About Child Welfare Wonk
Child Welfare Wonk™ is a strategic policy intelligence platform delivering critical, data-driven policy insights to the most influential decision-makers in child and family policy.
Our analysis informs the work of policymakers, providers, philanthropies, and advocates across the national, state, and local levels.
We’re more than a newsletter. We’re building the intelligence layer decision-makers need; analysis and projections grounded in historical context, real-time insight, and future-focused strategy.
Our Approach
We don’t just break down policy news; we break it open. We use data, policymaking insight, and narrative clarity to surface the story under the story.
We’re rigorously nonpartisan. Subscribers with diametrically opposed politics say the same thing: “this is exactly what I need.”
We don’t tell subscribers what to think. We show them what to think about; what others are missing, what’s next, and which policy levers actually move systems.
Our Leadership
Zach Laris, MPH, Founder & President
Zach founded Child Welfare Wonk to change how data and narratives inform child and family policy. He blends policy expertise, pragmatism about the policymaking process, and a sense of humor into the organization’s North Star.
He began Child Welfare Wonk as a newsletter, before scaling it into a strategic policy intelligence firm to serve a critical unmet need; actionable intel for decison makers.
His vision emerged from a passion for writing clear, compelling, and comprehensive resources to inform cross-partisan child and family policy deliberations.
He previously spent 12 years at the American Academy of Pediatrics, where he oversaw and grew the federal child welfare policy and advocacy team.
Robin Ghertner, MPP, Founding Director, Strategic Policy Intelligence
Robin is building our systems for comprehensive data analysis, and oversees our work with researchers and data analysts to bring you data-driven insights.
He brings 20 years of expertise in research, policy analysis, and direct service in social services, including child welfare.
Robin was most recently the Director of Data and Technical Analysis in HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
Andrés Argüello, MBA/MA, MSc, Founding Director, Narrative Intelligence
Andrés provides editorial leadership for the contributions of top-tier writers and strategists, leads our analysis of policy intelligence to generate actionable insights.
He brings deep and cross-cutting expertise across child and family policy, including our core focuses of health, human services, and economic policy.
Andrés most recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and before that as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of HHS on child and family policy.
Blythe Scott, MA, Founding Director, Operations & Strategic Partnerships
Blythe is building our operational capacity and our growing premium partnerships network, to ensure we provide what partners need to be more effective in their work.
Blythe has extensive experience in public education policy, child welfare reform, foster care & adoption, immigration & refugee services, and anti-human trafficking efforts.
Blythe was Chief of Staff to CO State Senator James R. Coleman and worked in management and strategy consulting at Eagle Hill Consulting. She held leadership roles at Lutheran Family Services—supporting foster care and refugee programs—and The Expectations Project. She is also the founder of DC127, a Washington, DC-based coalition mobilizing churches and communities around foster care advocacy.
Maria Aoki-Chavez, MPA, Administrative Strategist to the Founder
Maria builds and manages administrative systems, working in close partnership with Child Welfare Wonk leadership.
She brings experience in policy and program management consulting, having worked with federal policymakers and national philanthropy to improve child welfare policy.
Our Contributors
Doug Steiger, MPP, Senior Contributor
Doug is a Senior Contributor, bringing expertise on how policy gets made to provide insights on what’s possible in child and family policy.
Doug is a public policy consultant, previously served as a Counselor to the HHS Secretary during the Obama Administration, and was a Senate staffer for 12 years.
Laura Radel, MPP, Senior Contributor
Laura is a Senior Contributor, bringing deep expertise on child welfare policy and research about the children and families who interact with the child welfare system.
Before retiring, she spent 35 years analyzing child welfare issues for the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).
Our Premium Partnerships
If you enjoy our newsletter, you should know it’s just the flier for what we have to offer.
Behind it is a growing architecture of data, strategic analysts, and decision-ready insight. We help partners write the policy future, not react to it.
Our wide-ranging partners touch all different areas of child and family policy; non-profits, philanthropy, consultancy, and more.
If you’re interested, you can learn more about partnerships here.
