NCFA Announces New Board Leadership
NCFA is proud to announce newly elected officers of the Board of Directors as well as three new members of the Board.
Heidi Bruegel Cox, J.D., has been elected Chairman for a two-year term. Ms. Cox is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Gladney Center in Fort Worth, Texas, and has worked as an attorney in the field of adoption for 30 years.
Fawn Imboden has been elected Secretary for a two-year term. Ms. Imboden is currently the Vice President and Chief Development Officer at America’s Christian Credit Union.
“Working with Heidi and Fawn on the NCFA Board over many years,” said Dr. Wayne Winston Sharp, outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors, “I have been able to witness firsthand both their deep personal commitment to the cause of adoption and how capably they serve the needs of children, families, and birth parents. I am confident in their vision and leadership to guide NCFA through its landmark 40th anniversary year and into the start of its fifth decade working to find families for all.”
In recognition of more than three decades of service to NCFA and the cause of adoption, Dr. Sharp will continue to serve the cause of adoption as NCFA’s Immediate Past Chair and designated Ambassador for Adoption.
Cori Taylor of New Beginnings Adoption Agency; Kate Trambitskaya of Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children; and Lorna Zimmerman of LDS Family Services were also seated on the Board during the January 2020 Board meeting for three-year terms.
“I’m pleased to have two of NCFA’s founding agencies, Spence-Chapin and LDS Family Services, represented on the Board during this anniversary year, and look forward to Kate and Lorna continuing a 40-year legacy of close collaboration between our organizations. Cori also brings to the Board a wealth of professional and personal experience with adoption, and will bring with her the unique perspective of a small independent agency,” said Chuck Johnson, NCFA President and CEO.
Chairman
Heidi Bruegel Cox, J.D, has served the adoption community as an attorney with the Gladney Center for Adoption for over 29 years and has impacted thousands of lives—adoptive parents, birth parents, and adopted persons. She has served as an appointee to the Adoption Review Committee created by the Texas legislature, working to identify obstacles that impede the state’s ability to find permanent placements for children in foster care. 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.
Secretary
Fawn Imboden is currently the Vice President and Chief Development Officer at America’s Christian Credit Union, overseeing all aspects of ACCU’s business, community, ministry, and staff development; strategic communications; and human resources. She also serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Wesleyan Holiness Connection, on the Life Pacific University Board of Trustees, and as chairperson of the Glendora, California Chamber of Commerce. Prior to her current role at ACCU, she spent 11 years as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Business Affairs at the U.S. Center for World Mission and William Carey International University in Pasadena, CA.
Immediate Past Chair
Wayne Winston Sharp, Ph.D., first became involved with NCFA in 1984 as an adopted person seeking information about his biological family’s medical history, developing a close friendship with NCFA’s co-founder Dr. Bill Pierce. For 20 years, he volunteered his international diplomatic expertise with NCFA, working with Dr. Pierce on the Hague Convention and other intercountry adoption issues. Since joining the Board in 2007, Dr. Sharp has served as Treasurer, Vice Chairman, Chairman Elect, and Chairman. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees at Texas A&M University, and a Doctorate in International Trade and Finance at Michigan State University.
New Board Members
Cori Taylor has been connected to adoption since birth. Adopted from South Korea as an infant, throughout her entire childhood she worked alongside her parents as they served New Beginnings Adoption Agency. She graduated from the University of Mississippi with her master’s degree in Social Work and has served at New Beginnings since 2002, currently as Executive Director.
Kate Trambitskaya oversees administration, programs, and strategic planning at Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children in her role as Chief Executive Officer. She began working at Spence-Chapin in 2012, and previously served as a Senior Team Leader/Attorney for the Family Court Legal Services, Administration for Children’s Services in Brooklyn. Ms. Trambitskaya received a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law.
Lorna Zimmerman graduated from Utah State University and taught junior high school for eight years before obtaining her MSW from the University of Utah. She works with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Family Services, where she has worked for 32 years, currently serving as the Adoption and Single Expectant Parent Specialist.
