CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Kristalle Hedrick serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Alliance of Kansas, where she leads statewide efforts to strengthen child and family well-being through policy, advocacy, and collaboration. A licensed master social worker with extensive experience in child welfare practice and systems reform, Kristalle is dedicated to building partnerships that bridge the gap between policy and the lived realities of families and service providers.

Her leadership is informed not only by her professional experience, but also her lived experience as a foster and adoptive parent, giving her a unique perspective on how policy decisions affect children and caregivers in Kansas and beyond. Under her direction, the Children’s Alliance advances initiatives that promote stability, quality, and excellence in the child welfare system.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Shanna joins the Alliance with over 20 years of experience in comprehensive governmental support and consultation. Shanna has worked alongside state and national child welfare experts guiding organizational strategies, leading workforce engagement efforts and advocating for positive systemic change. Shanna earned her bachelors in psychology and a masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Kansas State University. She is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and works with individuals and teams to explore their greatest potential. Shanna enjoys being outdoors and spending time at the lake with her husband and her three daughters.

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS & MAPP TRAINER

Carrie has over 25 years of experience within the field of child welfare. She and her husband provided foster care for almost 17 years. She is also a biological parent of one daughter and an adoptive parent of three sons. Carrie has been leading MAPP for almost 20 years. Carrie began designing and facilitating regular conversations to support and connect with MAPP Leaders around the country. Carrie is a graduate of Wichita State University and has several national training certifications. She enjoys spending time in her empty nest with her husband.

DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Kristen brings over 25 years of experience in mental health, child welfare, and workforce development to Children’s Alliance. She has served as a child and family therapist, supervised foster care and adoption services at The Shelter, Inc., led youth workforce initiatives at Van Go, Inc. and directed career-readiness efforts at Avila University. Kristen earned her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Fort Hays State University. Guided by trauma-informed, strengths-based principles, Kristen is dedicated to innovative workforce initiatives and coaching - ensuring child welfare professionals have the resources and support they need to help children and families thrive..

DIRECTOR OF KANSAS CAREGIVER TRAINING AND SUPPORT

Jenn brings a unique blend of academic expertise and lived experience to her work at the Children’s Alliance. She holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in education, with a focus in her graduate studies on neuroscience and trauma. As a former foster parent and current adoptive parent, Jenn brings a personal and compassionate lens to her professional work. 

As a trainer, Jenn is known for her warmth, empathy, humor, and authenticity—qualities rooted in both her personal journey and her deep understanding of trauma-informed care. She is passionate about the power of connection within families and its role in healing and resilience. In her free time, she loves to be with her husband and three daughters or cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. 

TRAINING PROGRAM MANAGER

Cris has devoted his child welfare career to the development and delivery of curricula for social workers and caretakers of children who are at risk or in foster care. Serving at Children's Alliance has allowed Cris to continue his passion to create and implement state-of-the-art training to enable families to be safe, stable and achieve permanence. As a Master Trainer, Cris continues to develop partnerships with organizations with the same goals. Cris is a proud graduate of Auburn University (War Eagle!) and when not spending time with his kids, you can usually find him watching movies at his local movie theater.

KINVEST PROGRAM MANAGER

Kim joins the Alliance with over a decade of experience that includes child welfare supervision and working directly with adolescent foster youth. Kim graduated from Washburn University with her bachelor’s degree in social work and is a recent graduate of the University of Kansas, where she received her Master’s degree in social work with a macro specialization. Through her experience, Kim became passionate about systems-level change within the child welfare system. In her free time, Kim can be found outdoors on a trail, trying a new restaurant or spending time with her family.

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY MANAGER

Andrea Hartzell is the Business Technology Manager and joined Children’s Alliance in 2020 after 23 years in non-profit work at the Kansas Association of School Boards. Andrea brings vast experience in event planning of workshops and conferences ranging from 15-600 attendees. She also brings experience in event communications and marketing, as well as website and database management. Andrea enjoys volunteering as a CASA, reading, listening to music, time with family, traveling with her husband, Dan, and most importantly spoiling her grandsons Hudson and Ari.

PROJECT ASSISTANT

Jaliyah earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and has five years of experience working with youth in different capacities — from the school setting, to juvenile intake, to youth care specialist. She is passionate about the implications of racial equity within the juvenile justice and child welfare system, as well as education. She is excited to support nonprofit providers working with these youth, and also to contribute to our policy and advocacy work that impacts the lives of Kansas families. Jaliyah has two children and is an aspiring lactation consultant.

RESEARCH ANALYST

Kayla Lawson (she/her) graduated from the University of Kansas with undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Psychology in 2019 and a graduate degree in Macro Social Work in 2021. She is a first-generation college student who graduated with honors in Psychology by conducting her own research on implicit biases. Kayla handles finding and compiling research to inform our advocacy work and training programs, along with aiding in the writing and editing of content. She is passionate about pursuing systems-level change and creating helpful, well-made trainings to create a healthier child welfare system for Kansans. In her free time, you can find her curled up with a good fantasy novel or knitting.

CHILD WELFARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Natasha has 20 years’ experience in child welfare. Natasha has worked extensively in the areas of adoption, foster care, and case management within the Kansas child welfare system. She has led and assisted in the development and implementation of several initiatives with a purpose to educate and support the caregivers of traumatized children and minimize the adverse effects of Secondary Traumatic Stress within the child welfare workforce. In her current role of 5 years, Natasha has used her Licensed Mastery of Social Work (LMSW) Competencies and recently acquired Associate Certified Coach credentialing through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) to drive system-level change through community collaboration, workforce development, and advocacy for Kansas children and families. She is focused on utilizing and training coaching and resiliency skills to improve the well-being and inclusivity mindset of individuals and the organizations they are part of, leading to richer service of vulnerable populations. 

CHILD WELFARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Rachel has spent her career in various roles within the Kansas child welfare system. She began her career working with youth involved in the juvenile justice system, followed by direct service work at a child placement agency. She then transitioned to conducting forensic interviews and providing advocacy services for child victims of abuse and their families. These roles have given Rachel a unique perspective on the multifaceted child and family well-being system as well as a passion for creating systemic change while supporting those involved at all levels of the child and family well-being system.

CHILD WELFARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Nidia López brings 17 years of social work experience advocating for children and families across higher education, state government, and nonprofit sectors. As a bilingual and bicultural professional, she has worked extensively in areas supporting workforce development, family engagement, and equitable access to resources for diverse communities. Nidia has led and supported statewide initiatives that strengthen collaboration and build capacity within early childhood education and migrant education programs. Nidia is passionate about empowering professionals and families through education, cultural understanding, and community partnerships and about creating systemic changes that improve outcomes for children and families.