INNOVATE!

ReEnvisioning Foster Care Champion, Dakota Roundtree Swain, teaches Sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and is the Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Harvard Medical School. Dakota has a Ph.D. in Social Policy from Brandeis University and uses their understanding of policy to create pathways that help foster care alumni identify their dreams and develop the skills they need to achieve them.  Dakota has a strong desire to help young people who feel a responsibility to change the child welfare system learn about the policies that shaped their experiences in foster care. They do this so youth can understand "the why" behind decisions made on their behalf by legislators and child welfare professionals and move toward healing. Having been a highly engaged youth advocate during their time in foster care, Dakota is working diligently to transform child welfare so that youth who are currently experiencing the system do not feel like “merchandise on a conveyor belt” -  only valued for their stories. ***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerBeylen Curtis - Research Assistant***The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

ReEnvisioning Foster Care Champion Gaelin Elmore is a former NFL player who chose to retire from football and become a full-time advocate for children and youth whose lives have been impacted by foster care. A visionary leader who experienced life in our nation's child welfare system, Gaelin shares his wisdom, lived expertise, and award-winning ideas with child welfare professionals across the country. His frame: Belonging is a fundamental human need. Belonging helps us rise to our potential rather than fall to circumstance. Neuroscientists have found that belonging is connected to the same neuro networks that communicate hunger and thirst. It's a scientific fact: Humans need to be connected to a group or a community of people who know us and care about us. Gaelin shares with Angela how the people in his life claimed him and helped him overcome the trauma he experienced, and how his belonging defines his advocacy and leadership.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerBeylen Curtis - Research Assistant***The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

Charles and Molly Lerner were adopted by the same parents when they were children. They are siblings by adoption. Today Charles and his husband, who live in Boston, are parenting Molly's son. They are his adoptive parents. Molly, who lives in Texas, is co-parenting her son with them.Listen in as Angela speaks with Charles and Molly at the 9th national ReEnvisioning Foster Care conference in Boston about what it's like to co-parent. Their shared journey requires them to confront the reality of their childhoods as well as their present-day lives while they meet the emerging developmental needs of their son. Charles and Molly offer us a glimpse into a more expansive definition of family in this live interview; a broader frame for kinship adoption and a deeper understanding of how to help a child thrive. Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform child welfare so children and families thrive. To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer***The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

ReEnvisioning Foster Care Champion Demetrius Napolitano is a passionate advocate for children and young people who are experiencing foster care and their peers in NYC public schools. Using his knowledge of yoga and meditation, plus his lived expertise, he launched a nonprofit called Fostering Meditation to provide concrete skills that enhance the health and well-being of his students. Demetrius recently presented his compelling yoga and meditation approach at the 9th national ReEnvisioning Foster Care conference at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston. The 2-day event, hosted by the Treehouse Foundation, was a forum where Champions from around the country planned and presented their award-winning ideas. It was the perfect venue for Demetrius to lead conference attendees in morning meditations and for this live interview.Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform child welfare so children and families thrive. To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer***The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

2023 REFCA Champion Keri Hope Richmond is a change maker, storyteller,and a passionate advocate for children and families. She is the manager of child welfare policy for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Executive Director of Unbelievably  Resilient (UR) - a nonprofit thatis fully staffed by professionals with lived experience and works to rewritethe foster care narrative. Keri helps people with lived experience not let their foster care experiencedefine them. To move through the pain and to find purpose in it. To find hope,to carry hope, and to heal while dealing with the reality of living in foster care.Keri has been an intern on Capitol Hill and is currently working with the White House and legislators to make meaningful national change for child welfare. She is truly leading the nation forward. ***We're excited to let INNOVATE! listeners know we're going to finish up Season 3 of INNOVATE! at the 9th national Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America conference on November 3rd & 4th in Boston.For the first time ever, we'll be on stage in front of a live audience and I'll be interviewing 2 more visionary REFCA Champions to find out how they are using their wisdom, lived experience,  and award-winning ideas to inspire a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care. We hope you'll join us! REFCA2023 is a two-day event that is being planned AND presented by REFCA Champions from across the country. Please come meet us and hear our visions for creating a more just and equitable child welfare system. Together we can create resources that help children, youth & families thrive. Early Bird Registration will begin shortly. Go to www.treehousefoundation.net for more information. ***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. ***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer ***The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

