The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) in Alexandria, a leading voice among national adoption and child welfare organizations, announced Dr. Wayne Winston Sharp, Ph.D. of McLean, and his wife Linda Whitbeck Sharp the recipients of NCFA's The Ruby Lee Piester Adoption Award. Named in honor of its founder, the award "recognizes a lifetime of service to children, birth parents, and adoptive families.”
According to McLean Connection, "WAYNE and NCFA's co-founder, Dr. William L. Pierce, developed a close friendship that led years later to Wayne serving as an NCFA volunteer consultant. Wayne used his skills as a United States diplomat to help NCFA negotiate adoption issues the organization encountered at the Hague Convention, which established rules and regulations for intercountry adoptions."
Chuck Johnson, President, and CEO of NCFA said, "As a stakeholder organization, we were very involved in that. Wayne helped us understand some of the diplomatic issues and some of the chains of command we needed to go through to influence policy and its implementation."
As per McLean Connection, "Of course, Wayne couldn't have done any of this without Linda's support and encouragement. "Linda is a great communicator," Johnson said, "A lot of times, he'd come back and say, 'You know, Linda convinced me that this is better. You're right, Chuck. Linda agrees with you. Let's, do it y'all's way." "We're honored. NCFA and adoption have greatly affected our lives," wrote Wayne in an email."
Maryam
View posts by MaryamMaryam N. is a Senior Writer at Nesbitt Realty. She is an expert on Fairfax County. Maryam has also worked previously as a geologist. She is a foodie and enjoys cooking and exploring new restaurants.