David Goldman is the father of Sean Goldman, age 10, who was abducted to Brazil by his late mother and her parents in June, 2004 and returned to the United States with David on Christmas Eve, 2009 – a true Christmas miracle. David fought an inspiring five year battle to be reunited with Sean and bring him home to New Jersey, where Sean was born, raised, and cared for until the time of his abduction. The case is documented on the www.bringseanhome.org website, which was established by friends and supporters who wanted to raise awareness of the injustice and push for action on the part of US elected officials. The website led to the formation of the Bring Sean Home Foundation (BSHF), a non-profit established to assist other parent and child victims of parental child abduction, and the website now serves as the focal point of BSHF’s efforts to assist these parents in recovering their children.

David’s battle to bring his son home was a true David versus Goliath story and captured the attention of Americans and Brazilians alike, as well as citizens worldwide. Those holding Sean in Brazil wielded a great deal of influence in the Brazilian media, legal community and political circles and did all they could do keep this father and son apart. After over four years of battling, David, along with his friends and family, began a grass roots campaign to garner more support.

Finally, after years of David’s tireless efforts to reunite with his son, the media latched on to this remarkable plight, resulting in high level involvement of both the Brazilian and American governments. David spent a great deal of time in Washington D.C. throughout his ordeal, meeting with elected officials and representatives of the State Department. He traveled to Brazil many times in the hopes of seeing Sean and bringing him home, but always returned without Sean.

Up until February, 2009 David was denied all contact with his son. Eventually, Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became personally involved in the case. President Obama spoke publicly about the case, reminding Brazilian President Lula Da Silva that the Hague Convention, an international treaty signed by both countries, required that Sean be returned to his father. David’s focus, determination, and unconditional love for his son was finally rewarded when the President of the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered Sean to be returned home to New Jersey, with his father, on December 24, 2009. It was David and Sean's first holiday season together in six years and Sean’s first opportunity to see his extended family in the US. The healing had finally begun.

David is an alumnus of Virginia Wesleyan College and resides with his son in Tinton Falls, New Jersey.

Influential Women,