16 - Moving Upstream: State and Local Efforts to Prioritize Prevention in Child Welfare

Erin Dalton is the Director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, which works to strengthen families and communities through a network of social services, care and support. DHS serves over 200,000 people each year through its community-based programs that prevent harm and address needs for family support and child development, developmental supports, senior services, housing, and protection from maltreatment. Ms. Dalton previously directed DHS’s analytics, planning, and information technology functions. She was recognized for her groundbreaking achievements in integrated data and analytics, including in using predictive risk models to bring critical information to front line staff so they could make better decisions, as well as in the unique information-sharing partnerships she built. Her years of experience in leading systems improvements earned her a reputation for expertise in child protection, housing, and criminal justice systems, as well as being a leader who relies upon community engagement to understand needs and strengths and to design solutions. Her experiences prior to joining DHS, including working for the violence prevention initiative, One Vision One Life, and her six years of work for the U.S. Department of Justice, are fundamental to Ms. Dalton’s sense of what community-government partnerships can accomplish, as well as the racial disproportionality of our systems. Her national-level work for the Rand Corporation, Arnold Ventures, Bloomberg Associates and the Obama Foundation have further broadened her perspective on what government can accomplish for individuals, families, and communities. Ms. Dalton earned a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. She is an alumna of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership program.

Jennifer Skala is Senior Vice President at Nebraska Children  and brings her previous experience from multiple arenas including non-profit, school, nursing home, daycare, University, local public health department and other organizations to promote community solutions for child well-being. At Nebraska Children , she is focused on improving collective impact for child well-being working with internal and external partners to develop a collaborative prevention system for Nebraska. She works to align key partners, utilize data and leverage relationships for funding, advocacy, sustainability and system improvements in carrying out the mission of the organization. In addition, she works to ensure that communities have a voice in decisions and opportunities to engage in processes for decisions that are community owned. She has developed a nationally recognized model for community change and built private-public partnerships for policy and practice changes in foster care and prevention. Prior to her current position, she was the Manager of Education and Training at CityMatCH, a national Maternal and Child Health organization (based at the University of Nebraska Medical Center). She holds a Master’s degree in Health Education as well as certification as a Health Education Specialist. She is married to Steve Skala and has one daughter.

Theresa Zighera, MSW, has spent nearly two decades in the nonprofit and public service sectors throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area. As Interim Executive Director of First 5 San Francisco, Ms. Zighera is proud to guide First 5’s mission to improve service delivery systems and outcomes for the city’s youngest children and their families. Ms. Zighera also served as a First 5 San Francisco Senior Program Officer overseeing the expansion of early intervention initiatives, shepherding evaluation and research efforts, and creating key points of alignment across First 5 investments in early childhood development, family strengthening, and child health. Current work is informed and inspired by prior experiences as a teacher, trainer, and mental health clinician in a variety of educational settings spanning both US coasts and Europe.

For over eight years, Shelli Rawlings-Fein, BS, RAS,CLEC, has been spearheading the San Francisco Family Resource Center Initiative in her position as Family Support Officer for First 5 San Francisco. The $15 million initiative includes a network of 26 centers across the city that reach more than 10,000 families a year linking them to vital services and resources. Ms. Rawlings-Fein has an extensive background implementing and overseeing non-profit services for families, children, and individuals affected by child welfare involvement, substance use, domestic violence, and teen pregnancy. She is also a lactation educator counselor who enjoys helping families get the best start possible.

Torey Silloway, MPP is the Director of Policy and Financing for the National Infant-Toddler Court Program (ITCP) at ZERO TO THREE. Mr. Silloway has over 20 years of experience working to help make state and local governments more effective through analyzing public funding sources; engaging state and local human services agencies and nonprofits to use data to inform policy, funding, and strategy decisions; and improving performance management and measurement systems. Prior to his current position, Mr. Silloway managed the research division of Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative, including overseeing all aspects of external research products and tools; and managing internal research aimed at informing evidence-based policies and practices in state and county governments. Mr. Silloway has worked for and as a consultant with non-profit and government organizations, including the Finance Project, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Maryland Executive Office of Budget and Management. Mr. Silloway holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University.