Chester Jackson, a resident of Pittsburgh, has worked in the field of teenage adoption and foster care recruitment for the past twelve years.  He worked as the Intake Coordinator for Downey Side, Inc in New York City for seven years.  He then worked as a recruiter for Families United Network in Pittsburgh for a couple of years before taking his current position as the Associate Executive Director of You Gotta Believe, a job in New York City he has been commuting to since June of 2001.  Chester has been instrumental in effecting the permanent placements of hundreds of older foster children over his career as an Intake Coordinator, Recruiter, and Associate Executive.

 

 Chester is the adoptive parent of a sibling group of teenagers who he and his wife adopted when they were 14 and 15 years old about thirteen years ago.  He and his wife have two birth children, ages 10 and 12,  and most recently offered their home permanently to another teenager whom they assumed guardianship of when the teen's single mom had past away. 

 

Chester certainly has an appreciation of adoptee issues in that he is a late discovery adoptee (LDA) who did not learn of his own adoption until he was in his early 30’s.

 

Chester was recently honored at the 2003 NACAC conference with an Adoption Activist award.

 

Chester Co-producers a weekly television show called "The Adopting Teens & 'Tweens Show" on Brooklyn Community Access Television in Brooklyn New York. The show can be watched on-line by logging on to www.bcat.tv/bcat and clicking on Television #2 under the words "BCAT live stream.  He also co-hosts a weekly radio show every Sunday night from 8-9pm on WGBB 1240AM.  The show can be listen to on-line at www.am1240wgbb.com     

 

Chester has educated the adoption community for years with his written work on parenting issues and about adopting older children.  His most recent article was entitled “The Apprentice’s Tale or Why Would Anyone Want to Adopt a Teenager?” which appeared in the Summer 2001 issue of Fostering Families Today www.fosteringfamilietoday.net.  A number of his other writings are available by calling his office at 718-372-3003.