About Us - Commonwealth Adoptions, Inc.

Commonwealth Adoptions specializes in helping children find safe, loving homes through full service domestic and international adoption.

Commonwealth Adoptions currently assists families to adopt children from USA, Russia, China, Colombia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, India, Vietnam, Ukraine, Taiwan, Nepal and Brazil!

Imagine this: families from Florida adopting from the USA, families from Colorado adopting from Colombia, families from Puerto Rico adopting from Russia, families from Wisconsin adopting from Kazakhstan. All this happens at Commonwealth Adoptions! We help families from all over the U.S. as well as U.S. military families stationed overseas!

Families come to Commonwealth Adoptions with a vision of fulfilling their dream of a family. The Commonwealth Adoptions team has a shared commitment with families to help them fulfill their dream. We believe that family is what you choose it to be. We believe that adoption is not only one of the best choices possible for creating your family -- it makes us all ONE family.

Commonwealth combines years of adoption expertise with a supportive adoptive parent education program, assistance throughout the paper chase and travel guides for your stateside or international journey. We have earned an excellent reputation as leaders in the field.

Commonwealth Adoptions places hundreds of children with loving families every year. Our mission is to work together to find loving homes and families for as many children as possible.

This is why we need you!

How It All Started

Commonwealth was founded at the very beginning of Russian adoption in 1993.

Marina Mayhew, originally from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, is the Executive Director. Marina oversees more than one hundred international and US staff -- all dedicated to making your adoption possible.

Commonwealth Adoptions now works with over twelve nations, all with different laws, all with different children. We are truly experts at negotiating the complexities of both domestic and international adoption! Compare the experience and credentials of our staff with other agencies and you'll see the difference.

Marina is also an adoptive parent, as are many of the Commonwealth Adoptions staff. They understand the decisions involved in adoption -- the yearning, the hope, the challenge of putting your trust into other hands. We are professionals, driven by our mission and an abiding respect for the value of family. We will make your dream a reality.

Meet the staff

	Marina Mayhew, MBA, is Commonwealth’s dynamic President and Executive Director. She is originally from Krasnoyarsk, Russia and her daughter, Natalya, is adopted from Ekaterinburg. Video Interview Real Player High \| Low MS Windows High \| Low
	Judith Dakin, MBA, is Commonwealth’s Executive Administrative Director. Judy ensures agency compliance with U.S. and international laws.
	Dawn Hill, MA, is Commonwealth’s Executive Operations Director. Dawn has worked for CAII since 1996 and has experienced nearly every position within the agency. Dawn is a Ph.D candidate in Conservation Psychology and Evolutionary Theory at the University of Arizona. Dawn owned two small businesses that in combination specialized in small business development, organization, computerization, database design and software training. With her wealth of experience, she ensures all functionality and operation of CAII flows smoothly, efficiently and ethically to streamline efforts toward accomplishing CAII's mission. She oversees COA accreditation and policy development and is in charge of developing CAII’s Performance and Quality Improvement Program. (520) 321-3912 dawnh@commonwealthadoption.org
	Carolyn Breed, BS, is Commonwealth's Executive Director of Social Services. Carolyn has been with the agency since 2002. She oversees the social service aspects of the adoption process. She spent two years working with children in Romanian orphanages and decided to pursue a career in International Adoptions upon her return to the U.S. in 2000. Carolyn is currently completing her Master's in Psychology. (520) 321-3911 carolynb@commonwealthadoption.org
	Maria Titus, is Commonwealth's Guatemala Program Director and is from Costa Rica.
	Raul Velez, is Commonwealth's Colombia Program Director. Raul is a Colombian attorney and an adoptive parent. He is also our Discovery Channel Adoption Show celebrity!
	Ray Mak, MBA, is Commonwealth's Taiwan & Vietnam Program Director. Ray speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese. Ray has extensive travel experience and knowledge of the culture both in Taiwan and Vietnam . raym@commonwealthadoption.org