Kathy Wright’s expKathy Wright’s experience as a mental health executive, juvenile justice advocate and educator has spanned over two decades. She has presented numerous local, state and national workshops on children’s mental health, family engagement youth justice and child welfare. She has been instrumental in providing dedicated and passionate leadership as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Parents’ Caucus, developing training programs and supportive services that empower parents and caregivers raising children with emotional and behavioral challenges in creating systemic change, as well as professionals and providers in the child-serving arena. She has published numerous policy and research reports, most recently The Incarceration of Children & Youth in New Jersey's Adult Prison System, The Silent Children’s Mental Healthcare Crisis in New Jersey ‘s Underserved Communities, Souls of Young Folk: The Disproportionate Prosecution of Black Youth In New Jersey, and Navigating New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice System: A Family Guide– the first statewide guide for families in New Jersey. As a cross-system advocate for children and families, Kathy has been very active in multiple systems, including juvenile justice, mental health, and child welfare. In addition to the New Jersey Parents Caucus, her experience and accomplishments include a 2014 Youth Justice Leadership Fellowship -- a prestigious national fellowship program run by the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN); Steering Committee Member of the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Reform Coalition providing a family voice to the coalition; the National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health at Georgetown University providing technical assistance services in the Transformation Facilitation process to state level children’s mental health directors and serving as a TF Management Team Member; She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in the areas of Psychology and English at Drew University.
