Independent Adoption Center » adoption professionals

Meet Glenda Duru, Birthparent Outreach, Houston

IAC — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:18:55 +0000

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 of going to Law School and receiving my JD. I am in love with every aspect of Social Work. I enjoy empowering people & communities.

I love working in the community, so most of my spare time is spent with my Girl POWER mentoring group for high school girls in the Alief Community. I am also a sorority girl and enjoy spending time with my sorority sisters doing community service. I enjoy spending time with my friends, family and going to church. Another important part of me that I care about is dance. I love the sound of music and enjoy dancing to Nigerian Music, both old school and new school.

I am very excited to join the IAC as the Houston Birthparent Outreach Worker. I am ready to make long lasting partnerships for IAC within the Houston Community and State of Texas.

IAC Introduces Tomasa Duenas, Open Adoption Counselor

IAC — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:33:25 +0000

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 birth and adoptive parents and take pleasure in assisting them throughout the process.

When I am not fulfilling my work duties, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy trying new foods. One of my favorite things to do is visit new restaurants. I love sushi, Vietnamese food and anything spicy.

I also enjoy walking my dog, going to flea markets, learning about new cultures and visiting San Francisco.

I am very excited about joining the IAC team and look forward to working with such great people.

Meet Elena Ricks, Birthparent Outreach, Southern California

IAC — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:10:39 +0000

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 have a cat named Ziggy, whom I adore. I have raised her since she was a week old, and she is my pride and joy! I love every aspect of psychology, and I am most definitely a “people-person!” I plan to attend graduate school in the fall of 2012 and would like to get a MFT or MSW.

Elena Ricks works in Birthparent Outreach covering Southern California. She is acting as a liaison between the Independent Adoption Center and healthcare professionals, to provide information and resources on open adoption. If you are a healthcare professional and would like to request brochures or an in-service, please contact her at (310) 215-3180 ext. 201.

IAC Introduces Crystal Houchens, MSW, LSW

IAC — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:32:25 +0000

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 looking forward to counseling both birth moms and adoptive parents as they journey together through the adoption process.

I am very excited to be engaged to my best friend, Jonathon, and can hardly wait until we are married this January. Together, we ride motorcycles and explore the world around us through mini-adventures and road trips. I spend every moment I can in the sunshine though. I love spending time with my family and friends doing fun outdoor activities such as kayaking, swimming, hiking, and camping. I have recently been working on improving my skills as a cook. I relax by pretending that I’m an artist by painting and drawing. I enjoy finding fun and unique ways to recycle things around the house into useful art. My most recent endeavor has been to turn wine and beer bottles into drinking glasses and amazingly it has been working — 50% of the time. I love a good laugh and hope that while I’m with the IAC I will share many laughs with everyone.