Affiliate Staff

Greg Rausch is the married father of five children, three of whom are adopted. Greg began pursuing certification as an adoption assessor in 2007 following a post-placement report with his family’s social worker during their first adoption. Greg had been looking for a way to utilize his skills in the social work field in a way that directly glorified God and impacted the Kingdom. He has enjoyed his work with families immensely and considers it a great honor to be able to join with families on their journey to adoption. Greg knows the family is uniquely designed by God and that every child belongs in a loving family. His goal is to provide the highest quality home study coordination to ease the journey as much as possible for families who undertake the daunting but rewarding adoption path.

Greg earned his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Kentucky in 1996 and has worked professionally with youth and their families since then in various capacities. When not engaged in a professional role, Greg values spending time with his family, being outside whenever possible, and remaining active.

Ernie Rivera has been involved in various social service settings since 2008. Initially, he provided intensive case management services to families of children with behavioral and mental health challenges. Later, he worked with immigrant and refugee children and teenagers, offering home study and post-release case management services.

Since 2014, Ernie has obtained a Master’s degree in Human Services, specializing in Marriage and Family Counseling. He is currently dedicated to full-time ministry, where he continues pursuing his passion for helping families achieve healing and wholeness. He is excited to collaborate with AWAA in serving families in New Jersey.

Sunny Taylor has worked in the social work setting, specifically with children, for many years. She started her career working child abuse and neglect investigations for the Children’s Division. She then returned to school to get her master’s degree and elementary teaching license. She taught in the public school setting for 9 years, which was very rewarding, but she greatly missed helping families in need. In 2017, she took a position at Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, training and working with foster families on implementing TBRI skills into their daily lives. She currently trains and licenses foster families in the Southwest area. She loves seeing how God has guided so many families to children and parents in need.

She enjoys spending her free time with her husband, Trey, their two large dogs, and their three-year-old daughter. They love going to the lake, family walks, and being on my in-law’s farm.  My husband and I have been fostering for over 6 years. They have fostered many children and witnessed God’s grace and mercy in helping families reunite. Adoption has touched her life personally; in 2022 she and her husband adopted their daughter, whom they have had since birth. The process of adoption can be exciting and challenging. She feels her personal experience has helped her better understand and guide America World families so they do not feel alone in the process.

As the Minnesota Director of Social Services, Megan oversees the social services components in the state of Minnesota. She also completes home studies and post-placement reports, and she supervises Minnesota’s home study coordinators.

Megan received a B.S. in Social Work from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and an M.S. in Child & Family Studies from St. Cloud State University.  In addition, she is also a TBRI practitioner.  Megan has experience working in child protection, children’s mental health, early childhood family education, and adoption. She has enjoyed serving families in every capacity, though seeing how God orchestrates families’ adoption stories is her favorite.  Megan enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and enjoying the lake. Megan and her husband Ian are blessed to have 4 children, 2 biological and 2 through international adoption from Liberia.

After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, Lyn spent 6 years teaching English to at-risk middle schoolers. She then got a job at a ropes course facility, where she helped develop a drug prevention program to take into the schools. Eventually, she transitioned to the field of Christian camping, where she facilitated backpacking therapy trips for troubled youth, led adventure trips for foster kids and church youth groups, and finally became the Outdoor Education Director at a camp in Colorado where she met her husband.

Lyn and her husband have five children, three of whom were adopted from China through America World. Not long after their last adoption, Lyn received an unexpected blessing when her social worker called to ask her if she was interested in applying for his job when he retired. She is currently serving as the Social Services Coordinator for the Virginia office and continuing her job as a home study coordinator.

Lyn is grateful for the opportunity to walk her families through the adoption process and meet their beautiful children once they come home. When not working or homeschooling her kids, she enjoys reading, teaching Bible studies, and playing with her grandson.

Jennifer Knight is an adoption professional with 15 years of experience across domestic waiting child, domestic infant, and international adoption.  She is also an adult adoptee, bringing a lifetime of personal experience into her interactions with adoptive families.  After a mid-life career change to pursue a Masters in Social work, Jennifer launched a small non-profit providing social services for families interested in adopting waiting children from the foster care system.  In addition to her work in adoption, Jennifer has experience as a mental health therapist for children and adolescents with a history of trauma.  Jennifer joined America World Adoption Association in 2020 and currently serves as the Director of Social Services for the state of Ohio as well as the Post Adoption Program Director.

Amy began working with America World’s China program in 2004. Through her role in this program, she had the opportunity to travel to China with a large group of adoptive families to witness their adoption process. Shortly thereafter, she visited several orphanages in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda. Working with adoptive families and spending time with orphans deepened her passion for orphan care and adoption.

Since 2004, Amy has worked on and off in varying capacities at America World, depending on her season of life. She is excited to serve as Virginia and Maryland’s Social Services/Post Adoption Coordinator. Amy also serves as a Home Study Coordinator for the Northern Virginia area and enjoys meeting with adoptive families and conducting post-adoption visits.

Amy obtained her Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!). Her husband Justin serves as a pastor in the Northern Virginia area, and you can usually find them on the ball field or cheering on the Washington Nationals with their 4 energetic kids!  Amy also loves to spend time with friends, family, neighbors, and her church community.

Amber is a home study coordinator and a licensed social worker. She is passionate about supporting and helping families as they expand through adoption. Amber has personal and professional experience with adoption. Her parents were foster parents for several years and ultimately adopted a daughter. Amber also worked in child welfare for over 5 years and has experience working with children and families through the foster and adoption process.

Amber and her husband are blessed with 4 children and a 5^th on the way. They love spending time together as a family, playing outdoors, going to different places, or relaxing at home.

