Welcoming Cohort 2

With the beginning of the new year, we are happy to welcome a second cohort of Foster America fellows to our ranks! The twelve new Foster America fellows braved the frigid, snowy weather to join us for an initial week of preservice training in Boston, MA from January 2-5, 2018. In addition to valuable cohort bonding, highlights from this intensive week of learning included:

• A panel of foster care alumni, convened and moderated by Shalita O’Neale of the Fostering Change Network;
• Primer on child welfare and racial disproportionality by Kristen Weber and Jonathan Lykes from the Center for the Study of Social Policy;
• Design thinking with Jessica Mason of the Social Impact Studio; 
• Thoughts on effective child welfare leadership from Molly McGrath Tierney, former director of the Baltimore City Department of Social Services;
• Hands-on negotiations workshop with Nathalie Laidler-Kylander of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation; and
• Effectively navigating government with Dr. Jeffrey Liebman of the Harvard Government Performance Lab and Taubman Center on State and Local Government.

The Cohort 2 fellows bring a diverse array of professional experiences to the child welfare sector, including backgrounds in data analytics, management consulting, international development, large-scale technology implementation, legal services, and more. The fellows have taken full-time leadership roles to lead high-impact reform projects at the child welfare agencies in Allegheny County (PA), District of Columbia, New York City, Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, and Washington. We look forward to sharing more about their accomplishments throughout the year ahead.