Dr. Sanders has spent his entire career in the human services field.

Prior to joining Casey Family Programs, he directed all operations for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, the largest county system in the country, with about 6,000 staff serving approximately 22,000 children in foster care. During his tenure, the department saw its foster care population decrease as safety and stability measures improved.

He previously served 10 years as director of the Hennepin County (Minn.) Children, Family and Adult Services Department, managing a staff of 1,450. As director, he was responsible for all state and federally mandated social services to children, families and adults in the county. Early in his career, Dr. Sanders worked in Minneapolis, first as a senior clinical psychologist in the Hennepin County Mental Health Center, and later as chief clinical psychologist.

Dr. Sanders graduated with honors from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota.

Public service, honors and professional affiliations

Dr. Sanders has provided testimony to state and federal policymakers on opportunities to improve child maltreatment and the child welfare system, as well as related issues. In 2017, he testified before two congressional subcommittees in the House of Representatives on consent decrees and the impact on child welfare systems and children and families.

In 2013, Dr. Sanders was appointed by President Obama to a key administrative post as chair of the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. The same year, Dr. Sanders also was selected to chair the Los Angeles Blue Ribbon Commission.

Dr. Sanders is the recipient of the 2008 Grace B. Flandreau Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, recognizing his significant contributions to juvenile justice and child welfare. The National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators honored Dr. Sanders in 2007 with the Peter W. Forsythe Award for Leadership in Public Child Welfare.

In 2006 Dr. Sanders joined the Philadelphia Child Welfare Review Panel, and eventually became chair. Dr. Sanders also was vice president of the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators in 2005. In 2003, he received the Congressional Angels in Adoption Award, and in 2005 he received the Princeton Club of Southern California’s Service to the Community Award.