Janet Knipe, Executive Director
Janet Knipe, M.S. Clinical-Community Psychology, has been in the child welfare field for 28 years as a social worker for a private foster family agency, a trainer with the Child Welfare Institute, program director for the Contra Costa County Independent Living Skills Program, and now a children’s advocate. Since early 2009, she has been the Executive Director of the National Foster Youth Action Network (“Action Network”). Prior to 2009, Ms. Knipe was the Executive Director of California Youth Connection (CYC).
While at CYC, Ms. Knipe grew the program, staff and budget significantly: the number of chapters increased from 9-30; the staff increased from 2-12; and the budget from $200,000 to $1.38 million. In the process of growing the organization, Ms. Knipe, with the guidance of former foster youth colleagues and members, implemented a vision that is based on the principles of youth development and a belief that it is vital that foster youth, as consumers in the child welfare system, are heard. In that process, Ms. Knipe has learned that there is something that she is more passionate about than being a children’s advocate – and that is being the one who helps foster youth to advocate for themselves.
In 2008, Ms. Knipe, along with CYC Board Chair Tonya Hightower and Associate Director Tiffany Johnson, were recipients of the prestigious James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. To have been selected from among 250 applicants underscores the profound impact of CYC’s foster youth led organizational model and the innovative leadership Ms. Knipe has provided both to CYC and to the field over the last 27 years.
Personal statement: “I couldn’t be more committed or more excited to be doing this work at this crucial moment. We all know that these are desperate times with myriad challenges. And the challenges for foster youth to succeed with shrinking services and resources are daunting. It is now even more important that youth have the skills and confidence to be at the policymaking table in other states to educate policymakers about their unique needs and work with them to craft solutions that will not jeopardize their future.”
