Michael Leach, Chief External Engagement Officer, Think of Us
Michael H. Leach is a national child welfare leader and former Director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, where he led one of the most significant system transformations in the country. During his tenure, South Carolina reduced its foster care population by nearly half, dramatically expanded kinship care, decreased reliance on congregate care, set records in public adoptions, and became a national leader in timely permanency and workforce stability. Mike previously served in senior leadership roles at the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, including Deputy Commissioner and Director of Systems Integration, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Independent Living. Across both states, his work centered on keeping children safely with family, supporting frontline staff, modernizing data and decision making, and aligning policy with real world implementation.
He currently serves as Chief External Engagement Officer at Think of Us, a national nonprofit founded and led by people with lived experience in foster care. In this role, Mike partners with federal agencies, state leaders, philanthropy, and advocates to help translate policy intent into practical, implementation-ready change, with a focus on housing stability, kinship care, transition age youth, and modern child and family well-being systems.
Mike is also a Partner at Momenta Advisors, where he supports states, providers, and national organizations across child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, and disability systems. He serves as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Helping Professions, contributing to work on leadership, accountability, and workforce sustainability in human services.
An accomplished writer and thought leader, Mike’s work appears in The Imprint, where he has authored multiple pieces on accountability, organizational health, and child welfare reform. His leadership has been recognized with multiple national and state honors, including the Tennessee CASA Champion of Children award for his commitment to youth voice and system accountability in 2014, the 2024 APHSA Excellence award for outstanding state members, and additional recognitions over the years.
Driven by the belief that sustainable change happens when systems work better, leaders grow stronger, and teams feel supported to deliver for children and families, Mike continues to advance efforts that improve outcomes and strengthen communities.
Jason Wilkerson, Assistant Director, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
A career law enforcement officer, Jason Wilkerson has been employed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for over 29 years. As an Assistant Director he leads the Bureau’s Training Division out of TBI headquarters in Nashville, TN. Prior to his appointment as an Assistant Director, he spent well over two decades as an Agent working in multiple units including Criminal Investigation, Drug Investigation and the Human Trafficking unit. Jason Wilkerson holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master of Education from Middle Tennessee State University. For more than twenty years Wilkerson has worked as an adjunct professor, having taught in the Criminal Justice Departments of Tennessee State University and Middle Tennessee State University.
Throughout his time with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Wilkerson has obtained a great deal of experience in the investigation of a wide variety of cases including drug investigations, homicide, money laundering, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, and officer involved use-of-force situations. He regularly conducts classes both in and outside of law enforcement circles in the subjects of human trafficking, close quarters conflict control, firearms, undercover operations, situational awareness, investigative techniques and numerous other topics.
As a lifelong student of all things, he is humbled and honored to speak to speak before this audience.
Lydia Burris, Education Rights Program Manager, Nashville Public Defenders Office
Lydia joined the Education Rights Project in 2014 as the team’s social worker and became team leader in 2023. She provides educational advocacy for parents and guardians of students with disabilities in school meetings and links families to vital community resources. Lydia also offers social work support to ensure multidisciplinary legal representation in guardian ad litem cases. She earned her Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee and her Bachelor of Social Work from Lipscomb University. Lydia is passionate about policy advocacy, teaching social work courses on disability studies and youth justice as an adjunct instructor at Lipscomb University, and serving on the board of BeWell in School.
Jordyn Conley, Attorney, Education Rights Program, Nashville Public Defenders Office
Jordyn began her legal career in 2019 with the Nashville Defenders on the General Sessions team, where she provided representation to people accused of misdemeanors and felonies. She joined the Education Rights Project in 2021. Jordyn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Fisk University and then a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School. Jordyn is an education attorney and provides legal representation to families in school meetings, discipline appeals, and due process complaints. She also has a Guardian ad Litem practice where she represents youth in foster care and youth who are at risk of entering care. She also serves as an educational surrogate for children whose parents are not available to make school decisions.
Courtney Matthews, LMSW, Director of Independent Living, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
Courtney Matthews is the Director of Independent Living for the State of Tennessee, Department of Children’s Services (DCS). In this role she manages the Office of Independent Living staff which includes Independent Living Coordinators and Specialist in each region of the state. The Office of Independent Living provides assistance and guidance to regional staff on independent living and transition planning for youth in foster care ages 14 and older as well as monitors the provisions of Extension of Foster Care Services for young adults who age out of foster care. Prior to this role, Courtney managed the Provider Quality Team, Foster Home Quality Team, and Contract Monitoring Quality Team at DCS. These teams work to ensure foster care and congregate care placements as well as contract providers have the ability to provide safety and promote the wellbeing of children in state custody. She has a strong focus on quality customer service and continues to improve the partnerships with providers and community partners. Courtney began her career with DCS as a frontline Family Service Worker for foster care in 2008 and was promoted to a supervisor for foster care in 2012. In these roles Courtney worked hand in hand with birth families and relatives which lead to families being reunified. She also led cases where more than 30 youth achieved permanency through adoption. She developed lasting relationships with the court, law enforcement, CASA, and other community partners.
