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:
https://www.facebook.com/FosteringCHAMPS/videos/905419136250061/