An Announcement from the NCFA Board of Directors

Alexandria, VA — It is with mixed emotion that we announce that the National Council for Adoption’s (NCFA) President and CEO Ryan Hanlon has informed us of his intent to depart the organization to take another position that will enable him to continue his mission to improve the lives of children and families.

Hanlon joined NCFA in 2017 as Vice President of Education, Research, and Constituent Services and was promoted to President and CEO in May 2022. During his time at NCFA, Hanlon has served the organization with utmost dedication, devotion, and professionalism. He has been a trusted leader, serving as an influential and respected authority on international adoption, foster to adoption, and infant adoption, and he has served as a tireless advocate on Capitol Hill, where he gave voice to policy issues, reminding lawmakers that every policy is about people, including the Adoption Tax Credit. Hanlon also led the organization’s education, research, communication, and budgetary priorities.

NCFA firmly believes every child, everywhere, has the right to thrive in a nurturing, permanent family, and together, we can create change that makes that right a reality for more children. Board Chair, Andrea Vavonese, noted, “Ryan is guided by this mission daily in both his personal and professional life. He has positively impacted countless lives in his career as an adoption professional and at NCFA. We know that he will continue to advocate for children, families, and adoption and that he will expand opportunities to improve outcomes for children in his new role.”

In the coming days, NCFA will begin a national search to identify the right candidate to fill this important role. We look forward to sharing updates as soon as decisions are made.  Please direct questions or candidates to contact@adoptioncouncil.org.

The Board has appointed Amy Wolfe, currently Vice President of Operations, as Interim CEO upon Hanlon’s departure, with assistance from NCFA staff and with the full support of the Board of Directors. The entire NCFA team is grateful to our members, partners, donors, allies, and friends for their support as we continue to fulfill our vital mission during this time of transition.

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About National Council For Adoption

Founded in 1980, NCFA is a leading authoritative voice for adoption and is passionately 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, adoptees, adoptive families, adoption professionals, policymakers, and all others impacted by adoption. adoptioncouncil.org