Welcoming Brian Clapier, Foster America’s New Senior Vice President of Programs

Brian brings 30 years’ experience applying data-driven approaches to transform child and family services. Starting February 6th, he’ll help shape Foster America’s strategic growth as a learning hub for community changemakers and a champion of innovation across the field.

Foster America is thrilled to welcome Brian Clapier as our Senior Vice President of Programs! Brian has 30 years of child welfare experience, providing leadership across a range of direct practice areas, as a public sector leader in New York City and Philadelphia’s child welfare agencies, and most recently as Senior Director of Data Advocacy at Casey Family Programs. As head of Casey’s Data Leaders group and as an active faculty advisor for Foster America, Brian has guided leaders across the country in building data-driven strategies aimed at increasing equity and decreasing the use of out-of-home placement.

Since Foster America’s first cohort of fellows six years ago, Brian has been a valued partner and champion. As an active Foster America faculty advisor since 2017 and a supervisor for our first cohort of fellows, he’s set the standard for high-impact mentorship and informed the ways we train changemakers to build theories of change, develop projects and measure change.

“Brian has long been a leader in our sector, working across the nation to advance data-driven, equitable systems for children and families,” shares Foster America Executive Director, Marie Zemler Wu. “In welcoming Brian to our team, his commitment to growth and learning – his own and that of every person and system he works with – are as much a part of our enthusiasm as his immense field knowledge and experience.”

As Senior Vice President of Programs, Brian will work closely with our leadership team and board to further the vision of our strategic framework and lead our field-facing efforts. His areas of focus include:

• Supporting partner sites and the changemakers working in them to develop new equity-centered approaches to child and family well-being
• Shaping and sharing our approaches and offerings on data, finance, co-design and racial equity with communities and partners
• Advancing innovation throughout the child and family well-being ecosystem by spreading learnings, content and tools with the wider field

Joining Foster America at a time of program expansion and organizational growth, Brian shares our commitment to a future where all children, families and communities thrive. 

In reflecting on this new role, he notes, “I am excited to be joining Foster America’s leadership team, advancing a collaborative model for systems transformation. I have long believed that children thrive in the context of supported families and communities – and through effective partnership we can build a future where every child is safe, living in a setting that they view as permanent, and experiencing the highest level of well-being possible.”