History

Fostering Success Michigan (FSM) was established in 2012 at Western Michigan University as a collaboration of campuses, agencies, and professionals who were interested in figuring out the best ways to support students with experience in foster care in college. With generous support from The Kresge Foundation, the Havirmill Foundation, and others, a statewide collective impact initiative was launched to increase postsecondary access and success for students with experience in foster care by building a statewide network of support across college campuses and within local communities.

In 2018, FSM transitioned from Western Michigan University to The New Foster Care, an organization committed to accomplishing change through servicing at-risk families, supporting fostering and adoptive families, and strengthening youth who are transitioning out of foster care with future opportunities. The New Foster Care provided a bridge for FSM to continue programming, while working to identify a permanent home that would ensure long-term sustainability and an opportunity to scale nationally. In 2021, The New Foster Care provided funding for FSM to transition to Educate Tomorrow.

Educate Tomorrow

Fostering Success Michigan is a program of Educate Tomorrow, a national organization focused on postsecondary access and success for youth with experience in foster care and homelessness.

Educate Tomorrow began almost 20 years ago when its founders discovered students from foster care could receive free college tuition in Florida. Eight students at the time were using this little-known tuition exemption. Educate Tomorrow spread the word and prepared and enrolled students for postsecondary success, providing much needed support all along the way.

As the organization grew, it provided financial resources to fund on-campus coaches dedicated to this student population at Miami Dade College and Florida International University. Since the initial investments in 2014, these two institutions have conferred more than 600 degrees to students utilizing the tuition waiver.

As the number of students accessing tuition exemptions grew from tens to hundreds to thousands, Educate Tomorrow was awarded a contract in 2016 by the State of Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) to lead the statewide network, the Positive Pathways Program, that supports over 6,700 students from foster care at all Florida public state colleges and universities.

In addition to Florida and Michigan, Educate Tomorrow is also actively developing networks in Colorado, Arizona, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Our Mission

Fostering Success Michigan will increase access and success in postsecondary education among Michigan's students with experience in foster care through the building of a holistic network that insulates (i.e., strengthens protective factors and reduces risks) the education to career “pipeline” for students from foster care. The Fostering Success Michigan Network participants include: students with experience in foster care, higher education professionals, child welfare professionals, community organizations, supportive adults, philanthropic support, and the business community.

Collective Impact Framework

Fostering Success Michigan is utilizing a Collective Impact Framework to address Michigan's need for large-scale social change in the area of students with experience in foster care and their access and success in higher education and post-college careers. The Collective Impact Framework employs five distinct conditions for social change: Backbone Organization, Common Agenda, Mutually Reinforcing Activities, Shared Measurement, and Continuous Communication.

Backbone Organization

As a collective impact backbone organization, Fostering Success Michigan employs three strategies: Resourcing, Supporting, and Networking. These strategies address the knowledge, skill and social capacity gaps that must be filled to create a sustainable education to career pipeline for students with experience in foster care. Fostering Success Michigan is a hub, supporting Michigan’s network of experts versus being an “expert organization”. Bringing together the combined energy and efforts from partners across the State of Michigan allows Fostering Success Michigan to identify areas where resources are lacking and collaborate with partners to fill these gaps.

Common Agenda

Fostering Success Michigan has aligned with the Michigan College Access Network in support of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's statewide postsecondary attainment goal, which is that 60% of Michigan residents complete a postsecondary certificate or degree by the year 2030. Until the governor's announcement, Michigan was the only state in the Midwest and one of nine in the country that did not have an established postsecondary attainment goal at the state level. FSM is proud to align with the new vision, which will help create more paths for youth with experience in foster care to earn postsecondary certificates and degrees, and address a growing talent shortage in Michigan's workforce.

Mutually Reinforcing Activities

Each partner in the Fostering Success Michigan Network plays a vital role in the education to career pipeline for youth and alumni of foster care. As a partner in the Fostering Success Michigan Collective Impact strategy, participants agree to work collaboratively and share best practices, knowing that the best solution in one community may need adaptation for success in another community, or may not fit at all.

Click here to join our network!

Shared Measurement

A shared measurement strategy is being established through the collaborative efforts of the Fostering Success Michigan Higher Education Consortium (FSM HEC). Fostering Success Michigan collects data on the numbers of students served by and graduating from campus-based support programs in Michigan to monitor progress of success and provide a realistic understanding of how Michigan’s students with experience in foster care move to and through postsecondary education and into professional careers.

