Mary Ann McMilllan is a former foster youth and adoptee whose life has been shaped by the realities of family separation, identity rupture, and the lifelong search for belonging. Now a professor, researcher, and global advocate, she writes and teaches at the intersection of trauma, justice, and healing. She holds a doctorate in education and teaches courses in human rights, criminal justice, and international relations. Her academic work focuses on vulnerable children, both in the U.S. and globally, including time spent in Rwanda researching family systems, orphan care, and post-conflict restoration.
A follower of Christ, Mary Ann is passionate about integrating spiritual formation with therapeutic insight. She speaks regularly to churches, universities, and conferences, offering honest, theologically rooted conversations around adoption, foster care, orphan care reform, and human rights. Through her work, Mary Ann invites readers to listen to those who’ve lived through the system, to parent with sacred responsibility, and to believe in a kind of healing that holds both truth and grace.
