healing while in her current role.

CS Wright, is a South Korean-born adoptee, who has a versatile background in nonprofit management and advocacy. They currently work for Worth Rises, a national nonprofit, overseeing financial and operational matters. Beyond their professional career, CS passionately advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and actively engages in political initiatives. As a board member of Adoptees United, CS is most excited to unify the diverse adoptee community, amplify marginalized voices, and advocate for legislation that will have a positive impact on the adoptee community.

A domestic, biracial and transracial adoptee, adopted “at birth” from Kentucky and raised in East TN. She began looking more closely at her adoption experience, confronting the shameful truths surrounding her adoption as well as growing up in a conservative Christian family in the South during the 70’s and 80’s. With political and social injustices at the forefront about 4 years ago, Melanie was forced to face painful truths about the people she has always known as family. She began speaking about her very personal story and was surprised at how many people resonated with her experiences and began connecting with other transracial adoptees on social media. She spoke on a panel discussing Cultural Identification, Family and DNA in Denver, CO this past April. Since then, she has also presented in front of colleagues at the University of TN where she works in the College of Social Work. Her story was used as the DEI goal within the department this year. Melanie is the mother of 2 amazing daughters who grew up with her as she navigated single motherhood as a teenager and young adult. Today she is married to her very kind and supportive husband of 13 years. Together they are proudly raising Melanie’s 15 year old granddaughter. Melanie was recently accepted into the MSSW program at UT and will begin graduate school this fall, alongside her youngest daughter who will be completing her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at UT. There is healing in community. I am honored to be among other brave and influential adoptees who recognize a need for change, support and encourage healing all while creating safe, empowering spaces.

Sally-Moon (she/her) identifies as a queer, Korean adoptee from Long Island, NY. She's a certified Meditation Coach, supporting clients through the diversity of loss, specializing in ~ Pet Bereavement, Family Estrangement, and Ancestral Healing for Adoptees.

Coaching folks who feel stressed out & struggle with meditation is very much a part of her work. She customizes a meditation practice for her clients so they can have more resilience and inner peace ~ no matter what life throws their way.

A part of her self-care is spending time with her cat, crafting with wool, and creating zines. Sally-Moon is a long-time member & Co-Organizer of the Portland Women of Color Zine Collective. She will also be tabling at the conference on Saturday, featuring her latest offerings and handmade giftables made of paper, wool, and love.

Mai Li O’Keefe (they/them) is a transracial Korean adoptee that grew up outside of the Twin Cities in MN. Currently based in Portland, OR, they are a co-founder and active organizer for VOICES, a BIPOC Adoptee Community and Open Slopes PDX, a snowsports affinity group for queer and BIPOC folks. They hold a big, special place in their heart for the family they have found in the VOICES organizing team.

VOICES events are by us and for us – completely led and organized by BIPOC adoptees with our community at the center. Our events are intentionally designed to empower our community members by creating opportunities for skill-building, self-agency, leadership, and civic engagement.