Our Partners
Lisa Grant is one of two Fostering Connections Social Workers for SPPS. Lisa has worked in SPPS since 2001 as a Title I and Special Education School Social Worker/Team Lead. Lisa also has experience working with children in Foster Care as a Child Protection Social Worker, Juvenile Supervision Worker, and In-Home Adolescent Mental Health Case Manager.
Becky Hicks has worked in SPPS for twenty years. She previously was the SPPS McKinney/Vento homeless liaison before she established the SPPS Foster Care Education program, the first of its kind in Minnesota. In 2013, Becky was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award from the National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators.
Katharine teaches in both undergraduate and graduate social work programs. She received her BA from Macalester College, and her MSW, MPP, and PhD from the University of Minnesota. Her research is primarily focused on youth and young adults with disabilities and their transition to adulthood.
JaeRan is a PhD Candidate at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work and was a Title IV-E scholar and a LEND Fellow. JaeRan has worked with adults with disabilities and children and youth in foster care. Her current research looks at placement and stability of internationally adopted children with disabilities.
Traci focuses on child welfare practice and policy with special interests in comprehensive family assessment, system change, permanency, and work with children and parents with disabilities. She has served as principal investigator on studies of comprehensive assessment, evidence-based practice in treatment foster care settings, child welfare leadership, and the intersection of child welfare and disability.
Liz received her MSW from the University of Minnesota and her PhD from Indiana University. Her main research interests are in the area of disability policy and services, and the intersections of disability with child welfare, aging, violence prevention, and health. She currently has research underway exploring parental supports for parents with disabilities.
Mary has been a school social worker in SPPS since 1991. She has worked primarily with and on behalf of youth in special education, glbt youth, and adolescents in foster care. Mary has initiated two programs within SPPS: Out for Equity Program serving glbt youth, and The LAB, an arts and wellness-based program serving youth in special education. Mary also teaches in the School of Social Work at The University of St. Thomas and St. Catherine University.
Wendy focuses on educational advocacy and provides pro bono legal assistance to the Children’s Law Center. In the past she was a special education teacher and attorney. She has a bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology and Communication Disorders and a master’s degree in psychoeducational studies from the University of Minnesota. She received her JD from Hamline University.
Joe has a background in education and an array of experiences that have led him to permanency work with older youth in child welfare, including building enduring, permanent relationships in order to create stability. He has worked in public policy, advocacy and training to improve supports and promote systems change for people with disabilities.
Partner Organizations
Ampersand Families is Minnesota’s only adoption agency exclusively focused on meeting the permanency needs of teens and preteens from the state’s foster care system. The mission is to recruit and support permanent families for older youth, and to champion practices in adoption and permanency that restore belonging, dignity and hope. The vision of Ampersand Families is that every young person whose life has been disrupted by child welfare intervention will be restored to a safe, permanent family—with an urgency that honors the brevity of childhood.
1700 2nd St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Across the life span, The Arc Greater Twin Cities is there for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in the seven county metro area. Core services include: advocacy and family support; ArcShops (workshops on topics such as education, abuse prevention, guardianship, etc.); information and assistance; support groups and mentoring for parents, siblings and caregivers; public policy advocacy; self-advocacy support and more! The Arc’s mission is to secure for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families the opportunity to realize their goals of where and how they live, learn, work and play.
2446 University Ave W, Ste 110
St. Paul, MN 55114-1740
Part of the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, CASCW brings the University of Minnesota together with county, tribal, state and community social services in a partnership dedicated to improving the lives of children and families involved with public child welfare.
205 Peters Hall
1404 Gortner Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108
The University of St. Thomas and St. Catherine University School of Social Work is ranked by U.S. News and World Report in the top 25 percent of schools of social work nationally. The baccalaureate program (BSW) prepares students to enter the social work profession to serve individuals, families, groups and communities. The master’s degree program (MSW) prepares for clinical social work practice and offers weekday, evening and weekend options, as well as full and extended time programs.
2115 Summit Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
