Susan Badeau (Sue) writes and speaks extensively on topics related to children, particularly those with special needs and is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop leader at state, regional and national conferences. Sue and her husband, Hector are the lifetime parents of 22 children, two by birth and 20 adopted (three, with terminal illnesses, are deceased.) They have also served as foster parents for more than 50 children in three states, and as a host family for refugee youth from Sudan, Kosovo and Guatemala. Recently, their 35th grandchild and fourth great-grandchild were born. They have won numerous awards for their work on behalf of adoption and children in foster care. The Badeau family children come from many ethnicities and personal backgrounds. Some children were adopted at birth; others were teenagers when they joined the family. Some are from the United States; others are from countries around the world. Some have mental, physical, intellectual, or emotional challenges. Sue holds a degree in Early Child Development and Elementary Education from Smith College. She has worked in child-serving fields including adoption, foster care, juvenile justice, children's mental health and public and private education agencies for 33 years. She has developed curricula on many topics used to train professional child welfare staff, adoptive and foster parents, judges, attorneys and youth. In addition, she was a policy consultant for public and private agencies, universities and court systems. Sue serves on national boards of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC), National Center for Youth in Custody, All Children, All Families, and Justice for Families. For more information about the Badeau family, visit www.badeaufamily.com.
