STAFF BIOGRAPHIES

Valerie L. Barlow, MS, LPC
Founder and Executive Director

Valerie L. Barlow, the founder and Executive Director of Adoption Options, Inc., has 22 years of work experience in human services, including over eight years in international and domestic adoption program development and service delivery. Ms Barlow has a long-standing commitment to supporting the development of children and families. She has been recognized for her innovations and original contributions to the field of adoption, aiding families in successfully realizing their goals. Her extensive experience in management and administration includes her work in the position of Regional Director for a peace and justice organization where she oversaw programs for the nine southeastern states. A Licensed Professional Counselor, with a Masters degree in Counseling and Human Development, Ms Barlow has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Kenya and Israel.
 

Ginny Grigsby, MS

Ginny Grigsby, M.S. is dedicated to assisting families with adoption and foster parent home studies and support. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations with a minor in Early Childhood Education in 1999 from Brenau University, and her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology in 2001 from Capella University.

As an adoptee herself, Ms Grigsby brings a unique insider’s perspective and understanding to her work in the field of adoptions. “As an adult adoptee,” Ginny says, “I am dedicated to creating and facilitating successful adoptive families.” She has 8 years of experience in child development and counseling issues.
 

Frances McConnell, MSW

Following her undergraduate studies in Psychology at Winthrop University, Frances McConnell completed a Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of South Carolina and gained experience as a Medicaid eligibility worker at the Charleston Department of Social Services.  Her primary professional goal is to work as a child therapist and to that end she is currently working at Georgia Mentor as a Clinical Coordinator where she works with foster children, giving her acute familiarity with the needs of children in need of permanent, secure home environments.

“I hope to bring my open mind and experience to help AO provide excellent services to adoptive families and the children in need of placement,” says Frances.

BIOGRAPHIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Maureen Hunter, PhD,

Maureen Hunter adopted her son Devin as a single parent. Valerie Barlow, AO’s executive director, was instrumental in bringing Maureen and her son together. Maureen’s personal experience with adoption motivates her to make that experience available to other prospective adoptive parents with her volunteer efforts on behalf of AO: “Early in my adoption process, I remember someone saying to me ‘the child that’s meant to be yours will come to you.” I took a lot of comfort in that statement and it helped me weather the process. Most important, I have my son Devin. It’s absolutely clear that we were meant to be a family.”

Maureen has consulted with people, groups and organizations striving to enhance their effectiveness for over 20 years. Her work has focused on a wide range of areas including management change, leadership development, individual development, supervisory and managerial skills development, teambuilding, diversity management, organization culture and developing cultural competence.

“I am honored,” says Maureen, “to serve as Board President at the inception of so vitally needed an organization.”
 

Mitzi K. Thomas, Vice President

Mitzi Thomas brings a valuable history of 12 years of experience in Accounting to AO, with a background that spans Public Relations, and the medical and entertainment fields. She has active volunteer commitments to her church, including the Video Broadcast Ministry and the Drama Ministry where she serves as Vice President.

As AO’s newest adoptive parent, Mitzi is participating in the Foster to Adopt program where she connected with her new infant son, Caleb. Her Impact Training in Cobb County has served as a cross-training for her work with AO and helps her to inform the Board’s decision making with what she is learning about the adoption process, including information on evolving State procedures.

In her role as Treasurer, Mitzi says “My commitment is to make sure that AO is financially stable and grows in economic strength in the years to come.”

Kathleen Connors, PhD

Kathleen Connors maintains dual practices in psychotherapy for individuals and in consulting. Her background in consulting spans a variety of settings, including the public, the nonprofit and the corporate worlds. There, she has engaged in policy analysis, needs assessment, systems development, large-scale evaluations, merger and acquisition facilitation and a variety of other activities. Her conference and workshop presentations and publications likewise span her fields of interest. Her current consulting work focuses on developing mental health services for refugees in the Atlanta metro area.

Kathleen serves on the Fundraising and Grant writing Committee for AO. “AO provides vital services that are not readily addressed by existing adoption agencies. We have to craft messages for funders so they’ll understand how significantly their contributions can impact on here-to-fore unmet needs and expand the horizons of the adoption world so more children can “find their true homes.”
 

Amelia Jackson

Amelia Jackson joined the Board of Adoption Options to bring together three of her long-standing interests: her expertise as a financial analyst and manager, her background in human resources and her love of volunteering to benefit the community with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and women’s shelters. Ms Jackson is actively contributing to AO serving as lead on the grant-writing team and has drawn on her Master’s degree studies in Human Resources Management to assist in creating the Employee Handbook. “I hope that what I bring to Adoption Options is my creativity, my passion and my commitment. My vision for Adoption Options is that Adoption Options will rank as one of the top adoption agencies in the State of Georgia.”