Our adoption counselors in Dallas are your guides to Texas adoption
Texas adoption is a rewarding and beautiful process, but it can also feel overwhelming. The team at Legacy Adoption Services enjoys sharing our expertise with people from around the state, helping them navigate a complex process on a local level. Our adoption counselors in Dallas work with families in the area, compassionately guiding them through each step.
How can Legacy’s adoption counselors in Dallas help me?
Our adoption counselors serve to educate and encourage families. Legacy Adoption Services also counts on them to make connections with local adoption partners, including medical staff, attorneys, social workers and other agencies.
By working with our industry colleagues, our adoption counselors can meet more people who are considering adoption for their children, increasing our ability to make the right match for families. They can also connect expectant moms with the highest quality healthcare and human services available.
What do our adoption counselors offer to adoptive parents?
Adoptive parents often reach out to our adoption counselors in Dallas for the following types of support.
- Education about the adoption process
- Guidance while creating their profiles
- Help in navigating a relationship with their child’s birth parents
- Financial advice around adoption
Legacy Adoption Services also provides ongoing encouragement to our adoptive couples. We know how long the wait for a baby can feel, especially if it is following a season of infertility. Our goal is to help families move through Texas adoption smoothly, rapidly and with abundant personal support.
How can our counselors serve parents who are considering adoption for their baby?
Parents who are exploring adoption as an option for their baby will receive the following services from our adoption counselors.
- Neutrality around their adoption decisions and support in talking about it
- Personal guidance as they select adoptive parents and contact them
- Help with healthcare, human services and legal support during their pregnancy
- Grief counseling during their pregnancy and postpartum recovery
Legacy Adoption Services stands firm in our belief that you are selfless and brave, deserving of the highest caliber of support and respect. If you are considering adoption, you can count on our adoption counselors for personal guidance and uplifting encouragement as you navigate one of the most meaningful decisions you will ever make for yourself and your child. Contact us to learn more.
Meet our adoption counselors in Dallas
Lakeya Toombs, BS
Options Counselor
Lakeya graduated from Langston University with a bachelor’s degree in child development and family consumer sciences with a minor in public health. Moving from Oklahoma to Texas, she spent time in education teaching pre-K for two years. She then transitioned to working with a nonprofit organization serving families throughout Tarrant County and providing education to promote birth outcomes for six years. Lakeya then moved to foster care and adoption as a case manager while pursuing her master’s degree in social work.
Lakeya expanded her knowledge in child and protective services by working as a permanency specialist servicing children in care for two years. Her professional experiences in social work have shown her to be a strong advocate for mental health and children and families in the community. Lakeya enjoys all aspects of case management and loves assisting families with Legacy Adoption Services. Her plans are to continue her master’s degree in social work and become licensed.
In her free time, Lakeya enjoys health and fitness and competing in the bodybuilding community as she is pursuing becoming a professional bodybuilder. She enjoys spending time with her husband, family and friends. Lakeya also enjoys traveling across the globe.
Jordan Ward, LMSW, LCPAA
Case Manager Supervisor
Jordan graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in psychology. She then spent time in Honduras working as a teacher at a home for vulnerable children. She went on to earn her master’s in social work from the University of Texas at Austin and holds her LMSW certification. Jordan has experience working with birth parents and adoptive parents as well as with refugee youth in foster care.
Jordan’s own family has grown beautifully through adoption, and she feels honored to have the opportunity to support her clients as they navigate making an adoption plan or growing their family through adoption. Jordan and her husband Alex enjoy making homemade pizza, gardening, going two-stepping and enjoying time with their sons.
Melinda Duffy, BS
Options Counselor
Melinda is a native Texas girl, born and raised in West Texas. She is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. After meeting her husband, who is a U.S. Air Force veteran, Melinda attended the University of North Texas College of Education and graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in child development and family studies with a concentration in family and communities.
She has an extensive background working in public mental health and adolescent behavioral health. Melinda also serves as a volunteer advocate at Hope Women’s Center and has been with Legacy as an options counselor for several years.
