Dixie van de Flier Davis, Ed.D.
Founder and President Emeritus
The Adoption Exchange, Inc.
With a challenge grant of merely $20,000 in 1983, Dr. Dixie van de Flier Davis founded The
Adoption Exchange and later its subsidiary, the Wednesday’s Child Foundation. With
headquarters in Colorado, the organization maintains offices in UT, NM, NV, and MO. Every
year its Education Center and its National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at
AdoptUSKids (a service of the Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services) provides training and consultation over 7,000 families and professionals. The Adoption
Exchange creates opportunities for the exchange of professional perspectives and peer-to-peer
learning at the local, national and international levels. It has helped facilitate over adoptions for
over 7,434 American foster children. and provides expertise and support before, during and after
adoption.
Adoptive families world-wide and member states of OK, UT, CO, WY, NV, MO, NM and SD
utilize the broad range of services of The Adoption Exchange to recruit and sustain families for
children in foster care, providing expertise and support before, during and after adoption.
The Adoption Exchange was one of the first US agencies to begin working with institutionalized
children and child welfare colleagues in Romania in 1990. Dr. van de Flier Davis created a
professional exchange, helping representatives of the Romanian government to build capacity of
child care professionals to provide needed services and insure permanent families in-country.
The organization boasts one of the longest lasting media partnerships (30 years running
Wednesday’s Child weekly on the same major TV network news station). It now runs
Wednesday’s Child on four major network stations and two Spanish speaking stations.
An innovator, Dr. van de Flier Davis has contributed to the field in the following ways:
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Current President, Board of the national Adoption Exchange Association
One of the originating partners and the Principal Investigator of the national Collaboration
to AdoptUSKids, a service of the Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of HHS
Pioneered the development of a network of collaborating organizations to serve military
families, as well as Americans and non-Americans living abroad, 1990-present
Honorary member of National Association of State Adoption Programs, 2007-08
President of University Hills Rotary Club, 2006-07
Member of Lt. Governor Jane Norton’s 2005 Committee to Promote Adoption (Colorado)
Founding member and Past President of Voice for Adoption, a national advocacy
organization
Speaker and published writer on ethics, technology, and other issues in adoption
Twice weekly adoption blogs, appearing on www.adoptionlivestransformed.org
Award winning author, Adoption: Stories of Lives Transformed, published 2008
Dr. Davis has served on numerous expert work groups and state and national advisory
committees:
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Department of Justice
Department of Health & Human Services
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
American Public Human Services Association
Child Welfare League of America
National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption
National Advisory Committee on improving implementation of inter-jurisdiction
placement of children
Colorado Nonprofit Association
Her accomplishments have garnered Dr. van de Flier Davis the following awards:
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Award for Adoptions Across Boundaries, Voice for Adoption, 2013
Lewis Hine Award, presented by the National Child Labor Committee, New York, 2011
William Funk Award for Building Better Communities, presented by the Colorado
Nonprofit Association, 2011
IPPY, national Independent Publisher Book Award for Adoption: Stories of Lives
Transformed, 2008
Bronze Medal Winner for nonfiction, EVVY Award, presented by the Colorado
Independent Publishers for Adoption: Stories of Lives Transformed, 2008
Adoption Excellence Award for Individual Contributions, Children’s Bureau, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 2008
Child Advocate of the Year Award, presented by the North American Council on
Adoptable Children, 2007
Wednesday’s Child Award, presented by The Adoption Exchange, 2003
Tower of Compassion Award, presented by Longmont Rotary, 2002
The Adoption Exchange, Inc.
14232 E. Evans Ave.
Aurora, CO 80014
USA
Telephone: +303-755-4756
Direct:
+303-356-7356
website: www.adoptex.org
email: dixie@adoptex.org