Blog
African Americans Who Strengthen the Fabric of Child Welfare
Throughout African-American history, quilts have been more than decorative pieces of fabric stitched together by the community or one pair of nimble hands. Many are created out of necessity—to warm, shelter, comfort and protect. For families, quilts help preserve traditions, like in rural Gees Bend, Ala., where quilting is passed down from African-American mothers to their daughters.
It is the power of quilts and the kinship legacy they represent that moved us to honor these African-American leaders and the bold, thoughtful and innovative threads that link them.
Quilt 1
| Row 1 Lisa R. Chambers: Executive Vice President for HR, Systems Improvement and Family Service Transportation, A Second Chance, Inc.; Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare Stacy Johnson: Sr. Director of Systems Engagement, A Second Chance, Inc.; Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; member, Pennsylvania chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America Chad Dion Lassiter: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Executive Director, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission; Professor of Race Relations and Co-Founder and President of Black Men, University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work, Inc.; former Executive Director, Red Cross House, American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania Sarah R. Guidry: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Executive Director, the Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy, Inc., Thurgood Marshall School of Law; former Supervising Attorney, Special Litigation Unit, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Dale A. Pringle: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; OSDManager, Chubb Insurance Company of Europe Row 2 Twanda Toliver-Gainer: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Assistant Professor and Nurse Recruiter-Counselor, HU-VETS, Hampton University School of Nursing Mark Francis: President & CEO, Cysson Enterprises; Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare Annetta Wilson: Executive Director, Sankofa Safe Child Initiative; Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare Margo Harris: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare Alan-Michael Graves: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Director, National Fatherhood Initiative, GOOD+ Foundation; former Director, Children’s Institute, Inc. Regina Thomas: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare Row 3 L’Tesha Gamble-Pettis: Vice President of Child and Family Services, A Second Chance, Inc.; Board Member, the Family Life Center, Inc. Dr. William E. Smith: Board Member, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; retired educator Row 4 Tinisha M. Hunt: Executive Program Manager, Macedonia FACE; member, African American Strategic Partnership Robert M. Jones Jr.: President & CEO, Brothers and Sisters Emerging; member, African American Strategic Partnership Jackie Smith: Executive Director, Greater Valley Community Services; member, African American Strategic Partnership Dr. Trisha Gadson: Executive Director, Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment Center; member, African American Strategic Partnership Andrew Cheeseboro: CEO, Small Seeds Development, Inc.; member, African American Strategic Partnership Danielle C. Crawford: Operations Manager, Macedonia FACE; member, African American Strategic Partnership |
Quilt 2
| Row 1 Dr. Cheryl Hall-Russell: President and Chief Cultural Consultant, BW3; former President & CEO, Hill House Association Jada Shirriel: CEO, Healthy Start; member, African American Strategic Partnership Peggy B. Harris: President & CEO, Three Rivers Youth; member, African American Strategic Partnership Jacqueline D. Wilson: CEO, Three Rivers Adoption Council; former Foster Care Director, Family Services of Western Pennsylvania; member, African American Strategic Partnership Dr. Lenall Thomas: Executive Director, Center for Family Excellence, Inc.; member, African American Strategic Partnership Row 2 Rev. Brenda J. Gregg: Founder and Executive Director, Project Destiny, Inc.; member, African American Strategic Partnership Dr. John M. Wallace Jr.: Senior Pastor, Bible Center Church; David E. Epperson Endowed Chair and Professor, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh; member, African American Strategic Partnership Dr. Cynthia Wallace: Executive Pastor and Director, Oasis Project, Bible Center Church; , Bible Center Church; member, African American Strategic Partnership Wendy Guy: Fiscal and Development Manager, Brothers and Sisters Emerging; member, African American Strategic Partnership Esther L. Bush: President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh; member, African American Strategic Partnership Row 3 Regina Scott: Vice President of Programs & Services, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh; member, African American Strategic Partnership Dr. Kathi R. Elliott: Executive Director, Gwen’s Girls; member, African American Strategic Partnership Mel Blount: Founder, Mel Blount Youth Home and Mel Blount Youth Initiative; former Pittsburgh Steelers Cornerback; member, African American Strategic Partnership TiAnda Blount: Executive Vice President, Mel Blount Youth Home and Mel Blount Youth Initiative; member, African American Strategic Partnership Row 4 Walter Lewis: President & CEO, Homewood Children’s Village; member, African American Strategic Partnership Carlene Parkinson: Founder and CEO, Touching Families, Inc.; member, African American Strategic Partnership Row 5 Dr. Shannah Tharp-Gilliam: Director, Office of Research and Evaluation, Homewood Children’s Village; member, African American Strategic Partnership Renee Durham: Controller, Homewood Children’s Village; member, African American Strategic Partnership Darlene L. Hart: Owner, Ensuring Our Future, Inc.; preacher and teacher, Christian Tabernacle Church of God, Inc.; member, African American Strategic Partnership William Phifer: Program Coordinator, Greater Valley Community Services; member, African American Strategic Partnership W. Aaron Mickens: Vice President of Operations and Performance Management, Three Rivers Youth; member, African American Strategic Partnership |
Quilt 3
