About CFPC:

Charles Bruner, Executive Director

Charles Bruner serves as Executive Director of the Child and Family Policy Center . He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University , and received his B.A. from Macalester College . He served twelve years as a state legislator in Iowa .

Through the Child and Family Policy Center , Charles provides technical assistance to states, communities, and foundations on child and family issues and heads the technical assistance activities of the federally-established National Center for Service Integration. Through funding from the Ford, Kauffman, and Packard Foundation, Bruner also directs the State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network, providing evidenced-based assistance to state decision-makers on school readiness issues.

Bruner has written widely on public policy approaches to developing more comprehensive, community-based responses to children, family, and neighborhood needs.

Karon Perlowski, Deputy Director

Karon has been with the Center since 1992. She received her MSW from the University of Iowa and is a Licensed Independent Social Work practitioner. She has over 30 years of advocating for and facilitating the development of public policies that promote the well-being of children and families in Iowa .

As Deputy Director, Karon provides managerial oversight of all projects and initiatives undertaken by the Center. She has worked extensively in the public policy arena with the Iowa General Assembly, the Office of the Governor, and Executive Branch leadership during the course of her work with CFPC. Karon has been successful in negotiating policy-based agreements between Iowa constituents who are directly affected by legislative and other public policy directives established by state government officials.

With the development of the Every Child Counts advocacy division within CFPC, Karon continues to provide oversight and monitoring for this new dimension of CFPC. This expansion reflects the Center's efforts to promote policies and practices that positively impact children and families most at-risk for being left behind.

Vivian Day, Executive Secretary

Vivian has been with CFPC from 1992-2000 and again from 2002-present. Her role within CFPC includes providing support to the Executive and Deputy Directors, supervision of the support team, general office management, conference and meeting planning, work on publications and presentations development.

Vivian provides experience from working in public and private, rural and urban environments. She worked with the Iowa Department of Human Services’ Bureau of Budget prior to coming to the Center in 1992, and with Legal Services Corporation of Iowa (now Iowa Legal Aid) from September 2000-2002 as the office manager for the Central Administrative Office and the South Central Regional Office.

Michael Crawford, Senior Associate and Fiscal Director

Crawford has been at the Center since 1991. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies and a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Northern Iowa.

Crawford directs the Iowa Kids Count Initiative and is involved with much of the data collection and analysis that is completed at the Center. Also, as fiscal officer and grants officer, he oversees the financial matters of the organization in general, in addition to all the grants with which the Center is currently involved.

Crawford is a member of the Kids Count Info rmation Sharing and Technical Assistance Committee, the Human Services Planning Alliance Research Committee and the Polk County Infant Mortality Task Force.

Victor Elias, Senior Policy Associate

Victor joined the Child and Family Policy Center in 1993. His responsibilities include research, budget, and policy analysis on various issues including managed care, community strategic planning, systems reform, welfare reform, outcomes, child welfare, juvenile justice, tax reform, tax and budget analysis, workforce development, and decategorization of services and funding. He staffs the Coalition Against Abusive Lending, a coalition of twenty Iowa organizations seeking to prevent wealth-stripping from Iowa families. Victor also provides technical assistance and facilitation to communities in these same areas. Victor sits on several state and local committees and task forces.

Prior to joining the Center, Victor served for ten years as Deputy Director to the Iowa State Association of counties (ISAC) and was Executive Director to the Iowa Association of Rehabilitation and Residential Facilities. Victor has over 25 years experience in advocating for Human Services, tax and budget, and other public policy issues with legislatures and executive departments.

Michelle Stover Wright, Senior Research Associate

Michelle joined the Policy Center in February 2000. She received her BA in Sociology with a concentration in Women’s Studies from Drake University in 1993. She earned her MS in Sociology from Iowa State University in 1998. While at ISU, Michelle was appointed to the Midwest Sociological Society’s Executive Board and served a two-year term.

Michelle also headed the Iowa component of a methamphetamine trend study funded through the National Institutes of Health and Drug Use.

Michelle’s work with the Policy Center includes evaluation of local programs such as the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, and national work with the Build Initiative, as well as other research in the areas of child and family policy.