Courtney was a 2020 graduate of LEAD Tennessee Alliance 11 and a 2017 graduate of the DCS Cornerstone Commissioner’s Leadership Academy. Courtney received the 2015 Commissioner’s Everyday Hero Award for her role in managing the Foster Home Quality Team. Courtney holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Middle Tennessee State University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work with an emphasis in Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University. She also holds an Associate’s degree in Psychology from Columbia State Community College.
Carrie Mason, Ph.D., Certified Specialist: Child Welfare Law Court Improvement Program Attorney, Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts
Carrie Mason, Ph.D. is the Tennessee Court Improvement Program Attorney in the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts. Prior to joining the office in August of 2020, Carrie practiced as a guardian ad litem and parent attorney on a holistic delinquency prevention project in the Metro Nashville Public Defender's Office. Carrie has BS, MA, and PhD in Special Education. She has also served as adjunct professor at MTSU and Vanderbilt University.
Sammi Maifair,J.D., General Counsel, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
Sammi S. Maifair, J.D., is the General Counsel for the State of Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. Sammi has served at the Department since 2011 in a variety of roles: Assistant General Counsel, Regional General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and most recently, General Counsel. Sammi also serves as the Statewide DCS Safe Baby Court Coordinator.
Sammi received her Bachelor of Science in business administration in 2003 from Alfred University and earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2006. Prior to joining the Department in 2011, Sammi engaged in private practice at a boutique law firm; served as a custody specialist for the Anderson County Juvenile Court; and was a solo practitioner, with a focus on representation of children in dependency and neglect proceedings.
Stacy Lynch, Director Tennessee Court Improvement Program, Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts
Stacy Lynch is the Tennessee Court Improvement Director in the Tennessee Administrate Office of Courts. Prior to joining the AOC in March 2022, Stacy was a practicing partner for almost 12 years focusing on Juvenile, Domestic and Family, Real Estate, Commercial Transactions, Employment, Corporate, Wills and Estates, and Criminal Defense. Stacy practiced regularly in Juvenile Court, representing parents and children in dependency and neglect and delinquency proceedings. She also served as Magistrate of Coffee County and Rutherford County Juvenile Court presiding over Family Treatment Court and Safe Baby Court. She served as the first Magistrate for Coffee Country allowing her to develop policies and procedures. Through her experience, Stacy has devolved an in-depth understanding of the laws, the judicial system, and the child welfare system.
Judge Travis M. Lampley, Rutherford County Juvenile Court Judge
Judge Travis Lampley was elected as Rutherford County Juvenile Court Judge in 2022.He began his legal career in the Juvenile Division of the Office of the District Attorney General for the 20th Judicial District in Davidson County. Travis later began practicing law in Murfreesboro, TN with a focus on family law. He served as Disciplinary Counsel for the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee where he was responsible for ethical complaints against licensed attorneys in Tennessee. Travis later returned to the Office of the District Attorney General for the 16th Judicial District and managed cases in General Sessions Court, Circuit Court and Juvenile Court.
Travis completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. He received his Juris Doctorate degree at the Appalachian School of Law, where he was a Faculty Scholar and member of the Moot Court Board.
Travis is actively involved in his community. He served as a Diplomat for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and is a Past-President of the University of Tennessee Rutherford County Alumni Chapter. He was most recently Past Chair of the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation and enjoys participating in local philanthropic events. Travis is a member of the Rutherford/Cannon County Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association. He is an active participant and presenter in the local chapter of the Andrew Jackson American Inns of Court. He is also a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, as well as the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Mary Beth Duke, Executive Director, Statewide Prevention Services, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
Mary Beth Duke serves as Executive Director of Statewide Prevention Services for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. With more than 30 years in public child welfare, she has held roles from frontline case manager to executive leadership. She previously served as Child Protective Services Regional Director, overseeing complex abuse and neglect investigations. In her current role, she leads statewide prevention efforts and collaborates with court partners, kinship providers, and community programs to strengthen families and improve outcomes for children. Mrs. Duke holds a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership from the University of Memphis.
Sharon Connor, JD, Attorney at Law
Sharon Connor has dedicated her legal career to advocating for children and families. She has been in practice for over ten years in family law with a focus in Juvenile Court specifically on dependency and neglect, child custody, and paternity cases.
Sharon's focus is a result of a lifelong passion for child welfare. She believes every child deserves safety, stability, and a voice in decisions that affect their lives. Whether representing parents navigating the system, serving as a guardian-ad-litem to advocate directly for a child's interests, or guiding families through custody matters, Sharon brings both legal expertise and genuine compassion to every case.
Sharon is committed to providing personalized attention to each client, understanding that no two families face identical challenges. Her goal is always the same: working toward outcomes that protect children and strengthen families.
