Leadership Transition at Foster America

After serving for five years as our founding Executive Director, Sherry Lachman has been appointed to a senior role in the Biden-Harris Administration. In her new role, Sherry will serve as the Associate Director for Education, Income Maintenance and Labor at the White House Office of Management and Budget. 

There, she will have budget, policy, and oversight responsibilities for a number of federal departments that directly impact underserved children, families and communities, including the Departments of Education and Labor, the Social Security Administration, child welfare, child care, and human services programs at the Department of Health and Human Services, and nutrition programs at the Department of Agriculture. 

This is a pivotal moment in our country’s history. At a time when we are confronting grave threats to our democracy, experiencing a deep and painful reckoning with our racist roots, and enduring the devastating toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is both tremendous need and opportunity for reform. We are deeply grateful for all of Sherry’s work here at Foster America, and are excited that she will continue to work on improving government systems for children, families and communities in her new role, and particularly for those who have been consistently underinvested in and underserved by our society.

We are also delighted that our co-founder and chief program officer, Marie Zemler Wu, will serve as interim executive director. Marie has been an integral member of the team since Foster America’s earliest days, and she has played an essential role in shaping Foster America’s strategy, programming, and staff over the past five years. Under Marie’s leadership, Foster America will continue to advance a reform agenda that moves us closer every day to a child welfare system that centers racial equity and the wellbeing of all children and families. 

Should anyone have questions about this announcement or about Foster America more generally, Allie Schachter, Director of Development and Communications, is available to assist. We look forward to keeping you updated on the next leg of Foster America’s journey! 

For more information on Sherry’s background and the history of Foster America, click here to read the recent profile published by The Imprint Youth & Family News.