The Future of Funding

Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez is the Vice President of Center for Systems Innovation at The Annie E. Casey Foundation. She oversees reform efforts in three key areas: child welfare, young people transitioning into adulthood and juvenile justice. As a former Children and Family Fellow, Sandra joined the Foundation in 2015. Her career stops include the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative®, Child and Family Services Agency, KVC Behavioral Healthcare Nebraska, Inc., and Youthville (now EmberHope). Sandra is a graduate of the National Hispanic Leadership Institute and holds an Executive Leadership Certificate from Harvard University. She earned a M.S. in psychology from Emporia State University and a B.S. in psychology from Southwestern College in Kansas. 

Michael Finley is a member of the Executive Leadership Team with the W. Haywood Burns Institute. His work involves strategic planning, organizational development, financial oversite, project development and managing relationships with community leaders and system decision makers, funders and other partners across the nation. Michael has experience working to reduce racial and ethnic disparities across the country. Michael began his legal career with the Youth Law Center in Washington, D.C. where he worked on reform litigation and policy work focused on improving the conditions for children in state custody, and racial and ethnic disparities in the youth justice system. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and George Washington University School of Law.

Bryan Samuels is the Executive Director of Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Across his career, his work has centered on addressing inequities using evidence in policymaking. Key accomplishments include the creation and application of a well-being framework; formation of a shared and actionable understanding of the effects of exposure to adverse childhood experiences on the health of children; and emphasis on the importance of building the capacity of family-serving systems and organizations to focus on and produce positive outcomes. He received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and his M.P.P. from the University of Chicago-Harris School. 

Rumeli Banik, PhD is the Senior Program Officer for Child Well-being at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Her work involves promoting evidence-based strategies that build on the strengths and assets of children, families, and communities to improve child and family outcomes. In prior roles, she led research studies on the transition to parenthood and implemented parenting programs. She currently teaches about leadership and organizational change at Columbia University. Banik earned a doctorate degree in applied developmental psychology from Fordham University and a master’s degree in child development and a bachelor’s degree in child development and biomedical engineering from Tufts University.