On January 31, 2018, child welfare leaders gathered in Washington, DC, at the Brookings Institution to participate in the 2018 kick-off of the CHAMPS campaign. The program was hosted by Dr. Ron Haskins, Co-director of the Brookings Center on Children and Families. Featured guests included CHAMPS co-chairs: Dr. Jeremy Kohomban, President and CEO of the Children’s Village (New York City); Jennifer Rodriguez, J.D., Executive Director of the Youth Law Center (San Francisco); and Rita Soronen, President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Congressional committee staff shared remarks and a panel of state leaders spoke about foster parenting in their states.
- A.J. Griffin, Oklahoma State Senator
- Sarah Chiles, Executive Director Redlich Horwitz Foundation (New York)
- Virginia Pryor, Division Director, Georgia Division of Children and Family Services
- Lisa Weber Zetley, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin
In addition to the 100 guests in attendance, nearly 2,500 interested stakeholders tuned-in through Facebook Live:
Welcome to CHAMPS state policy kickoff at Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.! Join us in discussing how we can improve foster parenting policies so that children in foster care have bright futures!
Posted by Champs – A Campaign to Ensure Bright Futures for Kids in Foster Care on Wednesday, January 31, 2018