Deanna Herold has been employed with the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) as a Human Services Policy Developer since 2016. Currently she serves as a Project Manager for training and education on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and oversees the contract between DCY and The Ohio State University’s Citizen Review Panels. Prior to transferring to DCY, Deanna was employed with Franklin County Children Services where she served as a supervisor for the Adoptions Department, Director of Kinship and Foster Care, and an Associate Director for the Intake and Screening Department. Deanna obtained her undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University and her Masters Degree from Ohio University.

Delaney (MSSA, LSW) is a graduate of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences where she studied Community Practice for Social Change. Delaney’s professional and educational background, focused in the area of young child/ family wellbeing, intertwines a micro- level study and practice (child behavior, family dynamics, trauma), with a macro- level focus and practice (policy and program development). Delaney currently serves as the Community Coordinator for the Safe Babies Program in Cuyahoga County where she is working alongside local child welfare, judicial, and social services leadership to plan, implement, develop, execute and evaluate the Safe Babies program model.

Hailey Barr-King is a policy and advocacy professional with experience spanning higher education, corporate communications, law, and nonprofit leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Miami University and a Master’s in Public Relations & Corporate Communications from Georgetown University. Hailey spent 3.5 years at Georgetown University managing communications, events, and academic scheduling for five master’s programs. She later served as an executive assistant and event coordinator at Gallup, followed by more than a year in public relations at global intellectual property law firm Fish & Richardson. Most recently, Hailey led policy and advocacy efforts at United Way of Greater Cincinnati, advancing initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels across three states. She currently works at Table Sense, a Cincinnati-based startup nonprofit focused on common-sense solutions in the child welfare system, where she is building and implementing a multi-state policy strategy across Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

Dr. Kristi Hannan is the Associate Director of Early Childhood at Lucas County Family Council in Toledo, Ohio. She has worked in the field of early childhood for 40 years, in roles that include teaching young children, university teaching, academic research, family policy, and program administration. For the past 22 years, she has led several publicly funded prenatal-to-three programs in Lucas County, including home visiting, early intervention, central intake and referral, and Early Head Start. For the past 11 months, she has overseen the Safe Babies project in Lucas County with the support of the Community Coordinator. Each of these programs provide two generational supports to ensure that both young children and their families thrive. Kristi also serves on a number of advisory groups and workgroups in Lucas County, including the Pathways Hub Advisory, Healthy Families America Advisory for the Lucas County Early Childhood Home Visiting programs, Owens Community College’s Education Advisory, the planning committee for the annual Early Childhood Forum, and the Interagency Transition Committee. Her professional work is driven by a mission to make a difference in the lives of infants and toddlers in our community and beyond, through partnerships with parents, professionals, community partners, and policymakers.

Linda Topping is the Court Improvement Program Analyst with the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Children & Families Section. A Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s degree in Community Clinical Counseling from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The Ohio State University, Linda brings over 17 years of experience in child welfare and behavioral health. Her work focuses on strengthening court practice, supporting abuse, neglect, and dependency proceedings, and improving outcomes for children and families through training, technical assistance, and system collaboration.

Nicole Sillaman has served as the Executive Director for the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund (OCTF) since 2022. OCTF is housed within the Ohio Department of Children and Youth and supports child maltreatment prevention efforts statewide. Ms. Sillaman joined OCTF as a program manager in 2014, and since that time, has served in many different capacities at the agency. Prior to joining OCTF, Ms. Sillaman worked at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for seven years in program coordination for physician medical education programs. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management, as well as her Master of Business Administration at The Ohio State University.