Steven joins the department from Philadelphia. He has worked in mental health and child welfare in large urban settings for more than 20 years and looks forward to contributing to the good work underway in Washington.
Throughout his career, Steven has sought to enhance service experiences and offerings for children and families, believing firmly that supporting healthy child development and strengthening families can improve chances for success in life and prevent the need for formal involvement with the child welfare system.
Recently, Steven led the startup and operation of one of Philadelphia’s Community Umbrella Agencies as part of the city’s effort to transform child welfare service delivery. He navigated the agency through initial periods of system instability to strong outcomes. Steve places emphasis in his work on organizational culture and leadership, motivating and developing staff, engaging in quality assurance processes and use of data, cultivating community partnerships, and using evidence-informed and evidence-based interventions. Steven has a strong interest in trauma and has worked and presented with colleagues from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
When asked about his life’s chief joys, Steven readily identifies his experience as a foster and adoptive parent of teens. He is tirelessly committed to his four now-adult sons.
Steven earned his Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and a Master of Science in social work from Columbia University.