Dr. Brigette Schupay is an experienced child and family social worker.  She began her social work career in 1992 and quickly developed a love for special needs adoption.  In her role as Adoption Counselor, and later, Adoption Coordinator for Hillsborough County’s foster care program, she facilitated the adoption of nearly 1,000 special needs children.

Dr. Schupay served as the Executive Director of Heart of Adoptions, Inc., and Heart of Adoptions Alliance, Inc. from 2005-2011, where she continued her mission to place children in permanent and loving homes.  In 2013, she earned a doctoral degree in Social Work focusing her research on the Post-Adoption Depression of Adoptive Mothers.

In 2014, Dr. Schupay served as a Regional Director for the Mississippi Department of Families and Children overseeing adoption casework in 6 counties.  Additionally, her passion and experience in adoption have provided her the privilege of working as an expert witness to help adoptees and their families.

Dr. Schupay is currently the Executive Director of Heart of Adoptions Alliance.

Daneille joined Heart of Adoptions Alliance, Inc. in 2003 and works in the Naples office, handling the social work and legal needs of our clients in Southwest Florida.   She has been providing support and guidance to adoptive families since 1997 prior to joining the agency.   She was instrumental in opening a Guatemalan incoming program and assisted in creating many families before the country closed to international adoptions.   Daneille is experienced in domestic and international adoptions.  She is responsible for assisting in educating and screening new applicants, supervising birth parent counselors, home studies, post placements and matches between birth and adoptive families. Daneille is also a licensed private investigator in the State of Florida.

Daneille has been working in the legal system since 1983 and received her paralegal certificate of completion from Florida International University in 1986.  She received her Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) status in 1987 from the National Association of Legal Assistants and in 1988 from the Florida Association of Legal Assistants.  Daneille is also a Florida Registered Paralegal.   Daneille received an Associate in Arts Degree in Criminology from Edison Community College in 1996 and received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Criminology from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2006.

Meredith Shepard joined Heart of Adoptions Alliance, Inc. in August 2013 as the Adoptive Parent Coordinator. She works closely with waiting adoptive families handling day-to-day needs and assisting with matching adoptive families to birth families. Meredith has worked in the area of social work for over 20 years and has experience working within the fields of child development, adoption, foster care, and developmental disabilities.

Meredith graduated with honors from Eckerd College with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Walden University with a Master of Science in Non-Profit Management & leadership. She was also a Licensed Massage Therapist prior to obtaining her degree. While born in Ohio, which will always be home, she is also a die-hard hot weather fan and loves nothing more than cruising in her Jeep with the top down and the music loud! She has a son in college and has recently added a new fur-baby "Voodoo" to her home. Meredith can typically be found at Disney on the weekend or enjoying a camping trip and a nice kayak trip down a river when the weather is nice.

Amanda joined Heart of Adoptions Alliance, Inc. in May 2019 as a bachelor’s level intern where she has since stepped into the role of Adoption Specialist with the Hearts to Home Program. As an adoptee herself, Amanda always knew her path in social work would be working with children and families. Amanda enjoys educating adoptive families and helping them navigate through the adoption process.

Amanda graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2020, where she received her master's degree in social work.

Gabriela Nuñez joined our sister agency: Heart of Adoptions, Inc. in June 2006 as an Adoption Caseworker Assistant.  Gabriela is now the Program Supervisor for the Naples satellite office for Heart of Adoptions Alliance, Inc.  She works closely with birth mothers handling their day-to-day needs, monitoring their medical care and overall well-being.  Additionally, she coordinates the interaction between adoptive parents and birth parents.  She has previous experience working with youth in a parenting program, as well as experience in both domestic and international adoptions, specifically working internationally with Guatemala.

Gabriela obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2013.

Natalie Londono joined our sister agency Heart of Adoptions, Inc. in December 2012 as an Adoption Casework Assistant. Natalie was later promoted to Senior Caseworker where she also joined Heart of Adoptions Alliance, Inc. and began working closely with birth mothers handling their day-to-day needs, monitoring their medical care and overall well-being. Additionally, Natalie conducts home studies and post-placement supervision in the Orlando area.

Natalie obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Florida Gulf Coast University in 2013.

Amy Nickerson joined Heart of Adoptions Alliance, Inc. in June 2018 as an Adoption Caseworker. She works closely with the birth mothers handling their day-to-day needs, monitoring medical care and overall well-being. She also conducts home studies and post placement supervision. Her prior experience is 10 years in the child welfare system as a child protective investigator, senior child protective investigator and dependency case manager in both Florida and Massachusetts. She has two children adopted internationally from Guatemala and is herself and adoptee.

Amy graduated from University of Massachusetts Boston in 1999 with a B.S. in Psychology and in 2000 with a M.A. Certification in Forensic Services. She is currently enrolled at University of Massachusetts Boston obtaining a master’s level Addiction Counselor Education Program (ACEP) certificate.

Amy joined Heart of Adoptions Alliance, Inc. in January 2016 in our Merritt Island office. Prior to this she was an Adoption Assistant for another Florida adoption agency and has worked in the industry for over 15 years. She works closely with birth mothers handling their day-to-day needs, monitoring their medical care and overall well-being. She graduated from Rockledge High School and has an AA degree from Brevard Community College. Amy has 3 children and uses her experiences as both an adoptee and an adoptive parent to serve and support our clients. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge.

Shannon graduated from University of South Florida in 2007 with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology. She started working in Child Welfare immediately after graduating college as a Case Manager, where she worked with children and families involved in the Dependency System. Shannon worked as a Case Manager for four years before transitioning into a Family Adoption Specialist, where she worked with adoptive families looking to adopt from foster care. Shannon eventually worked for the lead agency providing technical assistance, support, and oversight to the case management agencies in Pinellas and Pasco Counties. Wanting to gain management experience, Shannon then went to work for a Hillsborough community based care organization as an Assistant Program Director where she was responsible for three case management supervisors, 25 case managers, and provided direct oversight on cases involving approximately 600 children in the Dependency System.

Shannon’s passion for adoption and creating families through adoption led her to Heart of Adoptions where she joined the adoptions team in February 2018 as a Senior Case Worker and Intake Coordinator. In her role, she worked directly with birth mothers conducting intake interviews, screening birth parents, and matched adoption applicants. In August 2021, Shannon transitioned into a new role writing child studies for the Community Based Care agencies. Shannon's knowledge and background in Child Welfare and continued desire for children to find permanency serve her well in this role. Shannon hopes to grow this position by securing more contracts throughout the state of Florida.