Karlene Edgemon, MS, LSW
Executive Director
Karlene Edgemon is MLJ Adoptions’ Executive Director. She enjoys working with our amazing team of adoption professionals and the state and national organizations and licensing bodies to help all families realize their dream of adopting a child and providing him or her with a loving, nurturing and permanent families. Karlene leads the Social Services Department by monitoring home study and educational requirements, guiding families regarding their child referrals and providing post adoption support. Karlene is always brainstorming new ways to support our adoptive families before, during and after their adoption.
Her favorite part of her job is having the privilege of witnessing the joy in a child’s face once they have been united with their forever family. Children in permanent families smile brighter, and remind Karlene that what she does, despite the obstacles and delays that occur, builds healthy supportive families for some of the world’s most vulnerable children. Throughout her career, Karlene has been able to watch adoption transform the lives of children. She loves to share the story of a sweet little girl, who when she was born in Mexico was not expected to ever hear, see, walk or develop normally. With the support of her adoptive family, she is now doing everything the early predictors said she could not. Adoptive families can change the world for a child!
When she’s not working, Karlene and her husband spend time with their family including their two young grandchildren who truly light up their lives! She enjoys reading, scrapbooking, going to local markets and festivals, and traveling to new places.
Karlene earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Tennessee with minors in both Sociology and Human Services (Social Work) and at Indiana State University she completed her Masters degree in Agency Counseling. She is a Certified Advanced Clinical Adoption Professional and a Licensed Social Worker. Karlene has worked tirelessly on behalf of children and families as the Executive Director at 4-C (Community Coordinated Child Care) for the Wabash Valley, Inc. and the Regional Senior Director with The Villages of Indiana, Inc. She provided management and direct services in many programs including family preservation, domestic adoption, special needs adoption, step-parent adoption, kinship adoption, post adoption services, parent education, family assessment, foster care, residential treatment, therapy, licensed child care, and Healthy Families.