Melinda and her husband have lived in McKinney, Texas, for 17 years and have raised their children, Jenessa, Joseph and Mila here. They have a grandson, Rowan, and a silver lab that they rescued, Lucky. Their home is loud and busy!
Melinda loves working out and stays active with her youngest in all her soccer endeavors. She is “that” soccer mom. She has an obsession with leopard/cheetah print, and you will never see her without it somewhere on her person. Melinda loves Jesus with her whole heart and is honored to give Him her yes every day, whether it is walking side by side with an expectant/birth mom or pouring into adoptive families on their adoption journey.
Danielle Fork, LMSW
Case Manager Supervisor
Danielle graduated from The University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She went on to receive a Master of Social Work from The University of Texas at Arlington.
Danielle is a passionate advocate for empowering individuals to embrace their stories and accept both the triumphs and trials of life. With a heart full of empathy, she’s the friend who listens without judgment, the shoulder to lean on during tough times and the light that brightens the darkest of days.
After graduating high school, Danielle dedicated herself to working with women and children across the globe, including in Africa, Costa Rica and Brazil, before returning to Dallas. From helping youth navigate homelessness, mental health struggles and substance use challenges, to assisting formerly incarcerated adults on their path to reenter society, Danielle has made it her mission to stand by those who are often overlooked right here in Texas.
At Legacy Adoption Services, Danielle is deeply honored to walk alongside birth parents facing unplanned pregnancies, offering them a safe space to reflect, evaluate and ultimately make the choices that are right for both them and their children. For her, there is nothing more rewarding than helping others realize their strength and supporting them as they make life-changing decisions.
When she isn’t working, you can find Danielle traveling, spending time with family or sharing her gift of photography. She loves high school football on Friday nights and college football on Saturday mornings. She also enjoys hiking, getting her nails done, reading books and playing basketball. Danielle is ready to walk with you through your adoption journey.
Karen Capson, BS
Community Partnership Manager
Karen graduated from the University of South Florida with an education degree, concentrating on specific learning disabilities. Her years spent as a special education teacher were well-suited for her innate sense of compassion, patience and desire to adapt curriculum to meet the individual needs of her students and help them rise to their greatest potential. Her efforts awarded her “Teacher of the Year”, though her greatest distinction was meeting (and later marrying) the Canadian-born, professional hockey player who made a public appearance at the school where she taught.
Eight years into their marriage, Karen and her husband excitedly adopted their beautiful daughter, fulfilling their long-sought desire to create a family. Their non-traditional journey to parenthood led to a harmonious and fulfilling relationship with their daughter’s biological mother. The gratitude Karen felt for such a selfless gift, along with a hope of providing her daughter with ongoing open communication throughout her upbringing, prompted Karen to author a children’s book about their family’s adoption story. The road paved by both birth and adoptive parents granted their daughter a childhood experience that was strengthened with purpose in her creation, along with a strong sense of identity and self-worth. Karen’s daughter, now in college, shares many traits with her mother, including a love of writing and adoption advocacy.
Now that her daughter has been successfully launched, Karen is enjoying her empty-nesting phase by traveling with her husband, baking, decorating, crafting and playing mahjong with friends and family. She is honored to work with the Legacy Adoption Services family, seeing her personal life experience and passion for adoption come full circle.
Lauren Imler, LMSW
Administrative Coordinator / Options Counselor
Lauren graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in social work and a minor in human development and family sciences. She also earned a certification in trauma-informed care while completing her undergraduate degree. Lauren went on to receive her master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington, where she specialized in helping individuals with mental health and substance misuse concerns.
As someone who was adopted herself, Lauren brings a deeply personal connection to her work in the adoption field. Her lived experience gives her a unique perspective and a strong sense of empathy for individuals completing the adoption process. She is passionate about supporting others through the adoption journey, helping individuals and families navigate each step with compassion, understanding, and respect. Lauren thrives in her role, walking alongside expectant parents and adoptive families with care and dedication. She is committed to creating safe, supportive spaces where lasting connections can grow.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys crocheting, painting, drawing, and all things creative. She also loves going for runs and spending quality time with her family and friends. Lauren is honored to be part of each family’s story—from their first call through placement and every meaningful moment in between.
