David Sanders joined Casey Family Programs in 2006 and serves as the foundation’s Executive Vice President of Systems Improvement. In this role, he provides strategic direction over the foundation’s work with child welfare systems to improve practice, with an emphasis on safely reducing the number of children in foster care. Prior to joining Casey Family Programs, he served as Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. He previously served for 10 years as Director of the Hennepin County (Minnesota) Children, Family and Adult Services Department. Early in his career, Dr. Sanders worked in Minneapolis, first as a senior clinical psychologist in the Hennepin County Mental Health Center, and later as chief clinical psychologist. In 2016, Dr. Sanders served as chairman of the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. Dr. Sanders graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota.
In 2026, Foster America marks a decade of building an alternative to a child welfare system rooted in crisis—and proving that families thrive when support comes early, with dignity, and led by community.
