Let It Be Us Adoption Symposium: Adoption as a Path to Permanency, State Leadership in Action, and Legal Frameworks with DCFS Director Heidi Mueller and Attorney Genie Gillespie

Let It Be Us proudly hosts the Adoption Symposium: Adoption as a Path to Permanency, State Leadership in Action and Legal Frameworks bringing together adoption professionals, policymakers, child welfare leaders, and advocates to discuss innovative the need for securing permanent, loving homes for children in foster care. Designed for agency leaders and staff, this event provides a platform for dynamic discussions on the current landscape of adoption in Illinois and the evolving role of adoption in ensuring stability and permanency for waiting children and teens. Let It Be Us now manages the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois as well as the Heart Gallery of Illinois, both of which are engines designed to provide permanency outcomes within Illinois child welfare.

Featured Panelists

• Heidi E. Mueller, Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
  
  Heidi E. Mueller was appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to serve as acting director of the IllinoisDepartment of Children and Family Services (DCFS) on February 1, 2024. On March 22, 2024, she wasunanimously confirmed by the Illinois Senate and became the director.
  
  Prior to her appointment, Mueller served as director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice(IDJJ) since 2016. In that role she oversaw the care, custody and services provided to youthcommitted to the department by Illinois courts, including five secure youth centers, eightaftercare (juvenile parole) offices and five day-reporting centers located throughout Illinois. From2014-2016 Ms. Mueller was IDJJ’s deputy director of programs, serving as the principal policy-making official for the department’s healthcare, behavioral health, vocational and recreationalprograms. In addition, Ms. Mueller conceptualized and implemented the core IDJJ interventionand behavioral management programs. She was trained as a social science researcher and startedher career in community organizations developing programming and providing direct service toyouth and families. Mueller earned her degree in psychology and history from Macalester College,pursued graduate studies at Stony Brook University, and earned her Juris Doctorate from theUniversity of Chicago Law School.

• Genie Gillespie, JD, Attorney, Gillespie Law Group, LLC

  Genie Gillespie is a respected Chicago-based adoption attorney and founder of Gillespie Law Group, LLC, where she focuses her practice on adoption, assisted reproduction, and family formation law. With decades of experience, Genie has guided hundreds of families through the legal complexities of adoption, including private domestic adoption, agency adoption, stepparent and relative adoptions, and interstate placements.

  Known for her clarity, compassion, and precision, Genie is a trusted advisor to both families and professionals navigating the legal pathways to permanency. Her work is grounded in a deep understanding of Illinois adoption law and a commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving home.

  In addition to her legal practice, Genie is a frequent speaker and educator on adoption law and policy. She collaborates with child welfare professionals, agencies, and advocates to strengthen adoption practices and improve permanency outcomes for children in foster care.

• Lindsay Perlmutter, JD, Director of the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois

  Lindsay holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with the State of Illinois. She also holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (JD) from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Lindsay has extensive experience within the child welfare system, including her work as Director of Program Development at the Adoption Center of Illinois at Family Resource Center, DCFS Post Adoption and Subsidized Guardianship Court Liaison at Center for Law and Social Work (NKA Greenlight Family Services), and Advocate Supervisor at Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Cook County.

  Lindsay most recently held a position as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the University of Chicago Law School.

  Lindsay is deeply passionate about child welfare and committed to improving adoption outcomes within the State of Illinois.

• Dr. Susan A. McConnell, Founder and Executive Director of Let It Be Us
  
  Dr. Susan McConnell is the Founder and Executive Director of Let It Be Us, a child welfare organization she established in 2014 to deliver collaborative, data-driven, and innovative solutions for recruitment and placement within Illinois foster care and adoption systems. Under her leadership, Let It Be Us has become the state’s leading engine for foster home recruitment, holding multiple agency contracts to recruit families for Emergency, Therapeutic, Specialized, and Traditional Foster Care, as well as for sibling groups and children with complex medical and mental health needs. Appointed in 2017 by the Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Dr. McConnell currently serves as Chair of the Permanency Committee of the Illinois Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council. In this role, she works to influence policy and strengthen permanency outcomes for children across the state.
  

  Dr. McConnell was a founding member of the team that launched the Heart Gallery of Illinois, the state’s child-specific photo listing designed to increase the likelihood of adoption for children in care. She and her team at Let It Be Us have also developed and implemented a proprietary, comprehensive database of over 1,100 licensed Illinois foster homes. This platform, combined with geo targeted search functionality, serves as the Open Home Navigator, a statewide tool that accelerates placement for children in emergent and hard-to-place situations.
  
  Academically, Dr. McConnell earned her Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) from the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California. She also holds an MBA and a BS in Management, Human Resources, and Recruitment from DePaul University. A lifelong advocate for permanency, Dr. McConnell is the mother of four children, three of whom joined her family through adoption, and brings more than 30 years of experience in open adoption to her work in child welfare.
  
  
  

Panel discussion and Q&A to follow. Breakfast will be served.

For questions, contact Kate Soldan at katesoldan@letitbeus.org.