Meet the 2019 Leadership Honorees
Estos premios reconocen a los líderes que han tenido un impacto significativo en la mejora de los resultados para los niños y las familias y en la construcción de Comunidades de Esperanza en todo Estados Unidos.
Seleccione la foto a continuación para obtener más información sobre los homenajeados de este año.
Mischa Martin
Mischa Martin became director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services’ Division of Children and Family Services in 2016. Her leadership has caused a paradigm shift in the Arkansas child welfare system. In the last two years, Arkansas has significantly reduced the number of children who remain in shelters longer than 10 days. The number of children 12 and under in group homes has also been dramatically reduced. Ms. Martin has inspired, coached and increased accountability not only for reaching outcomes but also for sharing ideas and strategies. As a result, in the last 18 months, the number of overdue investigations decreased from 1,627 to 59. In addition, Arkansas has seen a reduction of more than 700 children in foster care in the last year. Ms. Martin is not only changing the culture of the child welfare agency, but also educating the judiciary and legislature on best practices that reduce trauma and keep children safely with parents whenever possible.
Judge Ernestine Steward Gray
The Hon. Ernestine Steward Gray has been serving as judge of Orleans Parish Juvenile Court since 1984. She is a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and a past president of the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Judge Gray has also been on the National CASA Association Board of Trustees since 2001 (CASA stands for court-appointed special advocate) and she has authored several publications on child welfare, adoption and parental substance abuse. In January 2018, Judge Gray was named the recipient of the American Bar Foundation Outstanding Service Award. She currently serves as president of the Pelican Center for Children and Families, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of legal representation for children and providing interdisciplinary training and education to child welfare practitioners. Gray regularly appears before the state legislature to speak and provide information on issues relating to youth in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Lisa Opoku and David Hansell
Lisa Opoku, chief operating officer for the engineering organization at Goldman Sachs, and David Hansell, commissioner of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, have played integral roles in the Fostering College Success Mentoring Program. The program is a public-private partnership among the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, Goldman Sachs and Casey Family Programs, and aims to build a better tomorrow for young adults in foster care. The program pairs students from foster care with Goldman Sachs employees in a meaningful mentoring relationship with the goal of helping them graduate from college and secure employment, and providing guidance in their transition to adulthood. Goldman Sachs mentors receive training on the unique experiences and challenges facing foster youth. Students in the program have provided firsthand feedback about the incredible support they have received.
