Opening Keynote Speaker: Robert L. Matthews
Strengthening Families Through Data: Building a Kinship-First Culture in Child Welfare
This keynote presentation explores the transformative intersection of data-driven decision making and kinship care in child welfare systems. We'll examine how leveraging data analytics can revolutionize placement decisions, prioritizing kinship connections that preserve family bonds and cultural identity. Through real-world examples and evidence-based practices, we'll demonstrate how continuous quality improvement frameworks can build and sustain a kinship-first organizational culture.
Key focus areas include:
- Using data metrics to identify and overcome barriers to kinship placements
- Implementing CQI cycles to monitor and improve kinship placement rates
- Strategies for engaging and educating staff and community partners using data storytelling
- Building cross-system collaboration to make kinship everyone's responsibility
- Measuring outcomes to demonstrate the impact of kinship-first approaches
- Creating sustainable systems that prioritize family connections through data-informed practice
This presentation will provide practical tools and actionable insights for child welfare professionals to strengthen their kinship-first approach through data-driven continuous quality improvement practices.
Robert L. Matthews is the Chief Program Officer at Think of Us, where he leads program strategy and leverages nearly 20 years of experience in child welfare system reform. He has provided technical assistance for the Annie E. Casey Foundation and supported reforms across several states. Previously, he served as Director of D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency, where he led the first federally approved Family First Prevention Services Act plan to prevent foster care entry. As a state-level administrator, Matthews has led nearly every aspect of child welfare services programs, including child protective services, foster parent recruitment, case management, family finding, crisis response and jurisdiction-wide continuous quality improvement. He also mentors emerging leaders through the SANKOFA Institute and collaborates with Casey Family Programs and other national initiatives.
Day 1 Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Ann K. Emery
Data Storytelling: Transforming Numbers into Human Narratives
In an era where data is ubiquitous, the challenge isn't in gathering information but in making it resonate with people. In this keynote, we’ll explore the power of data storytelling—a compelling way to transform raw numbers into narratives that are not only insightful but also deeply human. Attendees will learn how to craft stories from data that connect with emotions, cater to even the busiest audiences, and drive action. We’ll discuss the importance of clear takeaways, weaving quantitative and qualitative data, and using icons, photos, and quotes that help audiences see the story behind the statistics. Whether you’re an analyst, case reviewer, or CQI staff member, you’ll walk away with actionable strategies to make your data more meaningful and impactful, ensuring that the numbers speak not just to the head, but to the heart. This session will empower you to bring the humanity back into your data presentations, making your insights unforgettable and driving results that go beyond the spreadsheet.
Ann K. Emery, M.S., is an internationally acclaimed speaker who equips organizations to get their data out of dusty spreadsheets and into real-world conversations. Each year, she delivers keynotes, workshops and webinars with the aim of equipping organizations to visualize data more effectively. She has been invited to speak in 31 states and 11 countries; 10,000 people have enrolled in her online training academy; and she has provided consultation to 200 organizations, including the United Nations, Centers for Disease Control and Harvard University.
Day 2 Morning Keynote Speaker: Anita Barbee & Panel!
California Job Analysis and Job Redesign Pilot Studies: The Role of CQI in Testing a Viable Workforce Intervention
Keynote speaker Anita Barbee will explore the concept of job redesign and its critical application in social service settings. She will also share key insights from a comprehensive job analysis conducted across five California counties in 2024, along with an overview of ongoing and emerging studies in four of these counties. Following her presentation, Barry Johnson, M.S.W., will facilitate a dynamic panel discussion featuring three leaders from two participating counties. Panelists will discuss their motivations for engaging in the project, the lessons they are learning, and their aspirations for the initiative’s impact in the coming years.
Anita Barbee, Ph.D., MSSW, is a professor, distinguished University scholar, and Ph.D. program director at the Kent School of Social Work and Family Science. Her research focuses on the child welfare workforce, evaluating training and practice innovations. She helped develop the California Core Practice Model and led evaluation for the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development. In 2024, she joined the Children's Bureau Center for Workforce Excellence and Leadership to co-lead recruitment and onboarding. She also contributes to the outcome evaluation team for the National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement.
