Over the past 40 years, Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., has been a teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences, holding a variety of academic positions. Dr. Perry is also the principal of the Neurosequential Network and an adjunct professor in the School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice,programs and policy across the world. Casey Family Programs and hundreds of other educational, mentalhealth and child welfare organizations in more than 26 countries utilize the Neurosequential Model™, a developmentally sensitive, neurobiology-informed approach.

Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of “The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog,” a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children, and “Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered.” Dr.

Perry’s most recent book, “What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing” (2021), co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, is a No. 1 New York Times bestseller.

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Don Wells has made a lasting impact on thousands of young adults exiting foster care in the San Diego community. He began his career as a high school history and psychology teacher before embarking on three decades of working in media, all with the intention to serve his community.

For 20 years, Mr. Wells has been active with Just in Time (JIT) for Foster Youth. The mission of JIT is to engage a caring community to help transition-age foster youth achieve self-sufficiency and well-being.

JIT’s first real home was the Casey Family Programs San Diego Field Office in 2009. Mr. Wells joined the JIT Board that year, then accepted the role of interim executive director in 2010. At that time, JIT had a budget of $300,000 and a small handful of volunteers. By 2024, with Mr. Wells serving as chief empowerment officer, JIT has served about 3,500 young adults, has more than 700 volunteers and a budget of more than $7 million. Under his leadership, full-time staff increased from four to over 40, with more than half bringing lived experience with the child welfare system to their roles.

Mr. Wells has leveraged relationships and financial assets in San Diego to grow a unique ecosystem of support that includes empowering mentoring and sustaining investments. The greater San Diego community is well-informed and committed to address the critical needs of this population of young people thanks to his efforts.

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Shannon Deinhart brings nearly 30 years of experience advancing kinship care, foster care and adoption. As the co-founder and executive director of Kinnect, an Ohio-based nonprofit, Ms. Deinhart is dedicated to transforming the child welfare system through innovative programs, and services designed to create lasting change. Under her leadership, Kinnect focuses on preventing entry into the child welfare system and minimizing the time children spend within it by delivering impactful, evidence-based solutions centered on a KinFirst approach.

Kinnect’s mission is to form partnerships that challenge traditional beliefs, shift values and inspire actions to achieve permanency for all children in foster care as quickly as possible. For the past 20 years, Kinnect has been a catalyst for change in Ohio, partnering with families, public agencies and private providers to ensure that young people and families not only have the resources they need but also the strong relationships and sense of belonging essential to thrive. Its success was highlighted in Casey Family Programs’ 2024 signature report and companion video. Ms. Deinhart has played a critical role in building a high-quality workforce, securing key investments and establishing collaborations with state and county child welfare agencies, as well as with Casey Family Programs.

Ms. Deinhart has led groundbreaking family search and engagement efforts across Ohio, including the launch of the Kinnect to Family program. She also spearheaded the development and implementation of the Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigator Program (OhioKAN) in partnership with the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. Ms. Deinhart holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton and a Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University. She is a native Clevelander and resides there with her husband and two teenage sons.

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Samuels is the executive director of Chapin Hall, a policy research center focused on child and family well-being. During his 11+ years at Chapin Hall, Mr. Samuels has been leading the active integration of empirical evidence into public policy decision-making, as well as into the management of government agencies, the design and delivery of programs, and front-line practice. Mr. Samuels has focused on matching Chapin Hall’s historical reputation for rigorous research with unparalleled in-house policy expertise to further its impact. Under his leadership, the number of projects and partnerships has doubled, greatly expanding the organization’s influence. He is shaping national efforts to address racial inequity in child welfare, juvenile justice, youth homelessness responses, and other human service systems. Mr. Samuels’ life experiences and experience as a decision-maker — and his work in partnership with policymakers and practitioners — undergirds his successful approach to shaping actionable and sustainable solutions based on evidence. Prior to joining Chapin Hall, Mr. Samuels was the commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Clare C. Anderson is a senior policy fellow at Chapin Hall. She uses research, policy and fiscal levers to improve outcomes for children, youth and families. Her engagement across human services, with child welfare agencies, stakeholders and lived experts to effect large-scale system change includes guiding states to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act. She is a national thought leader on economic and concrete supports to families to prevent child welfare involvement. She has consistently pushed for a broader policy framework nationally to expand and transform how child welfare, other systems and communities can best support children and families. Prior to joining Chapin Hall, Ms. Anderson was deputy commissioner at ACYF.

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