Our Staff

Alaina Springer, LCSW-C, Executive Director & adoption social worker

Alaina Springer, LCSW-C is a licensed clinical Social Worker in the State of Maryland.  She received her master’s degree from the University of Maryland’s School of Social Work in 2000, with a specialization in clinical services to families and children.  She has worked in a variety of settings providing services to troubled families and youth through case management, therapeutic crisis intervention, psychiatric rehabilitation, family and individual therapy, and psychiatric evaluations.  Alaina joined Global Adoption Services, Inc. in 2012 as an adoption social worker and became the Executive Director in 2015.  She is the proud parent of a beautiful young lady adopted through the foster care system in Baltimore City.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading, shopping, theatre, home improvement and landscaping projects, and spending time with her husband and daughter, dog, two cats, and nine chickens.

judy williams, founder, foreign programs coordinator & office manager

As a foster and adoptive parent, Judy has always felt called by her faith to improve the lives of children everywhere. She has been a registered nurse for more than 50 years, including as an Army nurse on active duty and US Army Reserves, the Indian Health Service, and the VA Health Service. Judy established Global Adoption Services because she believes that every child deserves to live in a loving home. She understands that the adoption process is challenging, and she strives to offer close, personal service to every client.
 

Stephanie Atkinson, Administrative assistant

Stephanie received her Bachelor’s degree in 1993 from Stevenson University with a major in Paralegal Studies.  She has enjoyed a career as a litigation paralegal for 27 years and has worked for a law firm in Baltimore since 1995.  Stephanie, and her husband Jeff, began their family by adopting their 2 boys from Russia through Global in 2003.  With knowledge and experience from her own adoption, as well as her organizational strengths and analytical skills gained as a paralegal, Stephanie was asked to join Global in 2004 to assist clients with the paperwork requirements for a home study and/or dossier. Over the years, her role has transitioned more toward the administrative side of operations including overseeing licensing and accreditation, documentation, regulatory compliance and reporting requirements, and assisting with daily administrative tasks.  Stephanie is an avid reader and enjoys traveling with family and friends, watching her sons play lacrosse, and playtime with their 2 lovable Labrador Retrievers.

shelley bedford, adoption administrator

Shelley Bedford has been providing support services to Global families since 2016. Shelley’s extensive knowledge about children and international adoption comes from her unique background. Shelley received her bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama in 1999. She has worked in the international adoption field since 2008 advocating for children with special needs and assisting families in adopting from Ukraine, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Shelley maintains our waiting children files, postings, and inquiries and manages our Social Media groups and pages. She supports families by assisting with dossier and document preparation and by coordinating travel.   Shelley has 10 children of her own, seven of whom were adopted from Eastern Europe. Shelley has extensive personal and professional knowledge in dealing with medical, cognitive, and behavioral special needs. She is actively involved in the adoption community as both a parent and professional. 

barry williams, founder, director of agency support services

Barry Williams is one of the founding members of the agency and an adoptive parent. Barry volunteers as the treasurer of the Board of Directors for Global Adoption Services and provides a variety of services to the Agency, such as IT, financial, website, and telecommunications support, just to name a few. He retired in 2019 after 21 years on active duty with the U.S. Army and another 25 years as a researcher at a DOD laboratory. Barry enjoys singing with his church choir, acting in an amateur theater troupe, and attending concerts at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

paula nash, LCSW-C, Adoption social worker

Paula M. Nash, LCSW-C  holds a master’s degree from the University of Maryland at Baltimore and has been a licensed clinical social worker in Maryland for over 25 years.  She has been working with Global Adoption Services since 2006 and has partnered with many families for domestic and international home studies and post-placement support and reporting.  Paula has been with the Harford County Health Department for over 25 years and is currently the director of an adolescent psychiatric day program.  Paula is experienced in child development, attachment, trauma, psychotherapy, and behavioral health.   In her free time, Paula enjoys spending time with her family including her three grandchildren, traveling, hiking, reading and cooking.

amy meyerl, LCSW-C, adoption social worker

Amy earned her BSW at Juniata College in 1989 and received her MSW from the University of Maryland at Baltimore in 1991. She has 30+ years of experience in
child welfare working with children who have history of trauma, disabilities, and living in foster care. Amy has been with Global since 2015 where she does home studies, recruits families in need of a home study, and reaches out to families who have recently returned home with their adopted child(ren) to offer post-adoption information, resources, advice, and support. In her spare time Amy enjoys spending time with her three daughters and their dog.