Syed Noor Tirmizi, Senior Research Associate

Noor is responsible for all quantitative and qualitative analysis for primary and secondary data. He is also responsible for geo-coding and geo-processes, to prepare address-based administrative data sets for statistical analysis.

Mr. Tirmizi earned his Ph.D. in Sociology, with a minor in Statistics, from Iowa State University (ISU) in August 2005. Since January 1998, Noor has conducted research analyses for the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development at ISU. He was also involved in providing lab assistance to faculty and students in the Department of Sociology at Iowa State University .

In addition to several reports and publications produced at Iowa State University , Noor has co-produced several reports for the Child and Family Policy Center . Poverty, housing, justice system involvement, and school and student performance challenges being confronted by the Des Moines Public Schools located within the Annie E. Casey Making Connections Initiative are among the topics addressed by Noor’s work. Additionally, Noor has established research relationships with state level government offices to facilitate CFPC’s broader state-level initiatives.

Carrie Fitzgerald, Child Health Policy Specialist

Carrie Fitzgerald joined CFPC in September 2006 after seven years at the Iowa Department of Public Health as a Community Health Consultant. At the Health Department Carrie served as the Department liaison to the Early ACCESS system, as well as the Coordinator for the Assuring Better Child Healthy Development (ABCDII) initiative. Currently as the Senior Health Policy Associate, she is able to draw upon her experience as a social worker within the court system for maltreated children, her advocacy work in domestic violence, teen mothers, and for families living in poverty. Carrie graduated from Drake University in Des Moines with a degree in English and writing.

Melissa Gradischnig Nelson, School Readiness Coordinator

Melissa joined the Child & Family Policy Center in July 2005 as a consultant working on the Making Connections Des Moines School Readiness CHAPSS (Children Healthy and Prepared to Succeed in School) project. Melissa became a full-time employee in February 2006 as CFPC's School Readiness Coordinator.

Melissa has been involved in the community for many years, volunteering in the Des Moines Public Schools, working with youth, and encouraging parents to spend time with their children and to be active in their children's schools. She is active with many community boards in the Des Moines area.

In addition to her community work, Melissa was a business owner for fourteen years. She was featured in the Des Moines Register for her beliefs in family values and business and was also featured in Dan Rather's book "The American Dream" in 2001.

Sheila Hansen, Every Child Counts Network Project Director

Sheila joined the Child & Family Policy Center in April 2004, bringing over a decade of expertise in the early childhood and advocacy fields with her. Sheila has a wealth of knowledge and first-hand experience through working with the WIC/MCH program as the Maternal/Child Health coordinator serving several central Iowa counties, as well as working with parents through Head Start and Early Headstart through YOUR, Inc. in many capacities. Sheilas advocacy wings grew even stronger in her role as Advocacy Consultant for the Iowa Head Start Association.

As Policy Director to Every Child Counts, Sheila concentrates her work on building a strong network of support for the youngest citizens of our state. Sheila holds degrees in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Iowa.

Tiffany Smith, Every Child Counts Network Policy Associate

Tiffany joined the Child & Family Policy Center in June 2006. Her work includes the development of statewide community forums focusing on poverty reduction and family economic issues.

Tiffany received her Masters in Social Work degree from the University of Iowa, with a dual concentration in family-centered and integrated (macro) practice in May 2006 and her Bachelor of Science degree in Child & Family Services from Iowa State University in December 2001. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and is involved with the NASW Iowa Chapter Central Branch.

Tiffany has extensive experience working with gender-specific programming for adolescent girls and with youth experiencing homelessness.

Barbara Larson, Bookkeeper

Barbara began working for the Child and Family Policy Center in May 2001. She handles the daily routine accounting operations. Prior to working at the Policy Center , Barbara spent 15 years in accounting, mostly in payables. She has over 20 years of experience working in the insurance field. Barbara graduated from the American Institute of Business with her accounting degree.

Linda Schneider, Receptionist

Linda Schneider has been with the Policy Center since November 1998 as permanent part-time staff. Linda processes publications requests in addition to her office support activities. She worked 12 years providing receptionist and secretarial support to the Department of the Treasury until her position was eliminated through reorganization.

