Community Steering Committee
Human Service: Nancy Allen Scannell, Executive Director, MSPCC
Parent Leadership and Engagement: Sue Covitz, Executive Director, Families First
Healthcare Representative: Heather Forkey, MD, Director of FaCES at UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics at the UMass Chan Medical School
Legal Representative: Lisa Morrow, Deputy Director, Health Law Advocates
Family Members with Lived Experience: Charles Lerner, State Director, Massachusetts CASA Association
Lived Expertise: Miesha Parker, Lived Experience Expert, Stand With Me Advocacy
Education: Chelsea Prax, Program Director, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Lived Expertise: Julie Segovia, Chief Policy & Impact Officer, HopeWell
Lived Expertise: Meri Viano, Associate Director, Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL)
Lived Expertise: Tia Washington
First responder: TBD
Philanthropy: TBD
Backbone Team
Jennifer Valenzuela, Executive Director, The Children’s Trust
Maggie Holland, Program and Workforce Work Group Project Manager, The Children’s Trust
Matthew Kincaid, Founder & CEO, Overcoming Racism, to provide equity expertise
Delbar Mamedzade, Community Work Group Project Manager, The Children’s Trust
Liz Marotta, Director of Marketing and Events, The Children’s Trust
Melissa Oomer, Strategy Consultant, to provide strategy and coalition-building expertise
Dimple Patel, Director of State Policy, Casey Family Programs, for MA/National policy and coalition-building expertise
Priscila Pumarada Urrutia, Director of Community Initiatives, The Children’s Trust
Cassidy Trabilcy-Kiernan, Director of Public Policy, The Children’s Trust
kate warren barnes, Senior Advisor for Wellbeing and Systems Transformation, to provide child welfare and partnership expertise
State Steering Committee
Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities (EOHLC): Chris Thompson, Undersecretary, Division of Housing Stabilization
Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS): Mary McGeown, Undersecretary of Human Services
Dept. of Children and Families (DCF): Jesenia Collado, Assistant Commissioner for Protective Operations
Dept. of Early Education & Care (EEC): Joseph Rucker, Deputy Director, Field Operations
Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE): Rachelle Engler Bennett, Associate Commissioner, Student Family Support
Dept. of Mental Health (DMH): Funmi Aguocha, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Behavioral Health Promotion and Prevention | Andrea Oliveira Goncalves, IECMH Statewide Policy and Initiatives Lead
Dept. of Public Health (DPH): Elaine Fitzgerald Lewis, Director, Bureau of Family Health & Nutrition, State Title V Maternal and Child Health Director | Beth Bostic, Division Director for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs, Bureau of Family Health & Nutrition
Dept. of Transitional Assistance (DTA): Delrose Newman, Assistant Director of Family and Community Engagement
Dept. of Transitional Assistance (DTA): Kamaria Moore-Hollis, Associate Commissioner of Employment and Training Programs
Dept. of Youth Services (DYS): Cecely Reardon, Commissioner | Lisa Belmarsh, Assistant Commissioner for Support Services
Office of Attorney General (AGO): Liza M. Hirsch, Director, Children’s Justice Unit | Flora Chang, Children’s Justice Unit
Office of the Child Advocate (OCA): Cristine Goldman, General Counsel | Melissa Threadgill, Sr Director of Policy & Implementation
