Ryan Hanlon on Adoption, the National Council for Adoption, and the Importance of Families
Adoption didn’t used to be a matter of significant controversy. Public and private adoption agencies worked diligently to place children needing families with those who wanted to love them. Private adoptions often happened without a hitch.
These days, adoption has been caught up, at least to some degree, in the culture wars surrounding abortion and gay rights. Adoption of children from foreign countries also sometimes gets caught up in disputes among nations, leaving wanted children unadopted and yearning parents heartbroken. But we all need families. There are still children desperately needing permanent and loving homes in which to grow up and thrive.
Adoption is an important issue about which more information needs to be known. So, in this episode of Humanize, Wesley explores the issue from all angles, including those involving controversial areas, such as those touching on LGBT issues as well as inter-racial adoption, and the abortion issue. It is an extremely informative conversation with one of the nation’s premier experts on adoption that anyone interested in adoption and the families that benefit from opening their hearts to children will want to hear.
Ryan Hanlon is Acting CEO and President of the National Council for Adoption where he oversees NCFA’s educational projects, including the annual National Adoption Conference for adoption professionals, and online educational programs, training, and resources. He also leads NCFA’s research initiatives, and our federal legislative and policy work. Additionally, Ryan serves as liaison to NCFA’s members including adoption service providers and adoption attorneys across the United States.
Hanlon came to NCFA with over thirteen years of experience as an adoption professional. Prior to NCFA, he served as the Executive Director of a Hague-accredited agency that focuses on both domestic and intercountry adoption. He has experience serving as a foster care caseworker as well as with child protective services. In the field of adoption, Ryan has been a speaker at national conferences, and has worked on accreditation issues and state licensing matters.
After receiving his B.A., Hanlon earned a MA in Liberal Arts, a MS in Nonprofit Management, as well as a Master of Social Work degree. He earned a PhD in social work from The Catholic University of America. He has served as a social work field instructor and an adjunct professor of social work to both undergraduate and graduate students.