Policy & Practice April 2015

director‘s memo By Tracy Wareing Evans

Previewing APHSA’s 2015 National Policy Forum

E ach year the nation’s leaders in human services come together at APHSA’s National Policy Forum to discuss issues affecting their programs, to learn from each other, and to hear from some of the most important voices in the country about what to expect in the future. APHSA is the only national associa- tion representing state human service departments, making our National Policy Forum a tremendous opportu- nity for organizations to exhibit and demonstrate some of the most exciting and innovative practices in the field. Those of us involved in the forum view it as a key to continuing to build on our commitment to evolve the delivery of human services. The National Policy Forum will be held June 8–10 at the Marriott Georgetown in Washington, D.C. You can register to attend on our web site at http://aphsa.org/content/APHSA/en/ events/CONFERENCES.html. The environment in the nation’s capital has changed and that change is reflected in many of the policy debates surrounding issues such as reshaping the financing of the child welfare system, improving child care, oversight of SNAP, and budget cuts via sequestra- tion. With new leadership in Congress, there are national debates shaping up over how best to deliver services. It is with that in mind that APHSA has put together an agenda to examine those

Donna Brazile

Arthur C. Brooks

to CNN and ABC, where she regularly appears on “This Week.” Brazile was included in O maga- zine’s first-ever list of 20 “remarkable visionaries,” and Washingtonian magazine named her among its “100 Most Powerful Women,” while Essence magazine listed her as one of the “Top 50 Women in America.” Brazile also received the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s highest award for political achievement. Aside from working for the full recovery of her native New Orleans, Brazile’s passion is encouraging young people to vote, working within the political system in order to strengthen it, and running for public office. Her presentation will cover our current political environ- ment, hot-topic legislation, campaigns, and voting. Also appearing as a keynote speaker at this year’s forum is Arthur C. Brooks,

debates and to help participants under- stand what is being discussed and the consequences of some of the decisions being made. This year we have two very exciting speakers lined up. One of our keynote speakers, Donna Brazile, is a veteran political strategist, an adjunct pro- fessor, author, syndicated columnist, television political commentator, and vice chair of voter registration and par- ticipation at the Democratic National Committee. She is the author of the best-selling memoir, Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, and is an on-air contributor

It seems that every yearwe say theNational Policy Forum will be the “best ever.” Having said that, I truly believe that will be the case this year. Our agenda is aimed at inspiring participants to think about the delivery of human services and to joinwithAPHSA inworking to improve the system.

See Director’s Memo on page 39

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April 2015   Policy&Practice