A small team with big hearts
At Our Chosen Child, we believe adoption profiles are more than a design project—they’re an emotional journey. We bring storytelling, empathy, and design expertise together to help families feel seen and supported.
Meet the team
Rebecca Gruenspan
CEO
Rebecca Gruenspan is the Owner and CEO of Our Chosen Child, where she combines her passion for storytelling with over a decade of experience supporting hopeful adoptive families. In 2013, she founded RG Adoption Consulting, helping nearly 500 families grow through the beautiful and complex journey of adoption, and partnering with OCC long before taking the reins in 2025.
A single adoptive mama herself, Rebecca brings both personal and professional insight to every project. She holds a BSSW from The Ohio State University and an MSW from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She’s also the author and host of The Adoption Roadmap book and podcast. A visionary at heart, and a bit of a perfectionist, Rebecca is obsessed with beautiful fonts, clean bold design, and helping families create profile materials that genuinely reflect who they are. After 22 years in Chicago, Rebecca is back in her hometown of Cleveland, where she lives with her teenage son and very fluffy Goldendoodle.
Joanna Ivey
Founder
Joanna Ivy founded Our Chosen Child in 2003 after recognizing a need for adoption profiles that went beyond simple documents and photographs. As an adoptee, adoptive parent, and adoptive parent coordinator, she understood the importance of helping families share their stories in a way that felt authentic, personal, and meaningful.
Believing that adoption profiles sit at the intersection of storytelling, psychology, and design, Joanna built Our Chosen Child to help families connect with expectant parents through thoughtful, professionally crafted profiles. Her commitment to honoring each family's unique journey became the foundation of the company and helped establish lasting partnerships with adoption agencies across the country.
Today, the values Joanna instilled, including compassion, creativity, respect, and a deep commitment to families, continue to guide the work of Our Chosen Child.
Shauna Jackson
senior operations + growth manager
Shauna grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she discovered a love for problem-solving, strategy, and helping things run smoothly. As our Senior Operations and Growth Specialist, she brings extensive experience in the online space, helping virtual businesses grow efficiently and sustainably through a financial lens. Shauna is proud to be part of the OCC team and is excited to help grow, scale, and amplify its impact.
She married her childhood sweetheart, and together they have one son. In her free time, she enjoys live entertainment, especially concerts and comedy shows. Shauna is passionate about supporting families and helping expand access to the resources and guidance that make meaningful connections possible.
Macey Bechler
Digital + Social Media Specialist
Macey, from Wisconsin, has been part of Our Chosen Child for 13 years and considers her work one of the most rewarding jobs. As a graphic designer, she has loved creating adoption profiles that beautifully tell each family’s story. Over the years, her role has expanded to managing OCC’s waiting families and featured families pages. Today, as Digital and Social Media Specialist, she continues to design profiles while also co-managing OCC’s social media presence—designing engaging, on-trend content and connecting with followers.
What inspires Macey most is learning about each family’s unique interests and showcasing those details in their profiles. She especially enjoys highlighting meaningful quotes and messages through creative typography, bringing a distinctive, artistic touch to every design.
Outside of work, Macey’s favorite place to be is with her husband, two kiddos, and their dog, along with her extended family and friends. She also loves collecting and listening to vinyl records, attending concerts, and sketching or drawing whenever inspiration strikes.
Brad Klock
Lead Designer + Web Specialist
Brad has worked in adoption for over 12 years, combining his skills as a graphic designer and web specialist to help families share their stories with authenticity and heart. As Lead Graphic Designer and Web Specialist at Our Chosen Child, he focuses on crafting adoption profiles and websites that not only look beautiful, but also reflect the unique spirit of each family.
Based in Wisconsin, Brad enjoys finding new hiking spots with his dog and settling in with a good book on a rainy day.
Luzmary Claro Diaz
VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
Luzmary, better known as Luzy, works remotely from her home in Lara State, Venezuela. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages from Universidad Arturo Michelena in Carabobo State in 2016, specializing in English and German with a minor in Business. Over the years, Luzy has supported a variety of small businesses, spending time in Colombia before returning to Venezuela.
With a heart for helping families, she plays a vital behind-the-scenes role at OCC, troubleshooting and keeping operations running smoothly. Her strengths in building workflows and automations ensure our team works more efficiently every day.
Natalie Bauman
Creative + Strategy Consultant
Our Story
For nearly two decades, Our Chosen Child has been a leader in adoption profile creation and digital adoption services, helping hopeful parents connect with expectant mothers through compelling, high-quality adoption profiles.
Our Chosen Child partners with adoption agencies, attorneys, and industry professionals to provide expertise, compassion, and unmatched storytelling. Now expanding into intended parent profiles for surrogacy and other family-building services, Our Chosen Child continues to fulfill families’ dreams.
Our Core Values
Forward Thinking
Creative
Inclusive
Collaborative
Organized
