Meet Bryan Carter

Bryan speaks to a guest at the November 23rd Northern Trust event.

Describe your experience with The Cradle and adoption.

My wife Joan brought adoption to my attention after seeing a Cradle commercial.   I never thought about adoption as a means to building a family.  Once we were in the process and completing the paperwork, homework, attending the classes, I realized we are going to be parents!  Guaranteed!  There are couples, individuals who want to be parents and there are children waiting in our nursery.

After our adoption was final, I found myself reflecting on the process and the role The Cradle played in our becoming parents and being able to say we are a family.   While the road to placement can be long, I came to realize that we were well-prepared to be parents and The Cradle was, in large part, responsible.

I also realized that in sharing our story with people – and I share openly – I was becoming a major advocate for adoption and The Cradle.   As I talked about Elaina and the process, I could see the smiles on the faces of my friends, colleagues and acquaintances indicating, to me, that they had heard enough.  I thought, I’m not finished.   I wanted to make sure they understood adoption and how blessed we are to wake up every day with Elaina.

What inspired you to devote this part of your career to adoption?

I am big believer in IMPACT.  Adoption has a positive impact on all parties of the adoption circle (birthmother, child and adoptive parents).  When done properly, as The Cradle has for so many years, I believe adoption works for everyone. 

My wife works in the non-profit arena and I always shared my ideas with her about how to interact with her Board, fundraising events, expectations of the Board, managing her staff, etc.  Now, for some reason, The Cradle e-mails are sent to my wife.  One day she received the e-mail notice about the job at The Cradle and forwarded it with a note – “you might be interested.”  I believe she grew tired of me giving her ideas for her organization.

In my career, I have been fortunate to work for top-tier organizations.  Based on my personal experience and The Cradle’s reputation, that trend is continuing.

Elaina Carter, summer 2009

Why is this important to you?

I have a wonderful daughter and it was possible through adoption and The Sayers Center at The Cradle.  That is the reason adoption is important to me.  I have served in a lot of roles in my professional career; however, I view this as my most important job. 

There is a great need for more African American adoptive parents.  I believe the reason for the shortage of African American adoptive parents is a lack of awareness and misconceptions about adoption.  I plan to take steps to increase the awareness of adoption and The Cradle while clarifying the misconceptions about adoption and bringing more African Americans into the process.

What do you hope to accomplish?

My objective is two-fold:  increase the number of African American adoptive parents and raise money to support The Sayers Center at The Cradle.  I have been meeting with families that adopted through the Sayers Center to introduce myself and share my strategies.  The feedback has been consistent:  1.” Yes, there is a need for more African American adoptive parents and your strategies are on target”; and 2: “I want to support The Sayers Center!”   Of course, I am pleased to hear both replies.   As we are a non-profit organization, financial support is needed and making a gift to The Cradle can have an immediate impact on The Sayers Center.  I want people to understand that when a gift is made to The Cradle, the donor can specify that the funds be used to support The Sayers Center.

Where are you from?

I am from Cleveland and my wife is from Pittsburgh.  If she cared about sports, we would have a problem considering the Cleveland Browns –Pittsburgh Steelers football rivalry.  Although I did not attend Ohio State (I graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland) I am a big Buckeye fan!  So is Elaina.

What do you do in your spare time?

When the weather is nice, I enjoy playing golf.  Now, I watch the Buckeyes and Cavaliers basketball teams, try to repair things around the house and play with Elaina.  I have to get back to exercising!