Click here to read the Fostering Success Michigan Developmental Evaluation 2012-2015!

Continuous Communication

To ensure that our diverse group of partners maintains an awareness of successes, challenges, priority issues and shared solutions, FSM supports continuous communication through a variety of networking activities. These include FSM Quarterly Newsletters, FSM Podcast Series, FSM YouTube Channel, FSM Student Spotlights, and in-person networking opportunities. “Like” FSM on Facebook and “Follow” @FSMichigan on Twitter for up the minute info about child welfare and higher education.

Karie Ward, Director, Fostering Success Michigan

Karie Ward serves as the Executive Director of Fostering Success Michigan, a statewide collective impact initiative that began in 2012 and focuses on postsecondary access and success for youth with experience in foster care. Karie works to support the network of campuses, community partners, youth, and statewide agencies that make up the education to career pipeline for students in Michigan.

She began working for FSM as an Intern and Graduate Assistant while attending WMU’s School of Social Work, graduating with an MSW in 2014. Karie has held many roles at FSM and has produced over 70 webinars, 32 podcasts, and facilitated 15 statewide network events. Additionally, she has led the FSM Network through two organizational transitions to ensure long term sustainability for the initiative.

karie@educatetomorrow.org
Brett McNaught, CEO, Educate Tomorrow

Brett became the CEO of Educate Tomorrow in 2012. Educate Tomorrow has received awards for partnership, leadership and innovation from the Florida Department of Children and Families, Miami Today Best of Miami Educators in Crisis Time, Florida International University, Miami Dade College, Voices for Children, Switchboard Miami, The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, American Red Cross Women’s Spectrum awards and College Board. Brett is an alumni of the National Urban Fellows Executive Leadership Program and the Miami Foundation Miami Leaders program where he attended the FIU High Potential Leader Program. Before Educate Tomorrow Brett was an officer of buildOn where he led their International programs from 2005-2012 overseeing the construction of over 1,000 classrooms for more than 40,000 children a day in rural Haiti, Nicaragua, Senegal, Mali, Malawi, Niger, Nepal and India. Brett served as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa from 2001-2003. Brett has a M.S.Ed in Community and Social Change from the University of Miami. He is currently a board member of Hope for Haiti. He is co-chair of the Education and Employment committee for Helping Our Miami Youth (HOMY).

mcnaught@educatetomorrow.org
Dr. Steve Rios, Researcher and Senior Director, Positive Pathways Program

Dr. Steve J. Rios, a long-time mentor and consultant with Educate Tomorrow, he serves as the Senior Director of Positive Pathways, a contract with the Florida Department of Children and Families. Dr. Rios helps to support a network of campus and community based advocates for young adults coming from the foster care system striving to obtain a post-secondary credential. Dr. Rios holds a doctorate in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from Florida International University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University. Along with his wife Nohemi, Dr. Rios owns Rios Research & Evaluation, which provides data analysis for charter schools and Broward County Public Schools programs.

pathways@educatetomorrow.org
Robert (Tony) Parsons, FSM Ambassador Advocate

Tony Parsons, has built a career working on behalf of children, youth, and families across multiple systems. Tony began as an intern with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute where he produced a policy report with recommendations for increasing permanency for foster youth. After graduating from Michigan State University, he worked in the education. As an academic advisor for educationally gifted students in a low income community, he drafted curriculum, elevated student voice in the decision making process, and convened stakeholders to improve educational outcomes. He also worked in a systems level change capacity with the Michigan College Access Network, helping low income, first generation, and/or students of color realize their potential of accessing higher education.

Currently, Tony manages a diverse youth policy portfolio including the Family First Prevention Services Act, Medicaid, education, and juvenile justice among others for Youth Villages. Youth Villages is national leader in children’s mental and behavioral health committed to building strong families, delivering effective services and significantly improving outcomes for children, families and young people involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems across the country. Additionally, Tony serves as a Young Adult Consultant for the Capacity Building Center for States. Outside of his professional endeavors, Tony enjoys musical theatre, body building, and cooking.

Robert.Parsons@youthvillages.org
Michael D. Davis-Thomas, FSM Ambassador Advocate

Michael D. Davis Thomas is an activist, mentor, public speaker and policy scholar who aims to run for office—and ultimately for President. He currently works for River Jordan, a nonprofit focused on providing transitional housing and support for youth with experience in foster care.

