Presenters:
Francisco Vasquez, President and CEO of Child and Family Services
Rashida Abuwala, Program Officer with the Redlich Horwitz Foundation
Webinar Description:
This webinar will introduce New York State funders and stakeholders to the crisis facing the 150,000 families and communities touched by the child welfare system annually. Compared to other states, New York State’s system is failing our children and families; it ranks 48th out of 50 states in finding permanent homes for children who have been in the foster care system for two years or more. Youth who age out of foster care without a permanent family often face challenges with physical and mental health, unemployment, financial security, homelessness, completing their education, and the criminal justice system. Achieving permanency through reunification or adoption is often a complex process that requires dedicated attention and commitment, and our communities need support.
Investment in these children and families is linked to an improvement in a variety of community outcomes, and with the sense of urgency around New York State to improve, the philanthropic community is poised to catalyze positive change. Stakeholders vested in education, youth development, criminal justice, community development and public health may be particularly interested in this topic but all are welcome to join.
More About the Presenters:
Dr. Francisco Vasquez is the President and CEO of Child and Family Services, an innovative agency that has served the Buffalo area for over 140 years to strengthen families and promote the well-being of children through prevention, intervention, education and advocacy.
Dr. Vasquez began his career with the Arizona Department of Economic Security and currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Child and Family Services. Dr. Vasquez previously served as Executive Vice President for People Inc. and also taught a course for the Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Degree Program at the State University of New York at Buffalo, which focused on Issues in Developmental Disabilities. Currently, he is an adjunct professor with Canisius College and teaches a course on human services agency management.
He is a recipient of the 2014 Buffalo 612 C-Level Executive Award (Business First/Executive Airshare) 2013 Community Leader Award-Social Services (National Federation for Just Communities); 2012 2nd Annual NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award (NFL/Hispanic Heritage Foundation); 2005 Professional Achievement Award (Hispanics United of Buffalo, Hispanic Women’s League and Latino Business Owners Association); 2005 Values Award for Inclusion (Leadership Buffalo) and the 2004 Tom Foster Business Award (Olivencia Center).
Dr. Vasquez received his Bachelor of Science Degree as well as his Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in Arizona. He received his Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has lived in the Buffalo area for 26 years.
Rashida Abuwala is a Program Officer at the Redlich Horwitz Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives and long-term outcomes of children and young adults in the foster care system in New York and elsewhere. She is responsible for developing and implementing the Foundation’s strategy for improving foster care practices and outcomes in New York State through grant-making, research and advocacy working in partnership with nonprofit, county and state government entities. Since joining the foundation, Abuwala is leading efforts to increase family-based placement, safe and timely exits from foster care, and has launched initiatives in five crucial New York State counties to improve the process for foster youth to exit to a permanent family.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Rashida served as the Chief Program Officer at Boys’ Club of New York, where she co-developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan, resulting in new programs, improved youth outcomes, and an increase in stakeholder engagement and funding. Her leadership led to the gain of more than 10 new funding streams, $1 million in revenue, increased press coverage and improved youth academic, mental and physical health and social-emotional outcomes. With expertise in social research, program design and evaluation, Rashida has worked in youth development, social service, court innovation, political intelligence, grass-roots policy reform, and has authored several articles and papers. Rashida holds a Master of Science degree in Social Research Methods and Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Philosophy from Wesleyan University.