REFCA Champion Patty Chin is a visionary advocate for young people in foster care.Using her lived expertise, she created a compelling new option to support the needs of the 20,000 youth who age out of foster care every year without the benefit of a legal, permanent family. It's called Soul Family. SOUL Family allows a young person to identify and design their chosen circle of caring adults who have a legal role in their lives. SOUL Fam­i­ly adults pro­vide sup­port, oppor­tu­ni­ty, uni­ty and legal rela­tion­ships for young peo­ple ages 16 and old­er as they move from fos­ter care to adult­hood. At this crit­i­cal point of devel­op­ment, young peo­ple need the anchor of a nur­tur­ing, life­long family. Patty is working with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to pilot the SOUL Family model.Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. ***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer

REFCA Champion Jasmine Snell has a dream:  to create a primary school that supports two generations of Americans - children and their parents;  a community based resource that is available to children experiencing foster care and their peers. While bringing her vision to fruition, Jas uses her lived experience to coach young people living in foster care as well as to mentor young adults experiencing substance dependence or who are on a mental health journey. Her stellar advocacy and visionary leadership are truly inspiring. Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. ***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer

REFCA Champion Carloe Moser discusses the ways that the Crosby Scholars LIGHHT Program in Winston-Salem, North Carolina helps young people living in foster care see a light at the end of the tunnel while facing racism, classism, conflict, and discord;  to give them hope and a way forward.Carloe has seen the way the streets can be a battlefield. The way they can prevent youth in foster care from dreaming about and/or applying to college. That battlefield is where he works every day. It's where he shares his wisdom and lived expertise with youth. And, where he focuses on changing the foster care narrative.Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. ***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer

In the 6th grade, REFCA Champion Cristal Ramirez had a dream … to attend San Diego State University. She knew that very few kids living in foster care ever receive college or graduate-level degrees, but she wanted to break through the barrier of dismal statistics that stood in her way. Thanks to an attorney who supported her dream for two decades, Cristal wholeheartedly embraced her SDSU vision. In 2021, she graduated with a Master's level degree! Tune in to find out what Cristal is doing to inspire a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care now that she has achieved her first dream.Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. ***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer

As a freshman at Old Dominion University, Melvin encountered a plethora of resources colleges have for almost anything you can think of - tutoring, counseling, intramural sports, and clubs. What he wasn't finding was support for kids in college who were also in extended foster care. So, he created Foster U. Under Melvin's stellar leadership, Foster U encouraged those in foster care to see through their goal of completing their undergraduate studies and hosted its inaugural March For Our Care awareness walk. Tune in to learn more about Melvin's vision and advocacy. Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. ***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer

REFCA Champion Lisa Dickson is involved in a wide array of initiatives in Ohio that amplify and honor youth voice and experience. She works diligently to ensure that young people living in foster care are designing and implementing on the federal level, including speaking directly to HUD leadership. In this episode of INNOVATE!, Lisa shares the story of how she helped create a youth-specific Ombudsman Office and how she advocated for the inclusion of youth voice and leadership in the passing of the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act.  Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. ***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer

Takkeem Morgan aged out of foster care and uses his experiences to reimagine child welfare. At times, Takeem calls himself “delusional” because he doesn't think of the child welfare system as a complex problem to solve. He breaks it down into little manageable, fixable programs. In Takkeem's mind, rebuilding the child-welfare system means to approach it like a beautiful mosaic. Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. ***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive Producer

David Ambroz and Brondalyn Coleman posit how foster care awareness could utilize tactics used by other social movements like breast cancer awareness who've revolutionized the color pink to become synonymous with breast cancer. How can we better market foster care in order to galvanize the public interest?Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Demetrius Napolitano and Maddy Day discuss their work towards systemic changes in foster care through meditation and academia advocating for including lived experiences as useful metrics and data for reporting. Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Michael Williams and Jarel Skinner-Melendez discuss re-envisioning the way we approach the system of care stemmning from their belief that one system can't fit all. They discuss ways the system can offer teenagers the right response when they fail - because trying new things is an integral part of being a teenager.Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Angela Tucker, the host of the podcast speaks with Nick Ramsey, the audio editor about the process of producing Season 1 and Season 2 of INNOVATE!Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Alain Datcher and Angelique Salizan speak about the many intersectionalities within child welfare. They discuss the ways the Department of Justice, Department of Education overlap with issues such as child trafficking, LGBTQ and racism.Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Jamie Bennett and Charity Bell speak about the need for all foster homes to be therapeutic foster homes, which means homes that don't demonize biological parents. They double down on the notion that someone who does not have the ability to care for their child does not mean that they don't love them. Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Julie Segovia and Janay Eustace talk about how their experiences being the first people with lived experiences to sit on the Board and be named Executive Director of child welfare organizations. They lay a blueprint for shifting "the way things have always been done," to be more inclusive. Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Jennifer Rodriguez and Shalita O'Neale talk with Angela about ways to reorient the child-welfare system by measuring success by asking if youth leave the system feeling loved, respected and cherished. If so, they are a success story.Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Phoenix Santiago and Charles Lerner discuss the responsibilities we have to care for those who have experienced trauma under our watch. They ask the question "How dare we abdicate our responsibilities after the age of 18?" and discuss what it looks like to offer radical compassion. Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Scout Hartley and Tony Parsons break down the ways the administrative state impacts child-welfare legislation and specifically youth in foster care.Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Two! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Welcome to Season 2 of INNOVATE! Angela Tucker, a transracial adoptee and an alumni of foster-care, is back to interivew 20 individuals who were crowned Re-envisioning Foster Care Champions in America. These individuals share the ways they are creating a culture of possibility within the foster care system through their advocacy, personal history, professional expertise and lived experience. The Treehouse Foundation is committed to ensuring that all Americans stand under the banner of shared responsibility to ensure that all our children thrive.

