Associate Director, Family Well-Being Strategy Group
As associate director of the Family Well-Being Strategy Group, Catherine Lester oversees the day-to-day operations of strategies aimed at improving the lives of young people. She also supports the Foundation’s work on child welfare system reform efforts, including advancing policy and practice to prevent children from unnecessarily entering foster care.
In her most recent role, as a senior associate with the Foundation’s Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative®, Lester oversaw the day-to-day operations of that national network focused on advancing policies and practices to most effectively meet the needs of young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood.
Before joining Casey, Lester held leadership roles in the public sector, including serving as the director of human services for the city of Seattle. She also held leadership roles in Ohio and North Carolina in the fields of child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, family support and neighborhood revitalization.
Lester earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ryerson University and a master’s degree in social administration from Case Western Reserve University.