Congratulations to NOSAC’s own Ohio Children’s Alliance on winning the 2023 Aging Out Institute Award.
Kirsten began serving as Executive Director of AspireMN in December 2017 after two years as the association’s Assistant Director.
Past leadership experiences include Sr. Director for Lutheran Social Service of MN (LSS) Metro Homeless Youth Services, where she supported a continuum of services for youth and young families and directed the LSS Advocacy Office, with a strong focus on community-based services. Kirsten began her career in the Lutheran World Relief Office of Public Policy in Washington, DC.
Her experience includes deep engagement with various service providers, people served, and community members.
Katie Olse was appointed CEO of the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services in December of 2016. She formerly served as the Deputy Commissioner for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Prior to her role as Deputy Commissioner she was Associate Commissioner for DFPS and Chief of Staff for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She served as the Senior Policy Advisor to the Executive Commissioner for DFPS and the former Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services. She was previously the Director of the Center for Consumer and External Affairs at DFPS where she worked closely with the DFPS Commissioner and the Legislature on critical issues within the child protection, regulatory, adult protective and child abuse prevention/early intervention realms.
Children’s Alliance, an association of over 35 child welfare and behavioral health service providers caring for at-risk children and families across the Commonwealth. In addition to her work with the Children’s Alliance, Sanborn is an adjunct faculty member at Western Kentucky University and currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Council on Accreditation. Sanborn has spent her career advocating for children and families in need. Sanborn joined the Children’s Alliance in 2006, where she successfully led children’s advocacy efforts as the Director of Public Policy. Prior to joining the Children’s Alliance, she served as the Director of the Division of Protection and Permanency for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. There she was charged with providing leadership to ensure the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable adults. In addition to her leadership and advocacy experience, she has years of experience working directly with children and families. She has previously served as the Director of the Home of the Innocents’ Therapeutic Loving foster Care program and also held several positions with the Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children Metro Region Foster Care program. Along with her foster care experience, she has worked at the Wellspring House and the City of Louisville’s Youth Alliance where her passion for advocacy and speaking out for Kentucky’s most vulnerable citizens originated. She earned her Master’s in Social Work at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.
Janet Reynolds Snyder is the Executive Director of the Michigan Federation for Children and Families. She leads the Federation’s policy and advocacy efforts on behalf of member agencies and the communities they serve. She collaborates closely with all branches of state government—executive, judicial and legislative—to coordinate efforts, strategy and policy in order to best advance positive changes for children and families throughout Michigan. Janet organizes expert legislative testimony on issues of importance to member agencies and the families they serve and also sits on a wide variety of statewide task forces and advisory teams.
Janet is connected nationally with the major human services advocacy organizations such as Social Current, Child Welfare League of America, National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health, and the Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services.
Janet earned her MBA from Spring Arbor University and her Bachelor’s in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan. Additionally, she earned a Mediation Certification from the Michigan State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) and completed the Domestic Violence Screening Training for Mediators also through SCAO. Janet has served as executive director of the Federation since 2008 and brings to the Federation 30 years of extensive advocacy skills and knowledge of both the child welfare system and private nonprofit human services sector.
Andrea Durbin has been the Chief Executive Officer of Illinois Collaboration on Youth since 2012. A passionate and life-long advocate for young people, she leads ICOY’s work to improve the lives of children, youth, and their families. Prior to becoming CEO, Andrea served as policy and advocacy director for ICOY and led the agency’s federally-funded capacity building initiative for youth service agencies in Chicago.
In 2019, Andrea was recognized with the Social Impact Award from the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. Chicago Business Journal named her a Woman of Influence in 2017.
Prior to joining ICOY, Andrea worked for seven years in education, including serving as the Director of Communications at the Crown School, and for eight years at Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, where she led efforts to develop programs for high-risk youth, and primary and preventive health services for medically underserved communities. She has a master’s degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.
Becky brings more than 25 years experience in advancing child and family policy and practice interests and initiatives. She currently serves as Executive Director of Colorado Association of Family and Children’s Agencies (CAFCA). Most recently, Becky served as Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center. Prior to that, she served as Vice President Child & Family Services for Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, managing one of Colorado’s largest private foster care organizations. In 2011, Becky was selected to serve as Colorado’s 1st Child Protection Ombudsman, where she opened and established the legislatively-created office. Earlier in her career, Becky provided government relations consultancy that specialized in child welfare, health, education, and community initiatives and policy reform. She represented Tennyson Center for Children, Every Child Matters, Qualistar, Colorado Council of Churches, Colorado Care Management and others. Becky began her career as an Aide to U.S. Congressman Lee Hamilton in Washington, DC, and later served as a Legislative Aid in the Indiana General Assembly.
Becky holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Indiana University; an MA in Child & Family studies and a Ph.D. in Child & Family Leadership (focused on social work, education, and public policy) from University of Denver Morgridge College of Education. Becky serves on the Boards of Directors for Colorado Children’s Alliance, Cobbled Streets, and Community Investment Alliance, and is appointed to serve on the Delivery of Child Welfare Services Task Force. She was named a top 3 finalist for Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business in 2010 and 2012.
Karen McLeod is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Benchmarks. In this role, she directs the strategic initiatives of the association, its’ advocacy and lobbying responsibilities, as well as development of collaborative partnerships for Benchmarks and its members.
Karen represents member agencies at the legislature, establishes legislative agendas and grass root legislative advocacy, and is a leader in development of legislation to improve the quality of care of services for children, adults and families. She is responsible for proactive policy development with state leadership as well as on-going assessment of trends, policy issues and fiscal concerns regarding Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse, Department of Social Services.
Representation of members on various state legislative and advocacy committees, development of partnerships between state leadership and members, identification of systemic human services problems, and development of recommendations for remedies and advocacy with appropriate state leadership are also core responsibilities that Karen addresses with the support of her staff and members.