Youth Representative: Lacey Kendrick

After serving for a year as a youth consultant, Lacy Kendrick joined the staff of the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development in October 2008 where she worked with youth and adults around issues concerning youth engagement and served as the lead for the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) project. She has served on several boards addressing adoption and foster care issues, including the Missouri State Youth Advisory Board, the ABA-Bar Empowerment Project National Advisory Board and the Multicultural Advisory Committee for the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption. Ms. Kendrick Burk also recently joined the youth committee of the International Foster Care Organization. She also participated as an intern for U.S. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts through the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute Foster Youth Internship Program where she testified at a congressional briefing on the needs of foster youth. Her focus areas include youth engagement in systems change, youth adult partnerships, youth leadership development, and evaluation.
 

Educational Experience

Ms. Kendrick Burk obtained her Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology at Missouri State University. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Organizational Psychology and A Master's in Business Administration at William Carey University. She plans to obtain a PhD to teach at the university level while doing research and evaluation of child welfare, mental health, and adoption programs and policies. Ms. Kendrick continues to advocate for positive outcomes for older foster youth and works as an independent consultant. For more information, please contact her at lacykendrick@gmail.com.