Meet Our Staff

IAN has a wonderful team, each of which has experience, knowledge and skills to make your adoption journey as informative and supportive as possible.  We work together as a team and we are all happy to have you working with us through this process.  Your coordinator is always your best resource, but feel free to contact any member of our team for help!

Executive Director

Joan Strauss

Joan developed International Adoption Net in 1999.  She has a passion for helping children and families and creating safe and nurturing homes for children in need around the world.  Joan lives in Denver with her husband, Henry Strauss.  Joan loves to travel and has taken numerous trips to Ethiopia, as well as Nepal, India, Europe and Mexico. She is excited to have such a wonderful staff and group of families working to bring home their children.

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Administrative Assistant

Sylvia Torres

Sylvia has been with IAN for over three years, since March 2008, as Administrative Assistant. She has a AA from University of New Mexico in Business Technology. She enjoys and admires working with adoptive Parents, IAN staff, Social Workers and assisting agencies not only here in Colorado but in other states as well. Sylvia moved here from New Mexico in October of 2007, where she was born and raised. She raised four children and is a grandmother to four wonderful girls, whom she adores.

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ADOPTION COORDINATORS

Your Adoption coordinator is an expert on the adoption process, our coordinators are always happy to help you in any way they can.

Stephanie Siemers, Ethiopia, Post Adoption

Stephanie Siemers is a part time coordinator for IAN. Stephanie has worked for IAN for a number of years and in that time she has learned a great deal about the adoption process, met some wonderful people and works with families from all over the U.S. Stephanie is married and has two boys. Stephanie has lived in Colorado most of her life and her family is very active and loves to water-ski, snow ski, snow mobile and ride quads. They truly enjoy life to the fullest! Stephanie has a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies and has worked with all ages, from infants to the elderly. Stephanie very excited to continue to learn new information pertaining to adoption and to bring more children home to loving families.

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Allison Rodasta, Ethiopia

Allison has been working part time in the Ethiopia program at IAN since November of 2008. Prior to joining IAN Allison worked with birth parents and pregnant teenagers as the client services director at a crisis pregnancy center in Denver. Allison spent ten years out of the workforce raising her own family, however, never got far from her social work roots, always finding ways to serve those in need within her community. Allison is a Colorado native with deep roots. Allison graduated from the University of Colorado, married her high school sweetheart, and they are raising three active young boys and one very lazy Labrador retriever. When Allison is not in the office, you can find Allison exploring Colorado's beautiful hiking trails, digging in her garden, and watching her boys play baseball and football.

Allison's favorite part of her job is helping families answer their call to provide homes to the orphans of the world. Families who work with Allison know that she will insist on holding their babies, playing with their children, and will offer repeatedly to babysit. Allison couldn't imagine a more fulfilling job than being a small part of building families.

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Catherine Dickerson, Ethiopia, Waiting Children and Domestic

Cat Dickerson was born in Longmont, Colorado but moved several times between Colorado and Arizona as her dad worked for IBM. Cat attended the University of Arizona where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Special Education and Rehabilitation with an emphasis in Deaf Studies. After graduating, she worked as a Sign Language Interpreter for children ranging from Kindergarten to College. After several years, she found that she wanted to be more involved with helping people than just interpreting. She changed careers and began working with children involved in Child Protective Services and specialized in the birth – 5 year old population.

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Aneata O’Brien, Ethiopia and Dossier Specialist

Aneata O'Brien has been an Ethiopian Program Coordinator with International Adoption Net since June 2007. In that time she has helped bring home over 100 children to IAN families. Aneata has a huge passion for children and families especially the children of Ethiopia. Her favorite part of the adoption process is getting to know the families along the way and meeting the children when they come home. Aneata has traveled to Ethiopia and worked with our Ethiopian staff and care center. Aneata has also visited the Sidama region where many of IAN's children are from. Aneata has worked in non-profit agencies, all serving children and families, for over 15 years, She studied art history and graphic design and has a bachelors degree in art from California State University Northridge. Aneata has two sons, ages 15 and 20.

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LeeAnn Hanks, Ethiopia

LeeAnn is a part time Ethiopia adoption coordinator from South Dakota.  She holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics Education from South Dakota State University.  LeeAnn has worked with children her entire life and has a deep love for Ethiopia and helping others.  She and her husband Kevin have four wonderful children.  Adopting their youngest child from Ethiopia with the assistance of IAN is one of the greatest things they have ever done.  LeeAnn enjoys sharing her adoption experience with others and encourages people to open their hearts to children in need.

