Support Groups

Michael Ginther (he/him) and his husband Jim (he/him) are white cisgendered gay men who are the adoptive parents of two young adults, one who is Lakota (Native American) and identifies as non-binary (they/them), and one who is African American and identifies as cisgendered and straight (she/her). Their family has been involved with Pact since the children were little. Before quitting to become an at-home parent, Michael worked as a lawyer and law professor.

Beth Hall (she/her) is the white adoptive mother of a Latina daughter and an African American son, both now adults, and grew up with an adopted sister. She co-founded Pact in 1991 to combat the discrimination she witnessed against adopted children of color and their birth families. She is the co-author, with Gail Steinberg, of the book Inside Transracial Adoption (Perspectives Press, 2000, 2nd edition, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2013), as well as numerous articles on adoption and race. She is a nationally known advocate for adopted children of color who regularly lectures and leads workshops on ethical, child-centered, anti-racist adoption.

Susan Dusza Guerra Leksander (she/her), LMFT, is a Latina first mother, transracial domestic adoptee, and licensed psychotherapist who specializes in the adoption and foster care triads, providing treatment and consultations since 2009. When Pact became a licensed full-service adoption agency in 2017, Susan was appointed its founding Agency & Clinical Director, launching Pact’s Center for Race and Adoption Focused Therapy in 2021. She is on the ongoing complex journey of reunion with her first families and the daughter she placed for adoption.

Raquel Vivanco (she/her) is the adoptive mother to two Latin@ persons. Prior to joining the Pact staff, Raquel worked for the Tides Center & Foundation as a project manager and human resources manager, and launched two successful small businesses in Latin America. She has a BA in International Relations from Stanford. Raquel has been an active member of the Pact community for over fifteen years and is deeply dedicated to ethical adoption reform.

Katie Wynen (she/her), MSW, is a transracial, international Colombian adoptee, with a Masters in Social Work. Katie has worked with members of the adoption triad since 2006. She studied under Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao in Boston before moving to Oakland and joining the Pact staff in 2012. Katie works in adoption placement, leads the adult adoptee support groups, and provides adoption education nationwide. Katie is an Angels in Adoption 2019 Recipient from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.