Groundwork Ohio Staff Spotlight: Caitlin Feldman

Meet Caitlin Feldman—Groundwork Ohio’s Senior Director of Policy, whose journey from hospice care to early childhood advocacy shapes everything she does. Witnessing deep disparities in end-of-life care fueled her drive to transform systems at the very start of life, ensuring infants, toddlers, and families have what they need to thrive. Guided by purpose, lived experience, and a steadfast belief in what families deserve, Caitlin brings compassion, clarity, and conviction to building a stronger future for Ohio’s youngest children.

Q. What’s your role at Groundwork Ohio, and how long have you been on the team?

I joined Groundwork Ohio in July of 2023, starting as the Statewide Coordinator of the Safe Babies approach and I now serve as the Senior Director of Policy. In my current role, I support the strategic advancement of our policy priorities alongside my fantastic and dedicated policy teammates!

Q. What drew you to this work and to Groundwork’s mission? What’s your “why”?

A. Prior to joining Groundwork, I was in direct patient care in the hospice sector where I saw vast disparities in quality of care and end-of-life dignity depending on who a patient’s insurance payor was, what ZIP code they lived in, what facility they could afford. Those indicators expanded my thinking about our systems as I questioned what intentional designs could lead to such stark differences from one person to another.

Systems-level advocacy is essential to promote stronger outcomes for all citizens, and by investing early - setting infants, toddlers, and families up for success from the start – we have the collective power to shape a person’s lifelong trajectory from the very beginning to the very end.

Q. How would you describe the culture at Groundwork Ohio?

A. Energizing, supportive, fun, inspiring, but most of all, motivating! I’m biased, but I truly think I’m on the best team where we get to do the best work.

Q. What inspires you to keep showing up and doing this work every day?

A. Ohio’s babies and their families deserve policies that put long-term outcomes over short-term cost savings. Solutions should be crafted with families – the way it always should have been, before we built impenetrable systems designed to keep people out. I show up for the moms and the babies; for the families who are working hard, doing everything right, and still struggling to secure a strong future for their children. And I show up because I truly believe that we can do better if we work together.

Q. What’s one thing you’ve learned from the families or communities we serve?

A. Being part of a statewide organization enables me to see local innovation from a bird’s eye view. The innovations that work in Portsmouth might not work in Sandusky, and that’s why locally driven solutions are essential. Despite challenges and limited resources, Ohio’s communities work together to fill gaps that strengthen local early childhood systems that meet the actual needs of local citizens.

That resilience despite adversity inspires me to work with local partners to elevate their work, escalate local needs to decision-makers, and promote state policies that strengthen the fabric of our systems in ways that enable local services to thrive rather than scrape by in survival mode.

Q. What do you like to do in your free time?

A. When I’m off-duty, you can catch me hiking, thrifting, reading, or watching a good show with a warm mug of tea in my hands.

Q. Who is someone—inside or outside of work—who inspires your leadership?

A. I am inspired by the women who raised me in the example of their strength and determination, and the men who have loved and supported them as they shine. Together, they taught me from a young age that good work is never truly done, kindness is not weakness, and my values can guide where I leave my fingerprints in this world.