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	About CFPC: Charles Bruner, Executive Director Charles Bruner serves as Executive Director of the Child and Family Policy Center . He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University , and received his B.A. from Macalester College . He served twelve years as a state legislator in Iowa . Through the Child and Family Policy Center , Charles provides technical assistance to states, communities, and foundations on child and family issues and heads the technical assistance activities of the federally-established National Center for Service Integration. Through funding from the Ford, Kauffman, and Packard Foundation, Bruner also directs the State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network, providing evidenced-based assistance to state decision-makers on school readiness issues. Bruner has written widely on public policy approaches to developing more comprehensive, community-based responses to children, family, and neighborhood needs. Karon Perlowski, Deputy Director Karon has been with the Center since 1992. She received her MSW from the University of Iowa and is a Licensed Independent Social Work practitioner. She has over 30 years of advocating for and facilitating the development of public policies that promote the well-being of children and families in Iowa . As Deputy Director, Karon provides managerial oversight of all projects and initiatives undertaken by the Center. She has worked extensively in the public policy arena with the Iowa General Assembly, the Office of the Governor, and Executive Branch leadership during the course of her work with CFPC. Karon has been successful in negotiating policy-based agreements between Iowa constituents who are directly affected by legislative and other public policy directives established by state government officials. With the development of the Every Child Counts advocacy division within CFPC, Karon continues to provide oversight and monitoring for this new dimension of CFPC. This expansion reflects the Center's efforts to promote policies and practices that positively impact children and families most at-risk for being left behind. Vivian Day, Executive Secretary Vivian has been with CFPC from 1992-2000 and again from 2002-present. Her role within CFPC includes providing support to the Executive and Deputy Directors, supervision of the support team, general office management, conference and meeting planning, work on publications and presentations development. Vivian provides experience from working in public and private, rural and urban environments. She worked with the Iowa Department of Human Services’ Bureau of Budget prior to coming to the Center in 1992, and with Legal Services Corporation of Iowa (now Iowa Legal Aid) from September 2000-2002 as the office manager for the Central Administrative Office and the South Central Regional Office. Michael Crawford, Senior Associate and Fiscal Director Crawford has been at the Center since 1991. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies and a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Northern Iowa. Crawford directs the Iowa Kids Count Initiative and is involved with much of the data collection and analysis that is completed at the Center. Also, as fiscal officer and grants officer, he oversees the financial matters of the organization in general, in addition to all the grants with which the Center is currently involved. Crawford is a member of the Kids Count Info rmation Sharing and Technical Assistance Committee, the Human Services Planning Alliance Research Committee and the Polk County Infant Mortality Task Force. Victor Elias, Senior Policy Associate Victor joined the Child and Family Policy Center in 1993. His responsibilities include research, budget, and policy analysis on various issues including managed care, community strategic planning, systems reform, welfare reform, outcomes, child welfare, juvenile justice, tax reform, tax and budget analysis, workforce development, and decategorization of services and funding. He staffs the Coalition Against Abusive Lending, a coalition of twenty Iowa organizations seeking to prevent wealth-stripping from Iowa families. Victor also provides technical assistance and facilitation to communities in these same areas. Victor sits on several state and local committees and task forces. Prior to joining the Center, Victor served for ten years as Deputy Director to the Iowa State Association of counties (ISAC) and was Executive Director to the Iowa Association of Rehabilitation and Residential Facilities. Victor has over 25 years experience in advocating for Human Services, tax and budget, and other public policy issues with legislatures and executive departments. Michelle Stover Wright, Senior Research Associate Michelle joined the Policy Center in February 2000. She received her BA in Sociology with a concentration in Women’s Studies from Drake University in 1993. She earned her MS in Sociology from Iowa State University in 1998. While at ISU, Michelle was appointed to the Midwest Sociological Society’s Executive Board and served a two-year term. Michelle also headed the Iowa component of a methamphetamine trend study funded through the National Institutes of Health and Drug Use. Michelle’s work with the Policy Center includes evaluation of local programs such as