- Meet the Panel!
Panel Facilitator Barrett Johnson, MSW, LCSW, has more over 25 years of experience in child welfare. He led training and curriculum development at CalSWEC, UC Berkeley and served as program director for San Francisco’s Family and Children’s Services Division. He specializes in program development, evaluation, policy and workforce improvement.
Holly Pesenti-Prieto is a division manager at San Luis Obispo County Child Welfare Services. A UC Davis graduate, she has worked in child welfare since 1998, supervising key programs and leading efficiency initiatives. Passionate about community service, she enjoys working with families.Jessica Zimmerman, MSW, is a child protective services social worker in Sonoma County with 18 years of experience. She holds degrees from CSU Sacramento and has worked in ABA therapy, preschool education, respite care and victim advocacy.
Rachel Varville, LCSW, is section manager for initial services at Family, Youth & Children’s Services in Sonoma County. With nearly 17 years in child welfare, she previously worked in Napa County in direct practice and supervisory roles. She earned her MSW from UC Berkeley, specializing in child welfare through the Title IV-E program.
Day 2 Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Junious Williams
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Collective Impact (CI) Can Learn a Lot From Each Other
Are you ready to harness the combined power of two proven strategies for driving meaningful, lasting change? Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Collective Impact (CI) share a strong foundation—both prioritize outcomes and leverage data to fuel ongoing learning and progress. But here’s where the real transformation happens: while CQI strengthens systems through iterative learning, CI expands the impact by fostering deep community engagement and a commitment to equity.
This keynote will explore how CI’s collaborative approach can supercharge CQI efforts at the same time that CQI’s structured practices enhances CI initiatives. By integrating these strategies, organizations can amplify outcomes, accelerate learning and drive sustainable change. Join us to discover how blending the best of both worlds can lead to powerful, system-wide improvements.
Junious Williams, J.D., is the principal of Junious Williams Consulting, Inc. (JWC), specializing in collaboration design, strategy development and advancing equity and social justice. With more than 30 years of experience, he has led multi-sector collaborations on issues such as community schools, cradle-to-career pathways and improving outcomes for boys and men of color. He is a senior advisor to the Collective Impact Forum and co-authored “Centering Equity in Collective Impact” in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (2022). Previously, he served as president and CEO of the Urban Strategies Council and held leadership roles in education, law, and social justice. He co-founded the Oakland Community Land Trust and serves as board chair.
Day 3 Morning Keynote Speaker: Lisa Maaca Bartlette
The Intersection of CQI, Psychological Safety and Trauma-Informed Care: Creating a Culture of Rewarded Vulnerability
Incorporating Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Psychological Safety, and Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) into analytics practices leads to more effective teams and better outcomes. CQI ensures that teams are constantly refining their processes to achieve higher-quality results, while psychological safety ensures that all team members can contribute freely and learn from the iterative process without fear of failure or judgment. TIC encompasses a holistic approach where the entire system is designed to support individuals who may have experienced trauma and aims to create environments that support safety, healing, and empowerment. CQI, Psychological Safety, and TIC work synergistically, with each pillar reinforcing the others to create a more resilient, adaptive and supportive environment that drives continuous improvement and positive outcomes.
Drawing on her previous child welfare experience (Ohio and California), her current role as a California child welfare and juvenile probation workforce trainer, and her TIC doctoral focus, Lisa Maaca Bartlette will outline what psychological safety is (and is not), outline the stages of psychological safety, explore the guiding principles of TIC and provide actionable strategies to cultivate a CQI culture of rewarded vulnerability.
Lisa Maaca Bartlette, MSSA, is the founder and CEO of Lisa Maaca Inc., providing transformative trainings, workshops and keynote presentations to inform child welfare, juvenile justice and other workforce professionals. Adept at storytelling and with years of education, research and professional experience, Bartlette has made it her life's work to re-shape how we think about and address trauma to help those who are hurting find healing.
Inspired by her child welfare practice experience from Ohio and California, her trainings are informed by her current doctoral studies at Barry University focused on the neurobiology of trauma and trauma-informed care.