September 25–27, 2017 | Baltimore, MD
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a policy advisors’ institute to help states implement an integrated and comprehensive approach for improving the human services administration and service delivery. Topics included collaboration between agencies, parents and youths; innovative approaches to combating substance abuse; and generative partnerships between states and the private sector. States were asked to share their experience with these issues to promote peer learning.
Agenda
Presentations
September 25, 2017
Welcome and Introductions
Moderators:
- Lourdes R. Padilla, secretary of Human Services, State of Maryland
- Michelle Sager, division director, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
- Alex Cawthorne, program director, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Plenary 1: Advancing the Mission of Human Services Agencies: The Current Climate
Moderator:
- Alex Cawthorne, program director, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Carol Emig, president, Child Trends
- Candy Hill, senior director, Policy & Government Affairs, American Public Human Services Association
- Bryan Samuels, executive director, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
- Renée Wilson-Simmons, director, National Center for Children in Poverty
Keynote: David Sanders
Moderator:
- David Sanders, executive vice president of systems improvement, Casey Family Programs
- Hope Cooper, founding partner, True North Group
- Margaret Hunt, senior director, national partnerships, Casey Family Program
Speakers:
- Rochelle Alvarado, young fellow, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative
- Marketa Garner Walters, secretary, Louisiana Department of Child & Family Services
- Brandy Hudson, Foster Care Alumni of America, Virginia chapter president
- Jeremy C. Kohomban, president and CEO, Children’s Village
- Denise Moore, Des Moines service area parent partner coordinator, Iowa
- Wendy Rickman, division administrator, Iowa Department of Human Services
- Jeremy C. Kohomban, president and CEO, Children’s Village
- Teresa Rafael, executive director, National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds
- Jennifer Rodriguez, executive director, Youth Law Center
September 26, 2017
Keynote: Patrick McCarthy
Moderator:
- Michelle Sager, division director, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speaker:
- Patrick McCarthy, president and chief executive officer, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Plenary 3: Innovative Approaches to Combating Substance Abuse
Moderator:
- William A. Hazel Jr., secretary of Health and Human Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia
Speakers:
- Robin Ghertner, director of data and technical assistance, Office of Human Services Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Kimberly Johnson, director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Erin Smead, assistant director, START
- Sarah Avery, START family mentor, Kentucky Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams
- Beth Tanzman, director of the Vermont Blueprint for Health, Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction
Workshop 1: Engaging Young Adults: Pathways to Success
Moderators:
- Kim Meinert, senior policy analyst, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
- Matt Stagner, senior fellow; director, Human Services, Mathematica Policy Research
Speakers:
- Dave Aguzzi, Assistant Director, Office of Independent Living, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
- Carol A Beatty, Maryland Secretary of Disabilities
- Airika Buford, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Transition to Independence Program, Wayne State School of Social Work
- Sabine Chery, Assistant Commissioner, Child Welfare Programs-Division of Family Permanency Services, Office of Older Youth Services, New York City Administration for Children’s Services
- Megan Fletcher, senior policy analyst, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Maura McInerny, senior attorney, Education Law Center
- Kathy McNaught, American Bar Association, Center on Children and the Law, Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
Workshop 3: The Future of Collaboration: Building a Pipeline to Prosperity
Moderator:
- Curtis Smith, policy analyst, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Michael Becketts, assistant secretary, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
- Steve Corsi, acting director, Missouri Department of Social Services
- Elizabeth Lower-Basch, director, Income and Work Supports, Center for Law and Social Policy
Workshop 4: Communication for Human Services Agencies
Moderator:
- Alex Cawthorne, program director, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Rachael DeCruz, vice president of Policy at the new Race Forward
- Doug Racine, public human services management consultant, Former Secretary of Vermont Human Services
- Marci Roth, partner, TrueNorth Group
Workshop 5: Technology and Data Sharing Innovations
Moderator:
- Megan Fletcher, senior policy analyst, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Dennis Culhane, Dana and Andrew Stone professor of social policy, University of Pennsylvania
- Andrea Garvey, MD THINK project coordinator, Maryland Department of Information Technology
- Kaylin Stigall, former geospatial research fellow at the College of William & Mary’s Center for Geospatial Analysis
Workshop 6: Human Services Workforce Investment & Secondary Trauma
Moderator:
- Kim Meinert, senior policy analyst, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Amelia Franck Meyer, CEO, Alia Innovations
- Representative Jonathan Singer, Colorado General Assembly
Plenary 4: Linking Human Services and Housing Assistance for Families
Moderator:
- Kim Meinert, senior policy analyst, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Erin Burns-Maine, director of state policy, Corporation for Supportive Housing
- Sharon McDonald, director, families and youth, National Alliance to End Homelessness
- Kelly Sinko, policy development coordinator, Office of Policy and Management, State of Connecticut
- Janel Winter, director of community resources, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
September 27, 2017
- Kim Meinert, senior policy analyst, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Brandon Butler, deputy assistant secretary, Division of Workforce Development & Adult Learning, Maryland Department of Labor
- Elizabeth Connolly, acting commissioner, New Jersey Department of Human Services
- Kimberly Miyazawa Frank, director of community & project development, Hawaii Department of Human Services
Plenary 6: Current Priorities at the Administration for Children, Youth and Families
Moderator:
- Alex Cawthorne, program director, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speaker:
- Jerry Milner, associate commissioner, Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children Youth & Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Alex Cawthorne, program director, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Stephanie Berkowitz, president & ceo, Northern Virginia Family Service
- Susan Dreyfus, president & ceo, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities
- Leslie Newman, ceo, children & Families First
- Tracy Wareing Evans, president & ceo, American Public Human Services Association
Plenary 8: Know Better, Do Better, Be Better: Leading Transformative Change
Moderator:
- Michelle Sager, division director, Economic Opportunity Division, NGA Center
Speakers:
- Steve Corsi, acting director, Missouri Department of Social Services
- Amelia Franck Meyer, CEO, Alia Innovations
- Doug Racine, public human services management consultant, Former Secretary of Vermont Human Services