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Casey Howell, Ethiopia and Domestic

Casey has her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Master’s Degree in Counseling. Casey realized at a young age that she wanted to work in the field of adoption. Although she was unsure how this would take place, she worked hard for several years to make her dream a reality. Before coming to IAN, Casey completed her counseling internship at both a crisis pregnancy center and an adoption agency in Colorado Springs, CO. While there, her compassion for orphans and the desire to help them flourished. Her experiences with birth parents and adoptive parents also helped her develop as an adoption coordinator and her passion to unite families has carried over to IAN. Although, she was not born in Colorado, Casey has spent most of her life there. She enjoys the beautiful scenery she sees driving to work every day. When Casey is not in the office, she enjoys spending time outdoors, watching a good movie, and painting.

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Child Placement Supervisor

I am Marci Ascherman have been working in the Adoption field since 2002, and have been the Placement Supervisor at International Adoption Net since 2009. I am the person that reads all of the family’s home studies and approve them. I was a Placement Supervisor and Executive Director of an International Adoption agency in Denver, CO from 2002-2008 pursuing adoptions from Belarus. I have written and read many home studies over the years, and the studies still fascinate me. I am also a Lead Worker at Denver Human Services where I have worked full time for the last 23 years. I work with teenagers and their families, and enjoy the challenges and energy of this job. I attended Western State College in Gunnison, CO and Metro State College in Denver, CO earning a Bachelor of Social Work in 1985. I attended Denver University earning an MSW in 1995. When I am not working I love hanging out with friends, thrift store shopping, bike riding, watching movies, and going out to eat. I enjoy art shows, music and I relish diversity and learning about other cultures, and meeting people in general. I love a good laugh, and cherish my friends and family.

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Social Workers / Home Studies

Brenda Hudson Retrum

Brenda Hudson Retrum has a passion for adoption.  Her life was forever changed by the domestic adoptions of her two children, Jack and Brian.  For the past 20 years, she has worked in domestic and international adoption.  Brenda has completed hundreds of home studies for various countries and the United States.  Working with numerous birth parents over the years has also been a rewarding aspect of her career.

Sylvia Priest

Sylvia Priest is a Social Worker who completes Home Studies for applying families. She has been doing only Adoption work both in the public and private sectors for six years. Prior to that time she worked at Denver Human Services for 27 years in many capacities with adults and children before becoming an Administrator and Social Worker for the Department of Labor and Denver Public Schools based at Manual High. Her education consists of a BS in Psychology, and an MSW and Juris Doctor from Denver University. A long time interest is traveling around the world, having visited over fifty countries. At home she gardens, volunteers, researches family genealogy, needlepoints and knits, and tries to read at least a book a week. She and her husband of 48 years own a small business in the Hilltop/Crestmoor area.

Sheri Ludlam

Sheri Ludlam has been doing home studies and post-adoption reports for International Adoption Net since December 2007. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Colorado Christian University. Sheri has previously worked as a Direct Care Counselor in Massachusetts and as a Child Protection Social Caseworker for the City and County of Denver. She now enjoys working part-time and staying home with her two precious boys, Edward and Henry. Her hobbies include playing with her boys, watching movies, getting together with friends, and going out to eat with her husband, when they get the chance.

Jody Caporaso

Jody has worked as a home study contractor for IAN for three years. Jody has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice. Jody has worked in the field of adoption for over 11 years and it is truly a passion of Jody’s. Jody feels as though adoption is a beautiful way to build a family and enjoys working with and supporting our adoptive family's. Outside of work, Jody enjoys hiking, playing with my son, reading, cooking and spending time with family and friends.

Patrice Elliot

Patrice is a home study contractor for families through IAN. She is retired after 32 years with Denver Juvenile Court and prior to that worked with the Division of Youth Corrections. She obtained a master’s degree from the University of Arizona. She enjoys being able to meet and work with the beautiful and happy families who have been expanded through adoption.

Program Development Specialist

William “Bill” Dickerson

William “Bill” Dickerson was born and raised in Germany as an Army brat to an Army Sergeant and a German Mother who loved it there and never wanted to come back. Bill then spent 10 years in the U.S. Air Force as a C-130 Flight Engineer and decided to get out of the military and work with computers. Bill quickly realized working with people and children was what he really enjoyed doing, so off to college to earn his Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services. Bill has worked in the social work career field in many different aspects ranging from Residential Treatment Facilities to Crisis Work to in home support to Foster Care and Adoption. Bill found working in Foster Care and Adoption was what he really enjoyed. Bill moved to Colorado at the end of 2010 and started working with IAN in 2011. Bill enjoys working with families and helping these wonderful children find their Forever Families.