Deborah Burrus Germany served as the Director for the Minority Professional Leadership Development (MPLD) program before joining the National Center for Diligent Recruitment. Before serving as MPLD director, Deborah worked passionately in the field of child welfare for more than 30 years. She held various positions in adoption and recruitment in the state of Georgia, including statewide recruitment manager and state adoption director.
During her time in Georgia, Deborah developed and implemented statewide diligent recruitment plans; developed, created, and carried out statewide recruitment programs; implemented AdoptUSKids “Answering the Call” in Georgia; guided the development of a recruitment database to track families through the recruitment process; participated in program and policy development for the recruitment continuum for foster, adoptive, and kinship homes; and served as one of the primary developers of Georgia’s IMPACT curriculum used for pre-service training for foster and adoptive families. Deborah also championed efforts to initiate discussions about racial equity, disproportionality, and disparities with Georgia’s judicial partners.
She has served on the board of directors for the National Adoption Association and for the National Association of State Adoption Programs (NASAP), where she was an officer. In 2022, Deborah received an Adoption Excellence Award from the US Children’s Bureau and AdoptUSKids. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia for her years supporting adoptive, foster, and kinship families. She is also a proud graduate of the 2019 cohort of the Minority Professional Leadership Development (MPLD) program.