Let It Be Us Adoption Symposium: Adoption as a Path to Permanency, State Leadership in Action, and Legal Frameworks

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 was unanimously 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 youth committed to the department by Illinois courts, including five secure youth centers, eight aftercare (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 recreational programs. In addition, Ms. Mueller conceptualized and implemented the core IDJJ intervention and behavioral management programs. She was trained as a social science researcher and started her career in community organizations developing programming and providing direct service to youth 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.

• Jocelyn Fetting, MSW, Child Welfare Advocate

   

  Jocelyn Fetting earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in December 2025. She spent 8½ years in the Illinois foster care system, navigating multiple placements and the Transitional Living Program before aging out at 21. As the oldest of four siblings, Jocelyn often stepped into caregiving roles, shaping her commitment to supporting youth in care.

  Jocelyn utilized the Illinois DCFS Scholarship while earning both her Bachelor’s (2024) and Master’s degrees (2025), which covered her tuition and provided a monthly living stipend that supported her housing stability during college. Entering from a transitional living placement, she navigated gaps in basic dorm and living necessities.

  She has been deeply involved in advocacy, serving as an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Statewide Youth Advisory Board Intern and mentoring students through the Youth in Care College Advocate Program. She has testified in support of key legislation, including the Hair Care Bill (HB 5097) and the STAR Hearings Bill, and was recognized with a Community Hero Award in 2024. In April 2026, she contributed to a federal House Committee on Ways and Means discussion alongside Melania Trump, advocating for stronger resources for youth aging out of care.

  Jocelyn continues her advocacy through the Illinois Child Welfare Exchange (ICW Exchange), where she provides guidance to young people navigating DCFS resources and the transition to adulthood. She remains committed to improving systems for youth in care by combining lived experience, policy knowledge, and a passion for social work.
  
  

• Lindsay Perlmutter, JD, LCSW

  Lindsay is the Director of the Adoption Listing Service at Let It Be Us, where she helps connect waiting children and youth in foster care with safe, loving, permanent families across Illinois. She brings extensive experience in child welfare, adoption, foster care, and juvenile justice, along with a deep commitment to trauma-informed and family-centered practice.

  Previously, Lindsay served as Director of Program Development at the Adoption Center of Illinois, where she implemented evidence-based programs, led parent education and training initiatives, and developed inclusive policies and support services for adoptive families. Her background also includes work as a DCFS Post Adoption and Subsidized Guardianship Court Liaison, where she supported families navigating complex systems and services, and as an Advocate Supervisor at CASA of Cook County, where she championed the best interests of children in care.

  Most recently, Lindsay was a Clinical Social Worker with the University of Chicago Law School’s Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, focusing on youth involved in the juvenile justice system, many of whom had experience in foster care. Throughout her career, she has trained professionals, advocated for children and families, and worked to strengthen systems that help young people heal and thrive. Lindsay brings exceptional expertise, compassion, and leadership to Let It Be Us.

  
  
  

• 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.