Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute Names Angelique Salizan as New Policy Director to Lead Organization’s Domestic and
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 26, 2022 – The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), partnered nonprofit to the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA), is pleased to welcome Angelique Salizan as the organization’s Policy Director. As of January 31, she will lead CCAI’s government relations, education, and advocacy strategies in domestic and international child welfare, permanency, and adoption policy.
“There are various challenges when it comes to addressing the needs of children and families. I am eager to build on the established advocacy and policy efforts at CCAI. My priority is to collaborate with Members of Congress, child welfare leaders, and impacted voices to holistically resource and educate the caucus on nonpartisan policies to ensure children all over the world have a permanent, safe, and loving family,” said Angelique Salizan, CCAI Policy Director. “I look forward to reconnecting with Members of Congress and their staff as well as forge new relationships with congressional partners and the community to address policy challenges and opportunities.”
Prior to joining CCAI, Angelique’s work in child welfare advocacy, policy, and reform dates back to 2013 when she participated in a New York State campaign advocating for support services for foster youth pursuing a higher education with the Children’s Aid Society, a program that is still in existence today. These efforts led to an internship and career working for the United States Senate as a congressional staff member.
In fact, Angelique was first introduced to CCAI through her participation in the 2015 Foster Youth Internship Program® where she worked as a congressional intern with the United States Senate Committee on Finance. Angelique is a published author in CCAI’s Embracing Our Past, Empowering Their Future: Why Child Welfare Reform Matters on the topic of closing the educational gap for foster youth by addressing the need for educational-vocational specialists.
Angelique has a wealth of policy experience and is skilled in facilitation, community and outreach engagement, public advocacy campaigns, government and constituent relations, and has been successful at coalition and capacity building among youth, personnel, and leaders in the child welfare community locally and nationally. Her career includes roles with the offices of U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (OR) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) – both members of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption – as well as U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (OH).
As a Legislative Correspondent for Senator Brown, Angelique managed constituent engagement and policy priorities on a host of issues most notably, child welfare, social services, and education. While in Senator Brown’s office, she co-led the introduction of child welfare legislation such as the Family First Transition and Support Act and the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act which passed in the 2020 omnibus spending bill.
Most recently, Angelique served on the design team to produce a paper commissioned by College Promise examining how college promise programs can assist youth in or out of care in obtaining an undergraduate degree. She additionally served on the release of a policy brief detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted foster youth currently in college. Angelique has also served as a consultant for the Capacity Building Center for States, an initiative of the Children’s Bureau’s Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative, for over five years to inform and assist states and agencies in building their capacities on a host of child welfare issues. She most recently served as a Division X consultant with the Center to advise and provide consultation on youth development practices, provide policy expertise to inform planning, and contribute to continuous quality improvement efforts.
“Over the past six plus years, Angelique has been a great friend and volunteer to the organization, and we are thrilled to welcome her back to our small but mighty team doing big things on behalf of vulnerable children and families,” said Kate McLean, CCAI’s Executive Director. “Angelique brings tremendous expertise and excellence to CCAI, and I am confident she will continue to build on the positive momentum in children and family policy in collaboration with the caucus and its leaders in Congress.”
Angelique earned an associate degree in humanities from Sullivan County Community College, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Binghamton University in New York as well as a Project Management Certificate from the Kent State Center for Corporate & Professional Development in Ohio. In 2020, Angelique completed a master’s in policy management from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.
For 20 years, CCAI has been an established resource for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, the largest bicameral, bipartisan congressional member organization. CCAI works to engage Members of Congress on issues pertaining to children in need of permanency, domestic, and international child welfare, as well as to advocate for every child’s right to a safe, stable, and nurturing family. CCAI works to provide federal policymakers with the information and resources needed to make the dream of a forever family for every child a reality through its core programs, including the Congressional Resource Program, Angels in Adoption®, Foster Youth Internship Program®, and 20/20 Vision Program.
***********************************************************************
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the millions of children around the world in need of permanent, safe, and nurturing homes and to eliminate the legal, social, and financial barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family.
For more information or to learn about the work of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, visit http://www.ccainstitute.org or contact info@ccainstitute.org or (202) 544-8500.
.