Child Welfare Expert Witnesses

This child welfare industry executive has over 25 years of social services experience, including 15 years in leadership roles at foster care agencies. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Western Connecticut State University and her M.S.W from Smith School for Social Work; she is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She began her career as a Social Worker and Supervisor and then joined Green Chimneys Children's Services as the Director of Social Services. From 1999 until 2004, the expert was the Director of Foster Home Services & Adoption and a Vice President at Jewish Child Care Association, in charge of the foster care division. The expert later served as JCCA's Senior Vice President of Foster Home & Residential Services and completed her career as the Assistant Executive Director at Good Shepherd Services, where she rolled out a new foster care program and oversaw a $12 million budget from 2011 until retiring in 2014.

This expert has a BA in History, a Masters in Media Technology, a Masters in Educational Leadership, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Walden University. He wrote his dissertation on the needs of foster children in rural schools and is the author of several books on foster care books. He is the director of the Foster Care Institute, and acts as a consultant to foster care agencies and legal agencies across the US, and across the globe. He writes regularly for many magazines, and is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, several publications, and newsletters, both in the United States and overseas. He has been a foster and adoptive parent for dozens of children for over a decade now.

This well-credentialed, experienced expert earned her B.A. from Ohio University, her Master of Social Work from Clark Atlanta University, and her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Hunter College School of Social Work of the City University of New York. The expert has worked extensively in the public sector, with government roles including the Director of the Office of Adolescent Services for the New York City Human Resources Administration, the Interim Commissioner of the Child Welfare Administration, and an appointed Member of the Mayor's Commission on the Foster Care of Children. At NYU, she was previously the Chair of the Social Welfare Programs and Policies area. She is also a consultant reviewer for the Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families and previously held many faculty appointments, including as Director and Chair of the Westchester Social Work Education Consortium.

This highly qualified expert earned her BA in Forensic Psychology and her MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College. She went on to receive her MSW from Hunter College and her MPhil and PhD in Social Welfare from the City University of New York. She is a certified field instructor and rape crisis counselor and a licensed clinical social worker. She has over 15 years of clinical and research experience in social work and has published over 12 journal articles and reports on various topics in social work, including youth criminal offenders. She formerly served as a forensic examiner for the Pasadena Juvenile Court and as an assistant professor and interim director of field education at California State University, Los Angeles. She currently serves as the director of field education for a social work school in NY.

This expert has over 20 years of experience in social work. He earned his BA in economics from Hamilton College and his MSW from Columbia University. He also completed several certificate programs, including a graduate certificate in social work administration and an executive certificate through the Institute of Not-For-Profit Management at Columbia University. This expert has completed numerous professional development courses as well, including trauma systems therapy and therapeutic crisis intervention. He serves as a child/volunteer protection advocate board member for the Briarcliff Youth Soccer Club and volunteered with the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies as the foster boarding home committee co-chair and as part of the Medicaid managed workgroup. Much of his career was spent working for the Jewish Child Care Association, where he served as a social worker, unit director of the Edenwald Residential Treatment Center, and foster home services director and senior vice president. Currently, this expert serves as the executive vice president and chief operations officer for a nonprofit in New York that provides housing for veterans.