Jeanette Pai-Espinosa
Jeannette brings to The National Crittenton Foundation (TNCF), a 134-year-old institution, more than forty years of experience in advocacy, education, public policy, strategic communication, program development, and direct service delivery. Today, she leads TNCF, which is the national umbrella for the 26 members of the Crittenton family of agencies, which provides services in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Crittenton agencies support more than 130,000 girls annually by providing a comprehensive mix of gender and culturally responsive, trauma informed and specific, developmentally appropriate, strength-based services to girls and young women who are survivors of multiple forms of adverse childhood experiences and violence. Services are provided in a range of settings from in-home to community based and residential.
Jeannette is currently; Chair of the National Foster Care Coalition; the Director of the National Girls Initiative – Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U. S. Department of Justice. Additionally, she is a member of: the Advisory Committee of Rights4Girls; the Advisory Committee for Women’s Services – SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Advisory Committee of Family Story; the Advisory Board for the hope and grace initiative of philosophy Inc.; the Advisory Committee for the Intersectional Research Agenda, at the Anna Julia Cooper Center, Wake Forest University; and the Advisory Committee of the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health.
In 2013, Jeannette was recognized with the Robert F. Kennedy Embracing the Legacy award for her work supporting the empowerment of girls and young women in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Jeannette holds a master’s degree of education in student development theory, counseling and administration. She and her husband are the parents of four “grown” children ages 31–37.