As a Certified Open Adoption Practitioner, Mardie Caldwell is the Founder and CEO of Lifetime Adoption Center in California. Facilitating more than 140 adoptions each year, Lifetime has become one of the largest adoption centers in the country. Working nationwide, Lifetime's caring staff supports each woman as they consider their pregnancy choices, while encouraging waiting adoptive families throughout their adoption journey.

Mardie has designed an adoption program that is personalized for each individual that contacts her center, and provides around-the-clock availability for any birthparent considering adoption. She designed the program after her own adoption struggles, and prides herself on the caring, compassionate support that is offered to each birthparent and family who works with her center.

After so many years of assisting with adoption, Mardie saw a need for birthparents and founded Lifetime Adoption Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit adoption charity. Lifetime Foundation was established to assist birthmothers in fulfilling their dreams through providing college scholarships for women who have chosen adoption. It has grown to now include offering grants to assist with special needs adoptions and provide more immediate assistance (such as maternity clothes or household items) for birthmothers through the new Birthmother Blessings program.

As an Adoption Author, Mardie has had the opportunity to reach out and share her adoption experience with others around the world. Both of her books for adoptive families, AdoptingOnline.com and Adoption: Your Step by Step Guide have won awards, including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award. They are both widely recommended by many, including Dr. Laura Schlesinger who hailed Mardie's book as the "ultimate guide to adoption".

Her latest book, So I Was Thinking About Adoption..., written specifically for women considering adoption for their children, has received much media attention. It is now considered the finest book of it's kind and is available nationwide. In addition, Mardie offers it as a complimentary download for women who need the information as they consider the best decision for their child.

Additionally, Mardie has written The Healthcare Professionals Adoption Guide, geared toward educating doctors, nurses, social workers, and anyone working with women in the healthcare industry. Many times, these professionals are working directly with women who are making the difficult decisions about their child's future, yet there is little training to bring them up-to-date on the best practices in open adoption. This guide, along with the opportunity for inservice trainings has made a huge difference with adoption education for healthcare professionals.

As an Adoption Expert, Mardie has graciously provided her knowledge, experience, and caring heart to media requests from across the country and around the world. Many people were first introduced to Mardie through one of her appearances in the media as one of the most experienced adoption experts in the United States. Most recently, she was featured on NBC's The Today Show and CNN's No Bias, No Bull. She has made many media appearances including TV (including CNN, Fox, NBC, Dr. Laura), numerous national radio interviews, and is widely sought for print articles.

Mardie finds her role as an adoptive mother to be the most important. The path that led Mardie to her son more than twenty years ago is one that was life-changing, as she often shares through her own testimony. She was inspired to design the popular and unique Adoption Prayer Bracelet. This special bracelet allows those touched by adoption to display their adoption hope: AdoptionPrayerBracelet.com.

Mardie Caldwell's company Lifetime Adoption was featured on Hugh Downs' production One World, in a special segment called "Voices for the Children:"