the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, and national work with the Build Initiative, as well as other research in the areas of child and family policy. Syed Noor Tirmizi, Senior Research Associate Noor is responsible for all quantitative and qualitative analysis for primary and secondary data. He is also responsible for geo-coding and geo-processes, to prepare address-based administrative data sets for statistical analysis. Mr. Tirmizi earned his Ph.D. in Sociology, with a minor in Statistics, from Iowa State University (ISU) in August 2005. Since January 1998, Noor has conducted research analyses for the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development at ISU. He was also involved in providing lab assistance to faculty and students in the Department of Sociology at Iowa State University . In addition to several reports and publications produced at Iowa State University , Noor has co-produced several reports for the Child and Family Policy Center . Poverty, housing, justice system involvement, and school and student performance challenges being confronted by the Des Moines Public Schools located within the Annie E. Casey Making Connections Initiative are among the topics addressed by Noor’s work. Additionally, Noor has established research relationships with state level government offices to facilitate CFPC’s broader state-level initiatives. Carrie Fitzgerald, Child Health Policy Specialist Carrie Fitzgerald joined CFPC in September 2006 after seven years at the Iowa Department of Public Health as a Community Health Consultant. At the Health Department Carrie served as the Department liaison to the Early ACCESS system, as well as the Coordinator for the Assuring Better Child Healthy Development (ABCDII) initiative. Currently as the Senior Health Policy Associate, she is able to draw upon her experience as a social worker within the court system for maltreated children, her advocacy work in domestic violence, teen mothers, and for families living in poverty. Carrie graduated from Drake University in Des Moines with a degree in English and writing. Melissa Gradischnig Nelson, School Readiness Coordinator Melissa joined the Child & Family Policy Center in July 2005 as a consultant working on the Making Connections Des Moines School Readiness CHAPSS (Children Healthy and Prepared to Succeed in School) project. Melissa became a full-time employee in February 2006 as CFPC's School Readiness Coordinator. Melissa has been involved in the community for many years, volunteering in the Des Moines Public Schools, working with youth, and encouraging parents to spend time with their children and to be active in their children's schools. She is active with many community boards in the Des Moines area. In addition to her community work, Melissa was a business owner for fourteen years. She was featured in the Des Moines Register for her beliefs in family values and business and was also featured in Dan Rather's book "The American Dream" in 2001. Sheila Hansen, Every Child Counts Network Project Director Sheila joined the Child & Family Policy Center in April 2004, bringing over a decade of expertise in the early childhood and advocacy fields with her. Sheila has a wealth of knowledge and first-hand experience through working with the WIC/MCH program as the Maternal/Child Health coordinator serving several central Iowa counties, as well as working with parents through Head Start and Early Headstart through YOUR, Inc. in many capacities. Sheilas advocacy wings grew even stronger in her role as Advocacy Consultant for the Iowa Head Start Association. As Policy Director to Every Child Counts, Sheila concentrates her work on building a strong network of support for the youngest citizens of our state. Sheila holds degrees in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Iowa. Tiffany Smith, Every Child Counts Network Policy Associate Tiffany joined the Child & Family Policy Center in June 2006. Her work includes the development of statewide community forums focusing on poverty reduction and family economic issues. Tiffany received her Masters in Social Work degree from the University of Iowa, with a dual concentration in family-centered and integrated (macro) practice in May 2006 and her Bachelor of Science degree in Child & Family Services from Iowa State University in December 2001. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and is involved with the NASW Iowa Chapter Central Branch. Tiffany has extensive experience working with gender-specific programming for adolescent girls and with youth experiencing homelessness. Barbara Larson, Bookkeeper Barbara began working for the Child and Family Policy Center in May 2001. She handles the daily routine accounting operations. Prior to working at the Policy Center , Barbara spent 15 years in accounting, mostly in payables. She has over 20 years of experience working in the insurance field. Barbara graduated from the American Institute of Business with her accounting degree. Linda Schneider, Receptionist Linda Schneider has been with the Policy Center since November 1998 as permanent part-time staff. Linda processes publications requests in addition to her office support activities. She worked 12 years providing receptionist and secretarial support to the Department of the Treasury until her position was eliminated through reorganization.