Adam Pertman

Executive Director, Adoption Institute

Adam Pertman was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his writing about adoption in The Boston Globe, where he was a senior reporter and editor for 22 years before turning his career toward adoption. His book, Adoption Nation (Basic Books) was named Book of the Year by the National Adoption Foundation, and has been reviewed as the most important book ever written on the subject.

Pertman's other honors include: the Angel in Adoption Award from the U.S. Congress; the Special Friend of Children Award from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists; the Friend of Adoption Award from the ODS Adoption Community of New England; the Dave Thomas Center for Adoption Law's first award for the nation's greatest contributor to public understanding about adoption and permanency placement issues; the American Adoption Congress' first award to the journalist who has done most to inform our nation about adoption and for his eloquent witnessing of contemporary adoption; the Year 2000 Journalism Award from Holt International Children's Services; and the Century Foundation's prestigious Leonard Silk Journalism Award.

Pertman's commentaries have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, Miami Herald and on National Public Radio, among others. Articles about him and about Adoption Nation have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines nationwide, including People. He has been a guest on many radio and television programs, including Oprah and the Today Show.

As a leading expert on adoption and family issues, Pertman is often quoted in electronic and print media outlets. He has delivered scores of keynote speeches and other presentations for organizations including the Child Welfare League of America, the American Adoption Congress, the National Academy of Sciences, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Joint Council on International Children's Services, and the National Association of Child Advocates.

Before embarking on his current career, Pertman, 49, was a journalist with The Boston Globe for more than two decades. His jobs included foreign editor, Washington news editor, West Coast bureau chief, diplomatic correspondent, national political correspondent, family and children's issues reporter, and restaurant reviewer. His assignments included the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Philippine revolution, the Gulf War, the Clinton impeachment, the Middle East peace process, the O.J. Simpson trials, and several presidential elections.

Pertman is a member of the Council on Contemporary Families and of the editorial advisory board of Adoptive Families magazine. The website for his book is www.adoptionnation.com. He and his wife, Judy Baumwoll, live in Massachusetts with their two children (both adopted): Zachary, 9 and Emilia, 6.

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