Welcome to the Thanksgiving week edition of WonkCast: People Power Policy.
If this is your first listen, you can also check out Episode 0 here to learn more about our vision and focus, and subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
From the team here at the Wonk, we wish all of you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.
Episode # 5: Former ACYF Commissioner Rebecca Jones Gaston
This week’s conversation digs into how people shape policy systems, how those systems shape the people within them, and why it matters for effective leadership.
Rebecca Jones Gaston was most recently the Commissioner for the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families for the Biden Administration.
Over nearly three decades in human services and child welfare, she’s worked at every level; from front-line casework to senior executive leadership.
She also brings her own personal experience as someone adopted out of foster care.
What I loved about this conversation was that it went beyond programs and policy mechanics.
It’s a real exploration of what it means to stay present and whole in work that often pushes people toward distance or detachment.
It pushed my thinking on policy, systems, and leadership, and I hope it does the same for yours.
Sponsorship Shoutout
Special thanks to Binti for their foundational sponsorship of WonkCast.
