2025 POLICY & AWARDS LUNCHEON

SAVE THE DATE

About the Event

The Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families is thrilled to bring together community human service and health providers with corporate, government, and philanthropic leaders at our 2025 Policy and Awards Luncheon. First initiated in 2018 and suspended during the COVID-19 epidemic, our event celebrates the work of our sector in promoting the safety, health, and success of children, youth, and families. This year’s luncheon will be an opportunity to hear from a dynamic leader in our field, honor elected leaders and lift up particular legislative actions and recognize the contributions of public sector and community champions.

RICCF is a statewide Coalition comprised of forty-two community-based organizations and allied groups providing or advocating for comprehensive and quality social and health services for children, youth, and their families in every community in Rhode Island (see list www/riccf.org/members). Our mission is to educate, advocate, and collaborate for transformational, equitable and just policies, practices, and resources to support and strengthen children, youth, families, and communities.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to seeing you to celebrate our award recipients on November 3rd.

Keynote Speaker

A smiling woman with short black curly hair, wearing earrings and a black patterned top, stands against a dark background.

Linda Spears

Linda S. Spears was appointed President and C.E.O. of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) in October 2023. CWLA is a powerful coalition of hundreds of private and public agencies that, since 1920, has championed better lives for millions of children and families who are vulnerable. Linda is currently leading a comprehensive strategic planning initiative that will chart a new course for CWLA focused improving child welfare practice and policies, and addressing inequities that compromise the well-being of children, families and communities.

Linda began her career in child welfare as a social caseworker for the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families. She is a veteran social worker and policy expert who returned to CWLA after serving as the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families Commissioner for over eight years. There, she led some 4,200 social workers and staff who served approximately 45,000 children with a budget of $1.2 billion. Shortly into her tenure, the administration entered an unprecedented partnership with social workers to initiate a system-wide transformation based on a 2014 quality improvement review conducted by Linda's CWLA team. This reform supported comprehensive policy reforms and included the addition of 600+ new social workers and managers; a restructured foster parent and kinship family recruitment, licensing, and support operation; the Department's first medical director, and medical social workers for all D.C.F. offices; and expansions of clinical specialty services in domestic violence, substance use, and mental health. The work also included new policies on services to children and families who are LGBTQIA+ and those dealing with disabilities.

Linda also led the development of new user-friendly technology tools that included new mobile interfaces for social workers and foster parents, use of natural language processing tools to mine case records and streamlined business processes that supports also supported the agency transformation.

Commissioner Spears attended the University of Rhode Island and holds a B.A. in psychology. She received her M.S.W. from the University of Southern California and is pursuing a Ph.D. in social work at Simmons University.