In this April 2026 episode, MSSP intern Saadhya Bahudodda interviews Lee Marshall, founder and CEO of Kids to Love, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the immediate needs of youth in foster care while creating long-term pathways to stability. Drawing on her lived experience of being born into foster care and her career in television journalism, Lee shares how both her personal and professional journeys led her to this work. She highlights programming including scholarships, workforce preparation through the K-Tech Initiative, trauma-informed mental health services, and transitional housing. For this invaluable work, the organization won the 2025 Aging Out Award for the Mid-Large Organization Category. Throughout the conversation, Lee emphasizes the need for community collaboration and innovative, wraparound programming to ensure that youth aging out of foster care have the resources and stability needed to thrive.

In this March 2026 episode, MSW intern Jasleen Virk interviews Tim Pippert and Savannah Mitchell of Augsburg Family Scholars, a campus-based program at Augsburg University to support students who have lived experience in the foster care system. Tim developed Augsburg Family Scholars for young people with foster care backgrounds to find community and support on their education journey. Savannah highlights the Fostering Independence Grant, an initiative in Minnesota that pays for the cost of college tuition for students with foster care experience to reduce disparities faced by this population when pursuing higher education. Augsburg Family Scholars’ holistic approach provides financial resources, academic mentoring, and community building to student participants.

In this February 2026 episode, MSS intern Cheri Mitchell interviews Maddy Day, Proprietor and Senior Consultant of Maddy Day, LLC & Associates, and co-Founder and co-Chair of FAAN (Fostering Academic Achievement Nationwide). Influenced by her family’s deep ties to child welfare, Maddy gained early insight into the realities facing non‑traditional families. Her career path ultimately led to the creation of FAAN in 2016, a network that grew from informal cross‑state conversations among practitioners that now includes more than twenty states. Maddy’s journey and FAAN’s expansion underscore the impact of connection, reliable data, persistent advocacy, and the importance of listening to students in creating equitable educational pathways for youth with experience in foster care.

In this January 2026 episode, MSS intern Cheri Mitchell interviews Zach Blend, Chief Executive Officer of the Goshen Valley Foundation located in Cherokee County, GA. Zach shares his child welfare wisdom and experiences caring for youth in foster care as they prepare to age out of the system. Goshen New Beginnings, an independent living program on Goshen Valley’s campus, plays an integral part in this transition to adulthood. The program enables young people to continue their time in care until age 21, helps them develop relational confidence to connect with adult supports in a healthy and trustworthy way, and provides opportunities to learn the skills of daily living.

In this December 2025 episode, MSSP intern Saadhya Bahudodda interviews Alyssa Dennison-Glasgow, regional program director at Olive Crest in Las Vegas. Alyssa discusses how her early experiences working in juvenile justice and child advocacy shaped her commitment to supporting youth and families and ultimately led her to Olive Crest. She highlights the organization’s Teen and Young Adult Independent Living Program, which won the 2024 Aging Out Institute’s Small Program award. This unique program provides housing, life-skills coaching, and savings-building opportunities for young people aging out of foster care. Throughout the conversation, Alyssa emphasizes the importance of external mentorship, consistent community partnerships, and individualized support, demonstrating that effective aging-out programs rely on strong, collaborative networks to help young people thrive.

In this November 2025 episode, MSW intern Jasleen Virk interviews Jamie Bennett, co-founder and executive director of Cetera. Jamie shares her personal foster care journey and how it fueled her passion to advocate for young people in foster care. She believes that relationship building is a cornerstone to supporting youths’ well-being and highlights the importance of connections with consistent and trustworthy adults. Jamie also discusses the Fostering Success Coaching Institute, an innovative person-centered service that incorporates youth voice and evidence-based research to train professionals working with youth in foster care. Jamie is dedicated to supporting young people nationwide by increasing their visibility and meaningfully incorporating their voices where it matters.

In this October 2025 episode, MSS intern Cheri Mitchell interviews Sarah Pauter, Executive Director of John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY). Sarah shares how her lived experience in foster care motivated her to become an outspoken advocate for extending the age of foster care emancipation to twenty-one. She passionately advocated for the passing of Assembly Bill 12 (AB 12) which became law in 2010, creating California’s Extended Foster Care (EFC) Program. At JBAY, Sarah continued her advocacy by establishing support programs for students with foster care experience on every public post-secondary campus in the state of California. To date, JBAY has championed over fifty-five legislative reforms and secured $3.6 billion in new state and federal investments for youth in foster care or experiencing homelessness.

In this September 2025 episode, Associate Director Sarah Wasch interviews David Meyers, Director, and Lori Tiller, Director of Research & Evaluation, of Embark Georgia. Together, they share their professional journeys that led them to the University of Georgia where they now lead a statewide initiative aiming to increase college access and retention for youth who have experienced foster care or homelessness. David and Lori discuss the critical “handoff gap” that impacts student success when they transition from K-12 education to higher education, often without resources and support. Finally, they remind professionals that everyone can make an impact by finding collaborators, starting small, and listening to individuals with lived experience.