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The first 2026 Policy Masterclass, Building Better Outcomes: Strengthening Systems Through Informed and Collaborative State Leadership, brought Southern state policymakers together Aug. 31-Sept 2 in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to examine the complex systems, policies, and partnerships that shape child welfare. Presented in partnership with Casey Family Programs, the three-day program provided an in-depth look at current challenges and approaches in child welfare while creating opportunities for participants to exchange perspectives and learn from experiences across states.
The program explored child welfare from multiple angles, including regional trends, prevention, cross-agency collaboration, judicial involvement, legislative oversight, and pathways to permanency. Expert presentations and state case studies provided context on how different systems operate and how states are approaching issues such as high-acuity and dual-involved youth, system lawsuits, cross-agency funding, and prevention-focused community models. Participants also examined the roles of kinship care, adoption, and other approaches to supporting children as they move toward permanency.
Peer exchange was central to the Masterclass, giving participants opportunities to discuss challenges and approaches within their own states and consider how other states have addressed similar issues. Discussions focused on topics such as system pressures, legislative oversight and transparency, cross-agency partnerships, and the relationship between state policy and the courts. These conversations complemented presentations from policymakers, judges, state leaders, and experts working across the child welfare field.
The Shepherdstown Masterclass marked the first of three Policy Masterclasses in the 2026 series. Through multiday, issue-focused programs, the Policy Masterclass Series gives Southern state policymakers and staff an opportunity to examine complex policy topics, hear from subject-matter experts and state leaders, and engage with peers from across the region. The series supports informed policy discussions by connecting participants with regional and national perspectives while creating space to learn from the varied experiences of Southern states.
Participants:
- Alex Adams, assistant secretary, administration for Children and Families
- Ana Beltran, director, Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network, Generations United
- Andrew Brown, vice president of policy, Texas Public Policy Foundation
- Adam Burkhammer, delegate, West Virginia
- Jill Carter, senator, Missouri
- Allen Chesser, representative, North Carolina
- Vince Deeds, senator, West Virginia
- Vanessa Dorantes, managing director, Casey Family Programs
- James Eaton, representative, Arkansas
- Adrienne Elder, director of interagency special projects, RestoreOKC
- Barbara Frieberg, representative, Louisiana
- Anitra Hamilton, delegate, West Virginia
- Sally Harrell, senator, Georgia
- Steven Jackson, representative, Louisiana
- Adrien Lewis, founder and president, CarePortal
- Mischa Martin, principal, AxAdvocacy
- Robert Minor, district judge, Alabama
- Daniel Pae, representative, Oklahoma
- Kenneth Paschal, representative, Alabama
- Dimple Patel, public policy director, Casey Family Programs
- Stephen Patrick, O. Wayne Rollins Distinguished Professor and chair, Emory University
- Shad Pearce, representative, Arkansas
- Phillip Peisch, partner, Brown & Peisch PLLC
- Angel Petite, senior policy manager, FosterClub
- Jim Petty, senator, Arkansas
- Karen Phillips, chief operations officer, Restore Hope, Inc.
- Ellen Pogemiller, representative, Oklahoma
- Connelly-Anne Ragley, chief external affairs officer, South Carolina Department of Social Services
- Andrea Sanders, commissioner, Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services
- Carol Self, public policy director, Casey Family Programs
- Robin Sage, judicial consultant, Casey Family Programs
- Rita Soronsen, president and CEO, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
- Annie Spell, representative, Louisiana
- Katie Stoehr, managing director, Casey Family Programs
- Kristen Rudlang-Perman, senior director, data advocacy, Casey Family Programs
- Travis Wilson, representative, Missouri