Meet Our Staff

A Chosen Child Adoption Services employees are professional social workers who are licensed to conduct adoption home studies and obtain birth parent relinquishments. All staff members are licensed by the state of South Carolina as Certified Adoption Investigators (also known as adoption specialists). A Chosen Child Adoption Services also utilizes volunteers who are adoptive parents, as well as other individuals in the community who are committed to the field of adoption services. We are located in the Charleston, SC area.

Executive Director, Denice Fisher, MSW

Denice began her adoption career after obtaining her Masters of Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina in 1977. She has 25+ years of casework and administrative experience as an agency director in providing adoption services. She has been employed with Children’s Home Society, Catholic Charities, and other well-known child placing agencies

During her career, Denice has counseled hundreds of birth parents to help them look at all of their options in permanency planning for their children. In addition, she has assisted numerous families to realize their dream of becoming parents through adoption. Denice is a certified adoption specialist and is committed to providing comprehensive services for her clients.

Denice and her husband, Mike have two daughters, Kristin and Carrie.

Assistant Director, Heather Bertauski, BS

Heather is a Certified Adoption Specialist and licensed by the state of South Carolina. She enjoys working with prospective adoptive parents, preparing them for their adoption through the home study process. Heather also assists families after their adoption by conducting post placement visits and completing reports required after a placement. She has worked with both adoptive and birth parents for approximately 9 years, 6 of those years in Illinois.

Heather has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Southern Illinois University. She has two wonderful children with her husband, Tony, and enjoys horse back riding and landscaping outside of work.

Certified Adoption Specialist, Teresa Smith, BSW

Teresa began working in the field of adoption in 1985 while employed by SC DSS. She is a graduate of The University of Mississippi where she obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work (BSW) and also studied in the Masters of Social Work program at The University of South Carolina.

Teresa has worked with birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees. She is a SC Certified Adoption Specialist and a SC Licensed Social Worker. Currently, her practice primarily focuses on preparing domestic and international home studies and post-placement services.

Teresa and her husband, Ken, live in Charleston with their two adopted children, Kenny, Jr. and Julia. She feels fortunate to be pursing a career in adoption and feels her experience of "sitting on both sides of the desk" is helpful to all members of the triad.

Certified Adoption Specialist, Cynthia Stanley, BS

Cynthia was licensed in 2002 as a SC Certified Adoption Specialist. She and her husband, Bruce, have been married for 16 years and live in Columbia, South Carolina. They adopted their two daughters from Russia in 1999 and 2000. Prior to her marriage, Cynthia was employed by the U.S. Department of State as a Diplomat in the Foreign Service. Her duties included visa adjudication, fraud investigations and managing American Citizen Services.

Cynthia graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 1982 with a B.A. in Advertising and a B.S. in French and Business. Her background includes positions in corporate and small business management, as well as the federal government sector. She also served on the board of directors for an international adoption agency from 2001-02.

Unplanned Pregnancy

Adoptive Families

Children's Book

    You are Special, You were Chosen

A wonderful children's book about adoption, click here for details.

Free Adoption Info Packet

For a free Adoption Information Packet please complete our Request Form or contact our Executive Director, Denice C. Fisher, MSW at at (843) 851-4004. We will contact you within 24 hours of receiving your email.

A Chosen Child Contact Information

Mailing Address:
A Chosen Child Adoption Services
1520 Trolley Road
Suite O
Summerville, SC 29485

Telephone: (843) 851-4004
Email: info@accadoptionservices.com

Professional Organizations

A Chosen Child is a member of the
SC Association of
Licensed Adoption Agencies and the
American Pregnancy Association.