About Us

We use the law to protect and enforce rights, and to affirm the inherent worth and potential of every young person.

Our Vision

The Youth Law Center confronts the root causes of systemic failures, advancing a vision where a child’s experience in foster care or juvenile justice is not a life sentence, but a brief moment on the path to a bright future.

Our Mission

The Youth Law Center advocates to transform foster care and juvenile justice systems across the nation so every child and youth can thrive.

Our Evolution

Since 1978, the Youth Law Center has been a thought leader in advocacy for children and youth in the nation’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Click the plus signs to learn more.

Ending Harmful Practices:

The Youth Law Center led advocacy efforts to end harmful and destructive practices such as, incarcerating children in adult facilities, isolating children for extended periods of time, shackling and hog-tying children, and incarcerating children for disobedience or running away. YLC’s multi-systemic, whole-child approach addressed issues common to the juvenile justice, child welfare and mental health systems, eliminating silos and tailoring services to each individual child.

Changing Systems to Allow Children and Youth to Thrive:

While we continue our work to stop harmful practices such as reliance on incarceration and group care, we also work to transform systems to nurture the inherent health and potential of children. YLC has led efforts to bring the voice of youth and families to policymakers, apply the latest brain and developmental science to foster care and juvenile justice practice and policy for babies to young adults, focus on excellent care driven by evidence-based and participant-driven policies and practices, ensure that all youth, whether in foster care, or the juvenile justice system, have access to needed transition, health and educational supports, and bring faith communities together to support and advocate for children in state custody.

Our Staff

Our team is a group of creative, flexible, strategic advocates, driven by a deep knowledge of systems, and informed by a diversity of backgrounds and experiences.

Jennifer Rodriguez

Executive Director

Joel Bauer

QPI Data Analyst

Mecca Billings

Interim Director of External Affairs

Brian Blalock

Senior Directing Attorney

Katie Bliss

Directing Advocate

Lauren Brady

Managing Director

Lana Burnett

Administrative Assistant

Meredith Desautels

Directing Attorney

Carol Edwards

QPI Training Manager

Terry Harrak

QPI Manager

Nicole Holt

QPI Contractor

Diane Smith Howard

Directing Advocate

Brandy Hudson

QPI Consultant

Kirstie Jetland

Manager, QPI Special Projects

Ameil Kenkare

Staff Attorney

Marisa Lopez-Scott

Directing Attorney

Kylee McAdam

QPI Site Relationship Senior Manager

Christopher Middleton

Equal Justice Works Fellow, Sponsored…

Jasmine Ying Miller

Senior Attorney

Kristin Moore

QPI Director of Business &…

Jenny Pokempner

Senior Policy Director

Kisha Queeley

Controller

Dylan Quigley

Staff Attorney

Will Radler

Director of Operations

Natalie Reynolds

Administrative Manager

Kate Rickord

QPO Lead & Champion Group…

Emily Satifka

California Registered Legal Aid Attorney

Stuart Seaborn

Litigation Consultant

Carole Shauffer

Senior Director, Quality Parenting Initiative

Diane Stang

QPI Champion Group Leader

Kristina Tanner

Special Projects Coordinator

Our Board

The Youth Law Center’s Board of Directors is a talented, committed group of professionals who offer strategic guidance and oversight to the Youth Law Center’s advocacy for children and youth.