Category Archives: Meet the Staff

Concord Office Employee Halloween Costume Contest Winner!

By Amalia Gratteri | Published 10/31/2012

The IAC office in Concord went crazy with Halloween fever! From zombies to school teachers, we showed our Halloween spirit. Here are a few of our photos, included in them are our first place winner Rachael as a prom zombie and second place winner Tomasa, dressed as the queen from Alice in Wonderland. Happy Halloween [...]

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Meet Glenda Duru, Birthparent Outreach, Houston

By IAC | Published 03/02/2012

Greetings all, I am Glenda Duru, a native of Houston, Texas. I am of Nigerian Descent and truly love my Nigerian heritage. I received my bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Prairie View A&M University. Currently, I am completing my Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Houston. I have a long-term goal [...]

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Pleasant Hill Halloween Costume Contest Winner Revealed!

By IAC | Published 11/07/2011

Announcing our winner for the 2011 Halloween costume contest, undefeated for more than a decade: Hillbilly, Lyn Dawn! When not in costume, Lyn Dawn is the IAC’s Agency Services Manager. Watch her victory song & dance below: To learn more about this hillbilly, read the Summer 2011 issue of Open Adoption. Visit our Facebook page [...]

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IAC Introduces Tomasa Duenas, Open Adoption Counselor

By IAC | Published 10/26/2011

My name is Tomasa Duenas and I am an Open Adoption Counselor (OAC) in the Pleasant Hill office. I have always had an interest in adoption and have been fascinated with the vast amount of love that is present within the entire process. As an OAC I have the privilege of working closely with both [...]

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Meet Elena Ricks, Birthparent Outreach, Southern California

By IAC | Published 10/12/2011

Nice to meet you! I am a 23-year old from Los Angeles, California. I grew up here with my mother, father, younger sister and younger brother. I graduated with honors and a B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz in 2010, then moved back to Los Angeles, where I live with my family. I also [...]

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IAC Introduces Jade Hesson, Administrative Assistant

By IAC | Published 08/18/2011

I was born and raised in the great state of New York, but I have lived in North Carolina for six years now. Even though I’m a Yankee at heart, I’m definitely a down home girl! I love spending time with my family and creating new adventures for us to explore. Sitting down for dinner [...]

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IAC Introduces Amalia Gratteri, Marketing Associate

By IAC | Published 08/10/2011

For starters, I’m pretty bad at writing about myself because I tend to ramble but here goes! I guess I’ll start with the basics. I have a BA in Psychology and I’m still considering pursuing a Masters in the same field. I have a strong passion for helping others and if I’m not doing something [...]

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IAC Introduces Crystal Houchens, MSW, LSW

By IAC | Published 08/09/2011

I recently graduated from the Indiana University School of Social Work and was drawn to the IAC because I have always thought adoptions were beautiful. The more I learned about the IAC and how open our adoptions are the more eager I was to work for the IAC. As an Open Adoption Counselor, I am [...]