| Row 1 Dr. David Brock: Vice President, Family and Community Engagement, A Second Chance, Inc. Vonjana Knight: Vice President, Operations, A Second Chance, Inc. Stacy Glanton: Sr. Director III, Human Relations and Organizational Development, A Second Chance, Inc. Davida Allen: Sr. Director, Navigation and National Navigation Expansion; A Second Chance, Inc. Alexandria Thomas: Vice President, Children and Family Services, A Second Chance, Inc.; Founder, A Promise of Hope Inc. Row 2 Howard Wright: Vice President, Facilities, A Second Chance, Inc. B. Denise Hawkins: Vice President of Editorial Content and Public Relations, A Second Chance, Inc. Jessica Rosa Bishop: Director, Children and Family Services, A Second Chance, Inc. Dr. Raymond Thomas: Sr. Director II, Systems Improvement, Research and Data, A Second Chance, Inc. Willette Walker: Sr. Director, Organizational Development, A Second Chance, Inc. Row 3 Misty Patterson: Senior Director, Family Services Transportation, A Second Chance, Inc. Pamela Blackwell: Director, Children and Family Services, A Second Chance, Inc.; Pastor, Word of God Church of Life & Deliverance Row 4 Toni Wagner: Director, Organizational Accreditation and Evidence-Based Strategies, A Second Chance, Inc. Nakeya Berry: Permanency Director, A Second Chance, Inc. Row 5 Ahmad Kamara: Director, Family Group Decision-Making, A Second Chance, Inc. Dr. Christine White-Taylor: Education Liaison, A Second Chance, Inc.; retired Administrator, Pittsburgh Public Schools Bonita Flanagan: Executive Assistant, A Second Chance, Inc. Tamia Mitchell: Executive Assistant, A Second Chance, Inc. ASCI Leadership Not Pictured: William Hughes: Director, Fiscal Operations, A Second Chance, Inc. Jerome McDaniel: Director, General Services, A Second Chance, Inc. Eugene Harding: Director, Children and Family Services, A Second Chance, Inc. Jacquet Toliver: Director, Children and Family Services, A Second Chance, Inc. Jessica Rosa Bishop: Director, Children and Family Services, A Second Chance, Inc. Taylor McDaniel: Co-Executive Assistant, A Second Chance, Inc. |
Quilt 4
| Row 1 Brenda Donald: Director of D.C. Child and Family Services Agency; former deputy mayor for D.C. Health and Human Services; former Vice President of the Center for Effective Family Services and Systems at the Annie E. Casey Foundation Robert Matthews: Deputy Director of Community Partnerships, D.C. Child and Family Services Agency Brace Lowe: COO, A Second Chance, Inc.; Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; President & CEO, Lift Empowerment, LLC Chris James-Brown: President & CEO, Child Welfare League of America; former President & CEO, United Way International; former President & CEO, United Way SEPA Kimberly Ali: Deputy Commissioner, Child Welfare Operations, Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS); former Chief Implementation Officer for Improving Outcomes for Children, DHS Row 2 Karen Richardson: Deputy Director, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Juvenile Court Services and Adoption Bureau Dr. Larry E. Davis: Dean Emeritus, School of Social Work, Founding Director, Center on Race and Social Problems and Donald M. Henderson Chair, University of Pittsburgh; Founder, Black Administrators and Scholars Lisa Ford: Assistant Director of Social Services, Maryland Department of Human Services: St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services; former HSRC Member, Casey Family Programs; former Allegheny County member of the Annie E. Casey Foundation program On the Frontline; former Sr. Vice President of TECD and Quality Improvement, A Second Chance, Inc. Rebecca Jones Gaston: Executive Director, Social Services Administration, Maryland Department of Human Resources; former Director, Technical Assistance Unit, Casey Family Programs Yakiciwey Mitchell: Founder, Edifying Nations Consulting; former Senior Director of the Los Angeles County Field Office and Strategic Consultation for Casey Family Programs Row 3 Nina Powell: Division Chief, Resource Family Recruitment & Approval, Department of Children & Family Services in L.A. County (DCFS); Division Chief, Parents in Partnership, DCFS; former Children Services Administrator III, DCFS; former Program Manager of Family to Family and Family Group Decision Making, DCFS Zahirah Mann: Program Officer, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation; former Program Officer, the Annenberg Foundation; former Program Manager, United Way Dr. Sandra Chipungu: Interim Dean, School of Behavioral Sciences, Morgan State University (MSU); Professor Chair Doctoral Program, MSU Dr. Joseph Crumbley: Trainer, consultant and therapist specializing in kinship care, transracial adoptions, foster care, chemical dependency and more; consultations include, but are not limited to, Casey Family Programs, Casey Family Services, Brookdale Foundation and the Child Welfare League of America Row 4 Lisa Hamilton: President and CEO, the Annie E. Casey Foundation; former Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer, the Annie E. Casey Foundation; former Vice President of External Affairs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation Dr. Jaiya John: Founder, Soul Water Rising; Founder, Harvest Project; National Science Foundation Fellow;former Professor of Social Psychology at Howard University Row 5 Kimm R. Campbell: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Director, Broward County Human Services Department; former Director, System of Care, Mecklenburg County Vannessa Dorantes: Commissioner‐designate, Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF); Chairman, DCF Statewide Racial Justice Workgroup; former Regional Administrator, DCF Ruth McRoy: Donahue and DiFelice Professor of Social Work and Co-Founding Director, Research and Innovations in Social, Economic and Environmental Equity, Boston College. Leonard D. Burton: Board of Directors, Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of Social Policy; former Chief Operating Officer, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative; former Assistant Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services Eric Fenner: Managing Director, Strategic Consulting, Casey Family Programs; former Executive Director, Franklin County Children Services |
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of A Second Chance, Inc.