In our final episode of the season, Angela wraps up the series speaking with Amanda Metivier, the Associate Director of the Child Welfare Academy at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and Steve Pemberton, the Chief Human Resources Officer at Workhuman and the author of two books, A Chance in the World and The Lighthouse Effect. Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black. She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

This week, Angela is joined by Christopher Scott, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sun Scholars, and Victor Sims, the Founder/CEO of Guiding Hope and a Management Consultant at Public Knowledge.Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black. She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Get your reading glasses on for today's episode - we're joined by Amnoni Myers, author of the book You Are the Prize: Life Lessons My Little Sister Taught Me and Angela Quijada Banks, author of The Black Foster Youth Handbook.***Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

On this week's episode, Angela speaks with Alexis Black and Justin Black, co-authors of the book Re-Defining Normal: How Two Foster Kids Beat the Odds and Discovered Healing, Happiness and Love. ***Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Earl Martin Phalen serves nearly 11,000 scholars in 25 schools across the country as the Founder and CEO of the George & Veronica Phalen Leadership Academies (PLA). Justin Pasquariello is the Executive Director of the East Boston Social Centers, whose services range across educational, social, and recreational programs to support the diverse community of East Boston.***Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Today's episode is true in title, talking about innovation and improvement with our esteemed guests. Anthony Barrows is the Managing Director at ideas42. Grey Hilliard-Koshinsky is the Program Director at the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors.***Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

As always, Angela is joined by two all-star guests and REFCA champions: D'Artagnan Caliman, the Director of Justice Oregon for Black Lives and Nathan Ross, the founder of Resilience Recognized.***Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

In this episode, Angela navigates conversation around all things siblings - joined by guests Serita Cox and Lynn Price. Serita Cox is the Founder and CEO of iFoster, an organization that connects kids living in foster care with the products, services, knowledge, and supportive adults that can best help them reach their full potential. Lynn Price is the Founder of Camp To Belong, which reunites sisters and brothers who have been separated in foster care around the country and in Canada and Australia. ***Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black. She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Today's guests, Jamole Callahan and Chris Patterson, worked together with a team of youth, foster care alumni and HUD staffers to design and implement the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative (FYI), which provides housing vouchers, life skills and employment support to young people “aging out” of foster care. ***Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black. She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us

Welcome to INNOVATE! In Season One, host Angela Tucker highlights 20 REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.For our first-ever episode, Angela (a 2021 REFCA Champion from Seattle) takes us coast-to-coast to speak with two REFCA Champions:  2014 REFCA Champion Sixto Cancel, the Founder and CEO of Think of Us in Washington, D.C. and 2021 REFCA Champion, Charity Chandler-Cole, CEO of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Los Angeles. To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.***ABOUT THE HOST:INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black. She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.Angela has produced The Adopted Life 3-part web series where she interviews transracially adopted youth. She is the host of The Adoptee Next Door podcast where she amplifies adult adoptee voices to showcase the wide spectrum of experiences. Her own adoption experience searching for and reuniting with her birth family is the subject of the documentary CLOSURE. Angela's first book is scheduled for publication in spring 2023 (Beacon Press).***Angela Tucker - Host & ProducerNicholas Ramsey - Editor & ProducerJudy Cockerton - Executive ProducerDistributed by smallhand.us