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| Sunny Ridge Family Center is licensed as a child welfare agency by the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (#019976), and by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Family and Children, as a child placing agency. |
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| See a complete staff directory. | |
 |  Jim Erickson, MA, ACSW, LCSWVice President for Programs Jim brings over 35 years of experience to Sunny Ridge as a professional social worker. He has held clinical and administrative positions in both the private and public sectors in agencies serving children, families, and adults in the mental health and child welfare field. Jim is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the State of Illinois. Jim received his Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. |
 | Becky MacDougall, MSW, LCSW Director of Domestic Adoption & Birth Parent Services Becky is a licensed clinical social worker with a Master of Social Work degree from Jane Addams College of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts from Bethel College in St Paul in MN. Since 1983 Becky has counseled birth parents and their families, conducted home studies and post-placement services, and educated the community on open adoption and other adoption issues. She facilitates the relationship between birth and adoptive parents working together for the best interests of the child. She is currently responsible for the coordination of the Domestic program. Becky and her husband are the parents of three children and have personally experienced open and transracial adoption. |
 | Katie Graham, BA Birth Parent Services Katie combines her education, service experience, and personal experience as a birth mother to work with hospitals, pregnancy resource centers and other community agencies in reaching out to more birth mothers. When she isn't on the road, Katie provides administrative support to our birth parents and social workers. Katie has provided education on various topics related to adoption and the experience of being a birth parent since 1998. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a major in Applied Psychology. |
 | Gayle Timmer-Podowski, MS |
 | Linda Segler, BS |
 | Vanessa Maxwell, BSW, LSW Social Worker, Adoption/ Birth Parent Services Vanessa holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Social Work from Loyola University School of Social Work and is a Licensed Social Worker. Vanessa has worked in the social work field for over 20 years, with 16 of those years concentrated in the area of adoption. Vanessa views her profession as her passion and ministry. At Sunny Ridge, she educates and prepares adoptive families during the home study process, and provides post-placement monitoring and support. Vanessa also counsels and supports birthparents as well as facilitates the relationship between birth and adoptive families. Providing training and education to crisis pregnancy centers, schools, other professionals and the general public about adoption along with facilitating training and educating for parents seeking to adopt transracially, is a role she also enjoys. |
 | Sharon Wolgemuth, MSW, LCSW Social Worker, Adoption/ Birth Parent Services Sharon is a licensed clinical social worker with a Masters in Social Work degree. Since 1994 Sharon has counseled birth parents and their families, and conducted home studies and post-placement services. Sharon enjoys long term relationships with many birth parents she has worked with and works together with birth parents to educate others on openness. She facilitates the relationship between birth and adoptive parents working together for the best interests of the child. |
 | Marie Slater |