“The gift of adoption is watching a little boy named Henry develop into a thriving two year old in just a little over a month after his arrival home to the US! He is now healthy, walking and already speaking many words of English and Chinese! We are very grateful to the Gift of Adoption for helping make Henry's journey to the US become a reality! What a difference you have made in a little boy's life.”
Jennifer (adopted Henry in 2008)
Gift of Adoption is committed to organizational efficiency. To that end, Gift of Adoption employs only four staff members. Meet our dedicated and talented staff:
- Pam Devereux, CEO, pdevereux@giftofadoption.org
Prior to joining Gift of Adoption, Pam served as Executive Director of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois, Chief Sales Officer for Zurich Direct, and Assistant Director within Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services practice. Pam is a Chicago native with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and a Master of Arts degree in Industrial Relations from Loyola University of Chicago. She resides with her daughter in Northbrook, Illinois.
- Shaneetra Gross, Director of Grants and Administration, sgross@giftofadoption.org
Shaneetra brings 17 years of administrative experience to GOA. Prior to joining GOA in 2007, she worked for SBI and Company where she held a variety of positions including Facilities Manager, HR Manager, and Business Unit Accounting Manager.
- Brian M Murphy, COO, bmurphy@giftofadoption.org
Brian joined the GOA staff as the Director of Programs and Marketing in 2007. Prior to joining the GOA staff, Brian served in a variety of positions at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois, most recently as the Director of Program Services for five years. Brian also served as Treasurer on the Gift of Adoption of Illinois Board of Directors for two years prior to joining the staff team.
- Laura Youngberg, Chapter and Administrative Services Coordinator, lyoungberg@giftofadoption.org
Laura joined the GOA staff in 2012 as Chapter and Administrative
Services Coordinator. She has over ten years of experience working with
educational, non‐governmental, and religious organizations. She has
served in multiple positions within non‐profit organizations; including managing daily operations, creating and delivering leadership
training, and collaborating with volunteers and board members.
