National Council For Adoption Announces Adoption Hall of Fame 2025 Honorees

Alexandria, VA — The staff and board at National Council For Adoption (NCFA) are pleased to announce that Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Naomi Schaefer Riley, and June Dorn are our 2025 Adoption Hall of Fame honorees.

Sen. Kevin Cramer is co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption and a long-time adoption proponent, championing multiple pieces of adoption-related legislation during his time in both the House and Senate. For Sen. Cramer, adoption is personal, as he is an adoptive dad to three sons.

“Sen. Cramer is a relentless adoption champion, having worked for years to restore partial refundability to the adoption tax credit,” says Carolyn Bolton, advocacy manager for National Council For Adoption. “He is also working to prohibit unlicensed adoption intermediaries from preying on vulnerable expectant women and prospective adoptive families. We are grateful for his leadership.”

Rep. Don Beyer, like Sen. Cramer is also an adoptive dad and a member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. What’s more, he’s a long-time champion of a refundable adoption tax credit and other adoption-focused priorities. For example, in 2023, he joined congressional colleagues in demanding humanitarian parole for children orphaned during the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Rep. Don Beyer is a steadfast supporter of the adoption community, lending his support to a variety of initiatives benefiting vulnerable children at home and abroad,” says Megan Judt, director of development at National Council For Adoption. “We are grateful for his support—past and present—and look forward to many more legislative partnerships in the years to come.”

Naomi Schaefer Riley is a senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute and a longtime child-welfare advocate. Her recent book, “No Way to Treat a Child,” documents the way bureaucracy within the child-welfare system often traps children during their most developmentally fragile years and offers ways to flip the script for the sake of children.

“Naomi is laser-focused on building a child-welfare system that puts children first,” says Ryan Hanlon, president and CEO of National Council For Adoption. “We’re fortunate to have her scholarship as she charts a better way forward for vulnerable children trapped for too long in temporary care instead of home with a loving, permanent family.”

June Dorn recently retired from years of service as national adoption specialist at the Children’s Bureau, an agency within the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services. Throughout her career at HHS, June consulted on many adoption-focused projects that helped eliminate barriers to adoption.

“We’re delighted to honor June with induction into the Adoption Hall of Fame,” says Hanlon. “Her thoughtful collaboration with the adoption community, states and tribes helped many children and families in need. In fact, we were sad to see her leave HHS but can’t thank her enough for her lifetime of public service."

Honorees will be recognized and celebrated at a ceremony and reception on Wednesday, November 19th in Washington, D.C. Every year since 1982, NCFA recognizes those who have made significant contributions to building a culture that supports all members of the adoption community.

The roll of past honorees includes presidents, members of Congress, business and philanthropic leaders, child-welfare professionals, and others who have made significant contributions to strengthening adoption and providing children in need with a loving, permanent family.

Partnering with NCFA to make this evening possible are gold sponsors Dr. and Mrs. Wayne and Linda Sharp, Cal and Sally Simmons; silver sponsors One More Child, the Firschein family and the Russell Group; and bronze sponsors Center for Adoption Support and Education and the National Beer Wholesalers Association. The host committee includes Thorn Run Partners, Sparacino PLLC and Debbie Riley. Sponsorships are still available; learn more and register for the event at adoptioncouncil.org/ahof/.

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ABOUT NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION

Founded in 1980, NCFA is a leading voice for adoption and committed to the belief that every child deserves to thrive in a nurturing, permanent family. NCFA’s nonprofit work promotes a culture of adoption through education, research, advocacy and collaboration that aims to serve children, expectant parents, birth parents, adopted individuals, adoptive families, and adoption professionals. Visit our website at www.adoptioncouncil.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Carolyn Bolton
(703) 299-6633
cbolton@adoptioncouncil.org

EVENT CONTACT
Megan Judt
(703) 299-6633 mjudt@adoptioncouncil.org