Advocates For Children and Families (ACF)

ACF is a licensed adoption agency and the ACF staff is comprised of adoption attorneys, licensed mental health professionals and support staff who are specially trained in the field of adoption. The well-being of children is ACF's priority, and our mission is to provide assistance to people creating new family relationships through adoption. A recognized charity under the federal tax code, ACF accepts tax deductible donations.

Ginger Allen, Attorney at Law, Executive Director

A co-founder of Advocates for Children and Families (ACF) has assisted hundreds of birth and adoptive families since 1992. Ms. Allen limits her practice solely to adoption law, and is a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and the Florida Adoption Council. She is an adoptive parent.

Yakima Palmero, Assistant Executive Director - Administration

Yakima Palmero has been in the field of adoption for over 15 years.  She plans, coordinates, and prioritizes tasks involving agency administration, advertising and marketing, as well as financial management.   Another major function of Yakima’s position is to coordinate the home study workload of the agency. Her dedication and experience allows ACF to respond efficiently and professionally to all of our client’s needs.    

Yazmin Rodriguez, Assistant Executive Director - Legal

Yazmin Rodriguez has been working in the field of adoption for over 15 years.  Her primary function is to prioritize legal and case management workload in various procedural stages of adoption.  She works independently, supervises and delegates work to other staff members. She is also available outside of regular business hours to respond to emergency calls and new clients.  Yazmin’s commitment, professionalism and expertise are invaluable assets to this agency.    

Stacey Levine, LMHC – Social Work Supervisor

Stacey Levine, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, has been working in adoptions for 10 years. She works with birth parents and adoptive parents, doing family home studies, parent training, counseling, and facilitating matches between birth and adoptive families.

Meg Pringle, Adoption Caseworker

Meg Pringle has been working closely with birth mothers for many years. She does initial screenings, provides support to birth parents and adoptive parents throughout the process, and facilitates meetings and post adoption communication and reunions.

Nika Knowles, Administrative Assistant

Nika Knowles assists with grant applications and fundraising efforts and is responsible for the administrative procedures supporting these programs. She provides support on all administrative and adoption procedures and the processing of Medicaid and medical records. Nika's organizational skills and commitment to the programs are valuable assets to the agency's operation.

Laurie Slavin, Founder