FeatureD speaker: Charles Lerner

Charles Lerner is the State Director of Massachusetts CASA. He is a previous foster youth and an adoptive father through kinship care. He believes his greatest asset is his lived experience. Charles is led by empathy, vulnerability, humility, passion, and the pursuit of justice. He has worked in the fields of child welfare and mental health for over 20 years. His previous work has included leading the first LGBTQ+ foster-to-permanency program in California, being the founding executive director of Boston CASA, running an organization for unhoused young adults that provides support for up to 20 years, as well as teaching at multiple universities including California State University- East Bay and Harvard University. He holds a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy. Charles believes that foster care, as we know it, often does not work for children, their families, or society. As a matter of fact, the system is harmful and unjust. He strives to be a catalyst for change, including bringing greater dignity, humanity, and justice to the system.