National Adoption Association (NAA) 2026 National Conference - Boston

Welcome Students, Welcome Back Professionals: 
Summary of Day One Learnings by Kamilah Bunn CEO from the National Adoption Association

 1.0 CE (National Association of Social Workers – NASW)   
Speaker Panel: Susan Devan Harness, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Author, Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption),  Lorraine Brave, MSW Mohawk of the Turtle Clan- people of the Flint (Founder, Brave Transitions, Taylor McClellan, Sac and Fox, Bahkhoje and Mvskole (Independent Consultant and a Member of AdoptUSKids Speakers Bureau), Misty Flowers, Santee Sioux Nation and descendant of the Tlingit of Alaska from the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and Melinda Kline, MSW from AdoptUSKids.[KB1]

Join us for a meaningful dialogue led by Native American elders, mothers, community leaders, and adoptees as they share their wisdom on the vital role of community cultural connections and reconnections. Through stories of mass separations, generational loss, resilience, and reconnections, we will explore what it means to rebuild community and identity in the face of historical trauma.
These sacred teachings from the Native Community will highlight important examples of ways to practice family connection work ethically and effectively today. Current, emerging and new child welfare leaders are invited to listen, learn, and seek guidance from the esteemed speakers on how to improve permanency practices by tapping into the collective wisdom and strength of the first peoples of this land.

Recognizing outstanding practice, people and systems who are fulfilling the NAA philosophy, “adoption is addition, not subtraction. We will honor awardees, enjoy lively table conversation with peers, listen to emerging leader, Rimy Morris from the Collective who will serve as our emcee and hear from nationally recognized speaker, Jodi Hill-Lilly, about how to transform systems with “steady hands and a bold vision.” Plated lunch is provided. You will not want to miss this time to connect and celebrate our work completed and what is to be done!  

Awards Presentation Host: Rimy Morris
Lillian Lansberry Award Recipient: Name from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families
Ujima Impact Award Recipient: Jacqueline Ford from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families
Loperena Excellence in Mentorship Award Recipients:
Maria Gagnon from the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors
Ricardo Franco from the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange
Generosity of Spirit Award Recipient: Dr. Jacqueline Wilson
Former President, National Adoption Association Board of Directors, Former CEO, TRAC Services for Families

“Steady Hands, Bold Vision: Transformational Leadership in Changing Times” Jodi Hill- Lilly, MSW from the Doris Duke Foundation
Lead by former Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families who is now leading Child Well-Being efforts at the Doris Duke Foundation, this interactive keynote invites the audience to consider how to identify one's personal mission and how to not stray from it during changing times. Elevating the tenets of implementation science, Ms. Hill-Lilly will communicate how child welfare leaders should employ specific strategies to address barriers, engage stakeholders, and measure outcomes like feasibility, adoption, and sustainability. Using witty stories, compelling lived experience narratives from her own life's journey, Ms. Hill-Lilly will help attendees adapt to change and continue to transform systems on behalf of the children, youth and families we all serve.