Meredith Rose
Director
My name is Meredith Rose and I am the Director of Open Arms Adoption Network. Working with our Open Arms team, JFCS and our birth and adoptive families is an honor and pleasure that I feel grateful for each day. I am the mother of two. My first child joined our family through birth and my second child joined our family through adoption. We have all always enjoyed and benefited from our relationship with my daughter’s birth family. I have been working with families in the field of social work for over 20 years and happily found my place in Open Adoption in 1996. I hold an MSW and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. You can reach me at mrose@openarmsadoption.net.
Meredith Rose
Director
My name is Meredith Rose and I am the Director of Open Arms Adoption Network. Working with our Open Arms team, JFCS and our birth and adoptive families is an honor and pleasure that I feel grateful for each day. I am the mother of two. My first child joined our family through birth and my second child joined our family through adoption. We have all always enjoyed and benefited from our relationship with my daughter’s birth family. I have been working with families in the field of social work for over 20 years and happily found my place in Open Adoption in 1996. I hold an MSW and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. You can reach me at mrose@openarmsadoption.net.
Lisa Walters
Adoption Coordinator
Hi, my name is Lisa Walters and I am an Adoption Coordinator for Open Arms, working out of our Elkins Park office. I work with both women considering adoption as well as adoptive families. I also assist adult adoptees who were adopted under the system of confidential adoption with searches and reunions. I am a parent by adoption, and I myself was adopted as an infant as well. l have worked in the field of social work for more than 25 years in both healthcare and adoption, and I began working at JFCS in 2001. I earned an MSW from Temple University. I can be reached at lwalters@openarmsadoption.net.
Michele LeMasney
Adoptive Family Support & Training Coordinator
Hello! My name is Michele LeMasney, and I am the Adoptive Family Support & Training Coordinator at Open Arms. I coordinate educational workshop programming, support forums and all events for our families. Additionally, I coordinate trainings for professionals who work with clients facing unplanned pregnancies. I facilitate our Coffee Talk sessions and support our families as they navigate all areas of the adoption process. Adoption greatly encompasses my life as I am an adopted individual and a mother of five children, two of whom joined our family though open adoption! I have been with Open Arms since 2008 and feel truly blessed to work in a field that I love so much! You can reach me at mlemasney@openarmsadoption.net.
Michelle Figueroa
Program Manager
My name is Michelle Figueroa and I have worked in the field of adoption for over 10 years. I have been working with Open Arms since 2006 and currently serve as a Program Manager. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Family and Community Services from the University of Delaware, as well as a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Chestnut Hill College. I enjoy working with Open Arms Adoption Network because it is, at its foundation, an educationally based program for birth parents, adoptive parents and healthcare professionals alike. You can reach me at mfigueroa@openarmsadoption.net.
Stefani Moon
Program Manager
Hi! My name is Stefani Moon and I am the Program Manager for Open Arms, working out of our Florham Park, New Jersey and New York offices. I work with all of our incoming adoptive families during their application process and am based in Florham Park, New Jersey. I also facilitate our support group, Families Like Ours, for families who have adopted transracially, and I enjoy teaching several educational workshops for our adoptive families. I earned an MA in Counseling Psychology and am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I have worked with children and families since 1999 in different settings including foster care, in-home therapy and adoption, and joined Open Arms in 2011. Adoption is a very important part of my life as my children joined our family through adoption. I can be reached at smoon@openarmsadoption.net.
Portia Cooper
Adoption Supervisor
Hello! My name is Portia Cooper and I am the Adoption Supervisor at Open Arms working out of our Elkins Park office. I primarily provide counseling for expectant parents who are considering adoption. Additionally, I work with adoptive families providing support throughout the adoption process including completing their home study and post placement visits. I have worked in social services since 2003 in the fields of child development, drug and alcohol counseling and mental health case management. I joined Open Arms in 2011 and I am passionate about Open Adoption and thrilled to be part of this team.You can reach me by email at pcooper@openarmsadoption.net.
Jenny Sved
Outreach Coordinator
Hi, my name is Jenny Sved, and I joined Open Arms as Outreach Coordinator in 2012. My primary responsibility is handling our outreach and marketing efforts, both for potential adoptive families and expectant mothers considering adoption. I have been in the nonprofit sector since graduating with a BA in English Communications in 2007. Post-graduation, I was responsible for the marketing efforts in the Office of Alumni Affairs at my alma mater. I am thrilled to have entered the world of Adoption, as it is an incredible journey for families that I love being a part of! I can be reached at jsved@openarmsadoption.net.
Cheryl Schmid
Adoption Coordinator
Hello, my name is Cheryl Schmid and I am an Adoption Coordinator at our Florham Park, NJ office. I joined Open Arms in 2014 and work with expectant parents considering adoption as well as adoptive families. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Rutgers University. My background includes working in the fields of foster care, adoption, mental health and with children with special needs. I have two children who joined our family through adoption and I am honored to share the journey of adoption with both expectant parents and adoptive families. You can reach me at cschmid@openarmsadoption.net.
