Human Services Policy Institute

Sept. 11-13, 2019 | Chicago, IL

NGA Economic Opportunity hosted its annual Policy Institute for Governors Human Services Advisors as a venue for senior leadership in states and territories to discuss best practices to address challenges in human services program delivery and administration and improve outcomes for children and families.

Agenda 

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019

Fostering Well-Being: Trauma-Informed Care and Healing-Centered Engagement

  • Stan Sonu, Assistant Professor and Physician, Emory University School of Medicine
  • Kristin Cooper, First Lady of North Carolina
  • Mary Rolando, ACEs Innovation Director, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
  • George Galvis, Executive Director, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ)
  • Sandra Wilkniss, Program Director, NGA Health (Moderator)

Aging and Longevity: Challenge or Opportunity?

Concurrent Session: Getting Smarter: State Innovations in Aging

  • Ken Dychtwald, Founder & CEO, AgeWave
  • Mark Ghaly, Secretary, California Health and Human Services Agency
  • Kate Johnson, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Health (Moderator)

Concurrent Session: A Public Health Approach to Preventing and Treating Child Abuse and Neglect

  • Melissa Merrick, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America
  • Adam Meier, Secretary, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
  • Duke Storen, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Social Services
  • Matthew Stagner, Vice President, Mathematica Policy Research (Moderator) 

Concurrent Session: It Takes Two: Aligning Health and Human Services Systems to Promote the Health and Well-being of Moms and Babies  

  • Carmen Green, Director, National Birth Equity Collaborative
  • Carole Johnson, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Human Services
  • Katherine Klem Gaztambide, Executive Director, Elevate, Yale School of Medicine
  • Donna Johnson, Director of Family Support, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
  • Lee Taylor-Penn, Policy Analyst, NGA Health (Moderator)

Human Services Keynote Address

  • Chris Johnson, Chair, NGA Human Services Core Advisors Board; Special Advisor to the Governor, Office of Faith and Community-Based Initiatives, Office of Governor Matt Bevin
  • Christine James-Brown, President & CEO, Child Welfare League of America; Board Member, Board on Children, Youth, and Families, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Lightning Round Talks

  • The Impact of the 2020 Census Undercount
    • Carrie Davis, Democracy Program Director, Joyce Foundation
  • Meaningful Work Support Strategies

Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019

Addiction and Human Services

  • Ken DeCerchio, Program Director, Children and Family Futures
  • Bill Hazel, Senior Advisor for Innovation and Community Engagement, George Mason University
  • Elizabeth Romero, Director, Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
  • Rosalynd Mosser, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)

Concurrent Session: Equity Track – Applying an Equity Lens to Risk Assessments

  • Kathy Park, CEO, National Council on Crime & Delinquency
  • Chris Scharenbroch, Associate Director of Research Analytics, National Council on Crime & Delinquency
  • Charlene Taylor, Senior Researcher, National Council on Crime & Delinquency
  • Kandis Driscoll, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)

Concurrent Session: Child and Family Well-Being track: Building a Framework for Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect

  • Krista Thomas, Policy Fellow, Chapin Hall
  • Brenda Donald, Director, District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency
  • Jenny Heddin, Chief Financial Officer, Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families
  • Rosalynd Mosser, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)  

Concurrent Session: Income Mobility track: What Color is Your Parachute? Intentionally Designing Programs to Prevent “Benefit Cliffs”

  • Tyler Jaeckel, Director of Policy and Research, Bell Policy Center
  • Christina Church, Two-Generation Program Officer, Maryland Department of Human Services
  • Christine Tappan, Assistant Commissioner, NH DHHS
  • Michael Britsch, Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)  

Co-designing Solutions with Those with Lived Experience

  • Nyeelah Inniss, Georgia EmpowerMEnt, Multi-Agency Alliance for Children, Inc. (MAAC)
  • Michael Fulcher, Georgia EmpowerMEnt, Multi-Agency Alliance for Children, Inc. (MAAC)
  • Sarah Bess Hudson, Multi-Agency Alliance for Children, Inc. (MAAC)
  • Lamar Smith, Georgia Division of Child and Family Services
  • Alex Lohrbach, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (Moderator)  

Concurrent Session: Equity Track – Using Decision-Point Analysts to Promote Equity

  • Anna Wong, Senior Policy Associate, W. Haywood Burns Institute
  • Kandis Driscoll, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)

Concurrent Session: Child and Family Well-Being Track – Aligning Across Systems to Promote a Framework for Well-being

  • Stephanie Hogenson, Policy Director, Minnesota Children’s Cabinet
  • Arlene Lee, Former Executive Director, Maryland Children’s Cabinet
  • Angela Sausser, Executive Director, Public Children’s Services Association of Ohio
  • Rosalynd Mosser, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)  

Concurrent Session: Economic Mobility Track – Integrating and Using Data to Support Economic Mobility

  • Amy Hawn Nelson, Director of Training and Technical Assistance, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
  • Lourdes Padilla, Secretary, Maryland Department of Human Services
  • Michael Britsch, Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)   

Making Work Count: Strategies for Promoting Economic Mobility

  • Matthew Darling, Vice President, ideas42
  • Bradley Hardy, Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy, American University
  • Kim Johnson, Director, California Department of Social Services
  • Kandis Driscoll, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)

 

Friday, Sept. 13, 2019

Closing Reflections

  • Edwin Daye, Parent Partner, Children and Families of Iowa, Birth Parent National Network (operated by the National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds)
  • Norma Hatfield, Relative Caregiver, Generations United’s GRAND Voices Network, President, Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky
  • Toni Miner, Family Support Partner, Jeffco Connections (Colorado); Birth Parent National Network (operated by the National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds)
  • Rosalynd Mosser, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Economic Opportunity (Moderator)

On the Federal Horizon

  • Lynn Johnson, Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families 

Resources and Handouts

The Economic Opportunity Division at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices would like to thank the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs for their generous support of this cross-state convening.