Tim is a Home Study Coordinator in Central Minnesota and a licensed Elementary/Reading Teacher. He’s been working with families and children for over 30 years.

In 2003, he moved with his wife and five children to China to work in an orphan-care facility. They started by providing foster care for special-needs orphans and later managed week-long camps for children living in state-run orphanages. They were so moved by these little ones that they adopted three of them.

Toward the end of his tenure in China, he worked as a Home Study Provider for American families living in China who were adopting children. They returned to the U.S. in 2017 and continue to advocate for adoption. He provides trauma-informed training for families and caregivers as a Trust Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) Practitioner. He is also honored to work with America World in a setting that promotes the welfare of vulnerable children and families with wisdom from a Biblical worldview.

He lives in Big Lake, Minnesota, and loves being the father of eight kids, three of whom are adopted. He has five (soon to be seven) grandchildren and relishes every moment he spends with them. He looks forward to working with families who are walking the adoption journey and providing the support they need before, during, and after their adoptions are complete.

Jacquelyn graduated from the University of South Florida with a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling in 1997 and has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) for 20 years. She has a diverse background in Adoption, both domestic and international. She also has experience working for the Department of Children & Families in both Foster Care and Mental Health Programs.

Jacquelyn resides in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and two children, a daughter in her senior year of college and a son who is a freshman in college. Their family enjoys outdoor activities, traveling, and spending time with their three pets.

Dayna is a Home Study Assessor in her hometown of Cincinnati. She has always been passionate about God’s plan for adoption and has experience in various social work fields, including foster care, domestic adoption, and mental health services. She loves working with families on adoption through America World in southwest Ohio.

Dayna and her husband have three children and enjoy being outside with them. They love spending time in our beautiful city, exploring new restaurants, attending sporting events, and retreating to local parks for walks and hiking.

Allison attended the University of Northwestern – St. Paul, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology. She then completed a Master of Science at South Dakota State University in Counseling, Human Development, and School Counseling. Allison has been licensed as Professional Clinical Counselor in Minnesota since 2015. She works full-time as an Outpatient Psychotherapist with special focuses on treating trauma and postpartum mental health.

Allison and her husband have been delighted to grow their family with three children so far: one adopted from India through the America World program, and the other two by birth. Allison has been passionate about adoption since childhood. Having personally experienced God’s redeeming love through adoption, she is thrilled to help other families on that journey.

In her free time, Allison enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors, volunteering, painting, reading, and playing the sport of curling.

Katherine was drawn to the field of adoption because she experienced the joy of adoption within her own family.  Her parents also became licensed foster parents, and she was deeply impacted by having foster siblings periodically while growing up. Prompted by the desire to work in foster care or adoption, she obtained a Bachelor of Social Work from Harding University in Arkansas and then a Master of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. She previously enjoyed working in domestic adoption before working with families pursuing international adoptions. She has been privileged to work with America World families throughout the past 20 years and has felt blessed to be a part of the adoption process for so many children and parents. Katherine lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with her husband and three children. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, crafting, and reading.

As Director of Social Services for Tennessee, Elizabeth works with families through the home study and post-adoption process. She strives to help adoptive parents feel supported and connected throughout their adoption. She has worked in school social work, juvenile court, and adoption.

She passionate about adoption and feels blessed to work for America World. Elizabeth has a Bachelor of Science in Social Work and a Master’s in Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee. She enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with friends, family, and taking her dog for walks at the park.

Hello from the Keystone State! I have been with America World since 2018 and it has truly been a blessing.

What I love most is getting to know families who want to adopt domestically or internationally. My favorite part of the job is seeing the adopted child with their new family during the post-adoption visits!

I received my degree in Sociology from Temple University. I have always had a passion for working with children, at-risk youth, and families. I have professional work experience in the areas of adoption, foster care, child protective services, behavioral health, and mental health.

Hello, my name is Shanny Gelso. I have experience in corrections, mental health services, social work, and child welfare.  I love working with domestic foster and adoptive families and have just started working with America World this year.

I’m excited to get to work with the wonderful families who adopt through America World.  I am married to my high school sweetheart, and we have two children.  I enjoy reading, traveling, playing with our dogs, and time at the lake.

I am thrilled to be a part of the Ohio team as a Home Study Coordinator.  I am a licensed social worker and have been working as an international adoption specialist for the past 6 years.  God truly gave me a job that fulfills my passion to serve children who are in need of loving families.

My husband and I have been blessed with 9 children,  5 of which have been adopted internationally, and we have 6 years of experience serving children in foster care.  Through our foster and adoption journey, we have been humbled and challenged and yet God has been faithful and taught us so much.  I feel my own personal experiences fill me with compassion and discernment as I seek to educate, assess and support families.

Hello from the waving wheat fields of Oklahoma!  I am a Home Study Coordinator in the NW part of Oklahoma! I have worked for America World since 2012 and in the field of private adoptions since 1996.  I hold a Master’s of Education from Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

My social service experience began with the State of Oklahoma as a Child Welfare Specialist.  My husband and I have four children: 3 as biological gifts from God and one who entered our hearts first as a foster child prior to our adoption of him.  We fostered for 11 years and gained 28 additional children into our hearts through this process.

I enjoy the connections I make with adoptive families and love being a resource that families can reach out to share joys and ask questions.

Karine received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Bethel College and has worked in the adoption field for over 20 years.  She lives in a Minneapolis suburb and enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and photography.

Karine and her husband Jason have 3 children, two of whom joined their family through adoption. Karine has a heart for adoption and feels blessed to be able to work with families throughout their adoption journey.