Join us on March 29 for our first Lunch and Learn of 2023, when we will hear from Becca Leonard, Chief Development Officer at Dallas CASA and Amy Felker, Senior Director, Center for Child and Family Wellness at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, who will provide insights into foster care in our community. We will also have a brief overview of The Ebby House and Visiting Nurse Association in preparation for our spring Site Visits. Lunch will be provided for those who are able to join us in-person at Pegasus Park.
About Our Speakers
Becca Leonard joined Dallas CASA in April of 2016 with an ambitious goal of increasing funding to support the agency’s dream of serving every Dallas child in need of a court-appointed volunteer advocate. Three short years later, Dallas CASA was accepting 100% of appointments from all 10 courts that hear child welfare cases and has continued accepting all appointments since then. Leonard’s prior experience at Austin Street Center, Genesis Women’s Shelter and Attitudes & Attire cultivated an expertise in development and leadership. A Dallas native, Leonard grew up in the Park Cities and received her BA from the University of Georgia.
Amy Felker is the Senior Director for Child and Family Policy at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (Meadows Institute). In this role Amy guides the implementation of high-quality mental health supports within child and family serving systems including the child welfare system, the public mental health system, and within healthcare systems. Prior to joining the Meadows Institute Amy spent a decade working in the public sector, shaping policy and leading large scale programs and initiatives including helping to design and implement the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) waiver. The YES waiver serves youth at-risk of needing psychiatric hospitalizations or entering the child welfare system. Amy also helped develop and implement a behavioral health assessment tool for children and youth entering conservatorship and led projects to enhance collaboration across child welfare, education, juvenile justice, and other child and family serving systems. Amy is passionate about identifying and facilitating opportunities at the policy, system, and community-level to ensure children and youth have access to the services as supports they need to thrive in their communities.
About the Mary M. Jalonick Women’s Philanthropy Institute
The mission of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute is to educate, inspire, and empower women to become confident and engaged donors at every stage of their philanthropic journey while connecting them with the needs of the community and the organizations addressing those needs. Learn more about WPI >