As associate director of Policy Reform and Advocacy, Karina Jiménez Lewis leads the Foundation's state policy, reform and advocacy efforts, including engaging young leaders to advocate for policies that can improve the lives of youth and families in states where the need is greatest.
In her most recent role, as a senior associate with the policy reform and advocacy team, she worked with state advocates to help advance policy strategies grounded in evidence and data, with a focus on the well-being of young people of color. Her portfolio included the KIDS COUNT®, Partnership for America’s Children and State Priorities Partnership networks.
Before joining the Policy Reform and Advocacy team in 2016, she developed expertise in child welfare over 15 years of social work policy and practice in state agency and nonprofit settings, including working with Casey Family Services, the Foundation's former child welfare agency.
Jiménez Lewis earned a master’s degree in social work with a focus on policy practice at the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree from Elms College in Massachusetts.