Supporting systems that care
Strategic support for organizations serving children, youth, and families—across policy, programs, and advocacy.
I’ve helped governments develop national child protection policies, child welfare agencies launch citywide mental health initiatives, and global foundations rethink how they approach justice and healing.
How I can support you
I focus on what truly works—approaches grounded in evidence, shaped by lived experience, and rooted in relationship. Whether you’re designing a new initiative, strengthening what already exists, or navigating complexity across systems, I bring deep strategic insight and a steady, collaborative presence. My goal is to help you move from clarity to impact—sustainably and with care.
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Together, we’ll identify where your efforts can have the greatest impact. I help clarify priorities, develop theories of change, and design responsive, relational programs that work across services, teams, and contexts.
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I support efforts that elevate the voices of children, youth, and families—not just as beneficiaries, but as partners in change. From designing authentic engagement strategies to advancing narrative and policy shifts, I help center lived experience and equity.
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We’ll define what success looks like and how to measure it—capturing both outcomes and systemic change. I build learning systems that fuel growth, inform the field, and sustain long-term transformation.
clients & affiliations
Selected work
Civil Society
Partnering with religious communities
At UNICEF, I led global efforts to engage religious communities as critical partners in advancing equity and child rights. Working across more than 160 country offices, I helped shape strategy and practice that bridged faith and policy—co-developing guidance on how to partner with faith actors across sectors like education, health, HIV and AIDS, nutrition, child protection, gender equality, and humanitarian response. This work helped shift institutional norms, recognizing the power of faith-rooted networks to foster trust, promote dignity, and catalyze change in communities often overlooked by formal systems.
Partnering with Religious Communities for Children: A UNICEF publication I co-authored, providing the global framework and practical guidance for how UNICEF engages faith actors to advance child rights and equity across sectors.
While overseeing UNICEF’s work with religious communities, I was interviewed as part of the Micah Challenge, a global initiative engaging communities of faith to eradicate poverty.
Child Welfare
Designing relational programs for children, youth, and families
As program director for one of the largest foster care agencies in the U.S., I designed and led a wide range of education, youth development, and family support services rooted in relationship. I guided a team of over 50 staff working across programs that included mentoring, college and career readiness, mental health support, and parent accompaniment. These programs aimed not just to stabilize families, but to foster belonging, connection, and hope—meeting people where they were, while building the conditions for what could be.
During the height of COVID, we celebrated the resilience of over 100 young people in foster care graduating—from kindergarten to college—with joyful car parades and heartfelt shoutouts from Alicia Keys, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others.
Empowering Parents So Children Succeed Co-developed guidance to help foster care agencies partner with parents in supporting their children’s education—centering connection, collaboration, and empowerment.
Mental Health: Soul Care for Youth in Foster Care
I currently lead the implementation of Soul Care, a city-backed mental health pilot that supports healing through arts, culture, and movement. Developed in partnership with the NYC Administration for Children’s Services and the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health, Soul Care supports the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—by inviting young people to explore and strengthen eight key dimensions of well-being, including physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellness. With plans to scale citywide by 2027, the initiative weaves together relational practice, cultural responsiveness, and trauma-informed care—meeting youth in foster care in ways that are grounded, joyful, and real.
Photo: Public Policy Lab
Government
Shaping National Practice for Unaccompanied Children
In partnership with the Biden Administration’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, I helped shape and advance the Core Beliefs & Values framework for the Unaccompanied Children Program. Drawing from direct field experience and cross-sector collaboration, I focused on strengthening youth engagement strategies and articulating national commitments to child well-being, family connection, cultural responsiveness, and healing-centered accountability. Though its future depends on political will, the work laid a blueprint for what just, relational, and child-centered systems can look like—offering a vision rooted in presence, dignity, and care.
Six-minute excerpt from a national training developed for U.S. government staff and partners—focused on presence, dignity, and care in the Unaccompanied Children Program.
Humanitarian & Refugee Programs
Protecting Children in Crisis
Across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, I supported child protection efforts for the International Rescue Committee—working with children impacted by war, displacement, and family separation. I led initiatives to reunite children with their families, support those formerly associated with armed groups, and expand access to education in refugee settings.
During the 2006 Hezbollah–Israel war, I contributed to emergency response efforts in Lebanon. I also conducted child protection assessments in the West Bank and Gaza. Beyond direct response, I helped shape tools and trainings used across the humanitarian sector—including UNHCR’s Best Interest Determination guidelines and the Paris Principles—working to strengthen systems of care in moments of crisis and in their aftermath.
Meeting with young men in Liberia in the aftermath of the war to listen, learn, and support local efforts to protect children and build trust.
Additional examples
Advisory Roles
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![The Georgetown University logo featuring an emblem with a white eagle, laurel wreath, and the years 17 and 89, with the university name beneath.]()
Research Fellow, Collaborative on Global Children's Issues
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![Columbia Law School logo with a crown symbol and text.]()
International Human Rights Senior Career Advisor
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![Logo of the Aspen Institute featuring a white leaf shape with the words 'aspen institute' in blue inside it, set against a dark blue background.]()
Fellow, American Express Leadership Academy for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders
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Affiliate
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![Logo of Akanksha Education Fund with a stylized sun over a globe]()
Board of Directors
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![Colorful geometric shapes with the text "The Roothbert Fund" beneath.]()
Board of Directors
Endorsements
Short video productions
Advocacy and documentation pieces I produced for programs I designed and led.
A powerful weekend retreat for college-bound youth in foster care, focused on connection, leadership, and trust.
Young people in foster care travel to Washington, D.C. to explore history, share their voices, and envision their futures.
Parents of children in foster care come together for a weekend of connection, reflection, and renewal.
