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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 the non-profit Pact, An Adoption Alliance, in 1991 to combat the discrimination she witnessed against adopted children of color and their birth families. Pact has grown to a national organization that provides lifelong education, support, and community to adopted children of color and their families; it has also become a licensed full-service adoption agency that models and promotes an ethical, child-centered, anti-racist approach to adoption.

Beth Hall, who enjoyed a first career in the fields of molecular genetics and chemistry after receiving her BA from Reed College, is recognized as a national thought leader on the intersection of race and adoption. In 2010 she received the Outstanding Practitioner in Adoption Award from the Adoption Initiative at St. John’s University. She currently serves as a contributing author and member of the content committee of the National Training and Development Curriculum for Adoptive and Foster Parents, and is an Advisory Board Member for the MPower (formerly On Your Feet) Foundation, dedicated to supporting birth mothers of adopted children and adoptive families. She previously served on President Clinton’s Race One America Conversation. Under her leadership, Pact has been awarded four federal grants from the Department of Children, Youth & Families/Children’s Bureau and been selected by the Brookings Institution as one of 25 exemplary, high-performing non-profits in the US.

Beth Hall is the co-author, with Gail Steinberg, of the seminal book Inside Transracial Adoption (Perspectives Press, 2000, 2nd edition, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2013), as well as numerous articles and book chapters on adoption and race. She regularly lectures, leads workshops, and offers consultations not only to families but to authors, researchers, and filmmakers seeking insight on adoption and race.

Beth Hall is available to deliver keynote addresses, workshops or presentations to groups of any size. Below are some topics/keynotes/workshops that she typically presents, but she can also address prepare a customized presentation upon request.

• Inside Transracial Adoption: Supporting children while they make sense of race can feel overwhelming, particularly for white parents. As young people experience both overt and subtle racism, how can adults learn to effectively support adoptees of color? How do white children in transracial families understand race? How do we have courageous conversations about racism that feel empowering rather than depressing? Learn from an experienced adoptive parent and professional whose presentation is filled with real-life stories and practical strategies.
• Talking With (Not To) Your Adopted/Foster Child: This workshop is designed to assist parents in acknowledging the issues common to adoptive and foster families. The tone is empowering and upbeat. The strengths of being an adoptive or foster family will be discussed in terms of the closeness and connected-ness that results from acknowledging the losses that bring our families together. Practical ways to discuss adoption with children will be demonstrated.
• Interracial Families, Interwoven Cultures: Working with Pre-Adoptive or Foster Parents Who Are Considering or Already Parenting Children of Different Races: This workshop focuses on evaluation and assessment issues for professionals workings with families considering transracial adoption. Learn what works and what doesn’t for Black, Latinx, Asian and multiracial children in need of adoptive families and how to evaluate what is sometimes misleading information from clients. Materials have been federally approved for post-MEPA training.
• Attachment: A Lifelong Journey to Promote Connection: Making a transition from one family to another makes attachment a sensitive issue throughout life. Some symptoms of attachment sensitivity in kids are being bossy and controlling, lying, resisting authority, low self-esteem, poor impulse control, and lack of trust. This workshop will describe a continuum of attachment issues and assist participants in understanding strategies that promote secure attachment for children from infancy through adulthood.
• Open Foster and Adoptive Placements: Recognizing that there are no cookie-cutter approaches to building a positive triad relationship, this workshop will address the following questions and more: How can birth family members remain connected to an adopted or foster child without confusing the child? How can complex relationships between adoptive and birth parents be managed for the support of a child? What’s reasonable and how do decisions affect the child? When should a child meet his/her birth family?
• Finding the Balance: Attachment, Baggage, Behavior & Discipline: Finding the balance between teaching children how to behave in appropriate ways both at home and in public and giving them voice to express their feelings about adoption, race and family life presents real challenges for many of us as we seek to be both confidante and disciplinarian. Join Beth for an exploration of research-based insight and practical guidance for adoptive parents in ways that promote ongoing connection between parent and child, while giving parents clarity about how to set appropriate boundaries and guidelines for their children.

To get a flavor of Beth’s presentation style and approach to adoption and race, check out some film clips of her speaking on various topics:

• Privacy & Secrecy in Adoption
• Responding to Questions from Strangers
• Talking about First (Birth) Parents
• Infertility & Adoption
• Advice for Transracial Adopters
• Challenges in Transracial Adoption
• Considering Transracial Adoption – 4 Questions to Ask Yourself

Beth Hall is available to speak nationally. For locations outside the Bay Area, the sponsor is expected to provide transportation (including a pre-paid airline ticket), accommodations, and a per-diem payment on the day of the event. For smaller grassroots organizations, a reduced speaker’s honorarium may be available.

You are welcome to inquire if you are interested in having Beth as a speaker. Please contact beth@pactadopt.org

Following a rigorous search and interview process by Pact’s Board of Directors, Susan Dusza Guerra Leksander has been selected to succeed co-founder Beth Hall as Pact’s next Executive Director. Susan will step into this new role in October 2025.

You can read the Board’s full announcement here, and Susan’s message to the Pact community here.