Heidi Bruegel Cox

Ms. Heidi Cox has served the adoption community as an Executive Vice President with the Gladney Center for Adoption for over 29 years and has impacted thousands of lives – adoptive parents, birth parents and adopted persons. During her tenure, she has worked on legislation in D.C. and in Texas, trying to improve the law and child welfare systems, by advocating to focus more attention on what is best for children. Ms. Cox was appointed to the Adoption Review Committee created by the Texas legislature, to identify obstacles that impede the state’s ability to find permanent placements for children in foster care. Ms. Cox is a dedicated and passionate advocate for women and children, and she remains actively involved in local, national, and international child advocacy efforts.

Ms. Cox received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University. Her undergraduate studies were at Trinity University, earning a B.A. in History with a minor in German. Ms. Cox began her child advocacy while at Trinity, volunteering at the San Antonio Children’s Shelter and Juvenile Detention Center. In law school, she served as a big sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

Ms. Cox served three decades on the NCFA board of directors, including a term as chair from 2020 to 2022, and retired from active board service on April 30, 2024, while remaining as a member of the Government Relations committee.