Twin Cedars’ executive director Mike Angstadt has been named to a panel involved in international adoptions.

He is one of eight commissioners with the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. That’s a long title to go with a respected position.

“I was kind of blown away when they called me,” Angstadt admitted.

The position, which will be in addition to his regular duties at Twin Cedars, requires Angstadt to review applications from international adoption agencies that are seeking accreditation.

“I’ll receive a packet with all the identifying information of the agency and the team members blacked out. There will only be a four-digit code for that application,” Angstadt said.

He will compare the Hague standards to all that is cited by a team that has already spent days with the agency and submitted their findings.

“Then we have a teleconference with all eight of the commissioners (to decide on accreditation). We’ll be responsible for one or two agencies a quarter,” he said. “It’s not that heavy a workload because there aren’t that many that will be reviewed this year. Next year the load will increase, but there will be more people trained by that time. We’re the first wave.”

The Hague Convention and the Intercountry Adoption Act of 20000 require accreditation or approval of private organizations or individuals who provide adoption services to children and families. Angsadt has led more than 30 peer review teams throughout the United States and in countries as far away as the Philippines.