Alexandra Wallis
Administrative Assistant
Hello! My name is Alexandra Wallis and I am the part-time Administrative Assistant for Open Arms, working out of our Elkins Park office. I joined Open Arms in February 2018, after receiving my B.S. in Criminal Justice from Penn State. I am excited to bring my many years of administrative experience in a variety of health and social service settings to the world of adoption! I can be reached at awallis@openarmsadoption.net.
Jinn Adams
Adoption Coordinator
Hi! I’m Jinn, and I work with families in New York/New Jersey area. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a passion for the emotional well-being of individuals and families. I have over 10 years of experience in community-based mental health and I received my MSW from New York University. I first began working for Open Arms as a contractor in 2013, and it is a pleasure to be involved in this rewarding work.
Kate Brown
Adoption Coordinator
Hello! My name is Kate Brown, and I am an Adoption Coordinator working at our Wilmington, DE office, in partnership with JFS of Delaware. I am responsible for outreach efforts in Delaware, and I work with local expectant parents, birthparents and adoptive families as well. As a Certified Doula, I have been supporting families in their birth and postpartum journeys for over five years. In addition to prenatal and delivery support, I offer postpartum care, teach about newborn care, as well as bonding and attachment to both biological families and families formed by adoption. I am excited to have the opportunity to apply my prior experience to the world of adoption, and I am so happy to be a part of the Open Arms team! You can reach me at kbrown@openarmsadoption.net.
Kelly Worrell
Adoption Coordinator
Hi! My name is Kelly Worrell and I am an Adoption Coordinator in our Cherry Hill, New Jersey office. I am a graduate of Rider University with a BA in Sociology. I have been working for Open Arms since 2008 and spend the majority of my time working with birth parents as well as prospective adoptive parents in our program. My previous work experience was adoption related as well. I was employed by DYFS for 4 years where I conducted home studies for prospective foster and adoptive families as well as recruitment.
Shamaine N. Walker
Administrative Coordinator
Hi, my name is Shamaine Walker better known as “Shay” and I am the Administrative Coordinator for Open Arms working out of the Elkins Park office. I have worked as an Administrative Assistant/Coordinator for over 15 years keeping order and bringing organization to such places as WHYY TV12/91FM and Sunoco LP. I am looking forward to bringing my experience and skills to this new journey in the field of adoption. I joined Open Arms in April 2018 and I am super excited to be working with such a great team. You can reach me at swalker@openarmsadoption.net.
Lisa Lavitt
Administrative Coordinator
Hi, my name is Lisa Lavitt and I work with families in the New York area. I work with adoptive families to complete home studies and post placement visits. For the last twenty years, I have worked with children and families, specializing in the areas of foster care, adoption, mental health, child welfare, and the juvenile justice system. I am a licensed social worker and I received my MSW from Columbia University. I am the mother of two children, one of whom joined our family through open adoption. I can be reached at LLavitt@openarmsadoption.net.
Michele Smeal
Adoption Coordinator
Hello! My name is Michele Smeal and I am an Adoption Coordinator with Open Arms working out of our Elkins Park office. I have a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Lock Haven University. I began working at JFCS in 2003, starting out in Foster Care, followed by International Adoption, and ending in Domestic Adoption where I have remained. I am excited about the opportunity to work with Adoptive Families through their homestudy process and to be working with the Open Arms team! I can be reached at mismeal@openarmsadoption.net.
Dori Kavanagh
Adoption Coordinator
Hello! My name is Dori Kavanagh and I am an Adoption Coordinator in our Florham Park office. I work with expectant parents, birth parents and adoptive families. I am passionate about adoption and it is a privilege to be helping Birth Parents, adoptees and parents navigate through their journeys and become the narrators of their stories. I have worked with children and families for over a decade and specialize in complex family building, foster care, infertility, post-partum mental health, transracial adoption and LGBTQ+ families. I am a parent of three girls, one of whom joined our family through adoption. I have a BA in Psychology and a MSW from Hunter College. I also have Post Graduate certifications in both Clinical Social Work from Hunter College and in Adoption from Rutgers University. I can be reached at dkavanagh@openarmsadoption.net.
Susan Meeker
Adoption Coordinator
Hi, my name is Susan Meeker and I am an Adoption Coordinator at our Elkins Park office. I work with expectant parents considering adoption as well as adoptive families. My background includes 25 years of working in the fields of women’s reproductive health/human sexuality, parenting education and child welfare. I received my MSW from Widener University. I am committed to helping women make empowering decisions as well as supporting families in their open adoption journey. I can be reached at smeeker@openarmsadoption.net.