Michael serves on over 14 Boards that focus on enacting change and reform in the child welfare system including the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Child Welfare Advisory Board, the State of Michigan Child Protective Reform Committee, and the Whaley Children’s Center Youth Advisory Board.
Michael holds leadership positions in the Michigan Chapter for the National Fostering Youth Institute and Michigan Opportunities Initiative.

He is currently attending Mott Community College, studying political science and public administration. He aims to further his education at the University of Michigan Flint.

mdavisthomas@mcc.edu
Gabriella Mallory, FSM Ambassador Advocate

Gabriella has served as an FSM Ambassador for three years and has served on student panels, cofacilitated presentations, and spoken as a keynote at local events. She is also the author of “Inspirational Quick Speak,” an encouraging and energizing blog that can be found on the FSM Stories page!

Gabriella is currently pursuing her degree in Social Work at Wayne State University and participates in the CHAMPS Program. Gabriella describes herself as an African American young woman pursing her goals and aspirations with continuous perseverance, hope, trust, love and faith within herself. Gabriella is a leader, innovator, advocate and proud to be an FSM Ambassador Advocate!

fsm@fosteringsuccessmichigan.com
Brina Williams, FSM BSW Intern and Ambassador Advocate

Brina Williams is a senior at Western Michigan University, pursuing her Bachelor’s in Social Work with a minor in Political Science. She is currently a Seita Scholar at WMU and is an alumnus of Fostering Stars at Lansing Community College. She is a member of the honor societies Tau Sigma and Phi Alpha, as well as an alumni of the honor society Phi Theta Kappa. Brina is also a graduate of Lansing Community College with an Associate degree in General Studies. After graduating with her BSW, Brina plans to pursue an Advanced Standing MSW program.

Brina is the President of Ingham County’s Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative and is a part of the Continuous Quality Improvement Focus Group for Foster Care in Ingham County. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Children’s Mental Health for almost three years, is a member of Michigan’s Statewide Youth Advisory Board for foster care and is a member of the Leadership Corp for the National Foster Youth Institute Michigan Chapter.

In her downtime, Brina enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her dog, Samson. She enjoys being active and being outside, going for long bike rides every chance she gets. Brina enjoys painting and writing poetry; she’s had art in many of the National Association of Mental Illness Lansing’s fundraisers. She would like to one day publish some of her poetry, along with a memoir of her life.

Brina is passionate about using her experiences to create much needed change within the foster care system. “I’d like to work with foster care children,” she said, “because that is what I know.” Brina Williams for Bridge Magazine.

Brina is currently completing her BSW internship at Fostering Success Michigan and has served as an FSM Ambassador for almost three years.

fsm@fosteringsuccessmichigan.com
Sarah Trujillo-Altvater, FSM MSW Intern

Sarah Trujillo-Altvater is no stranger to adversity. As a first-generation graduate, she has overcome many hardships in pursuit of her education.

As a non-traditional, thirty-year-old student, Sarah completed her Bachelor of Social Work at Spring Arbor University. She graduated while her spouse was deployed, raising her three children, and single handedly managing a household.

She offers a unique perspective of being a full-time student and full-time parent; and has proven that it’s never too late to pursue your education.

Sarah is passionate about building meaningful relationships with others. She understands the challenges of being born into a broken home and has chosen a different path for herself. As a cycle breaker in her own family, she wants to empower others to find their calling and pursue it wholeheartedly. She says, “I want to serve others in humility and learn from their experiences. I believe that building relationships and finding humanity in every situation is the only way to successfully advocate for change.”

In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, going on nature walks, and dancing. She especially enjoys her ability to embarrass her children with her cool dance moves.

Sarah is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work at Spring Arbor University and will graduate in January 2023. She is a member of the Phi Alpha Society and the National Association of Social Workers. She is grateful for the opportunity to intern at Fostering Success Michigan and is eager to advocate on behalf of youth with foster care experience.

Fostering Success Michigan

About

History

Educate Tomorrow

Our Mission

Collective Impact Framework

Backbone Organization

Common Agenda

Mutually Reinforcing Activities

Shared Measurement

Continuous Communication

Karie Ward, Director, Fostering Success Michigan

Brett McNaught, CEO, Educate Tomorrow

Dr. Steve Rios, Researcher and Senior Director, Positive Pathways Program

Robert (Tony) Parsons, FSM Ambassador Advocate

Michael D. Davis-Thomas, FSM Ambassador Advocate

Gabriella Mallory, FSM Ambassador Advocate

Brina Williams, FSM BSW Intern and Ambassador Advocate

Sarah Trujillo-Altvater, FSM MSW Intern

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