Kathy Wright

Appointed Representative,

Family Engagement Services

Elizabeth, New Jersey

Kathyw@newjerseyparentscaucus.org

Kathy has been instrumental in providing dedicated and passionate leadership as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Parents’ Caucus (NJPC), where she develops programs and supportive services that empower parents, caregivers, and family members raising children with emotional and behavioral health challenges to create systemic change, as well as professionals and providers in the areas of family engagement. Her experience as an advocate, a mental health executive, and an educator has spanned over two decades. She has presented numerous local, state, and national workshops on children’s mental health, family involvement and engagement, juvenile justice, and child welfare. Ms. Wright is the developer of NJPC’s Parents Empowerment Academy, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Families Uplifted Prevention Initiative, and the New Jersey Youth Justice Initiative and remains dedicated to working with families to improve outcomes for their children, become self-sufficient, overcome the discrimination placed on them by society, and work with dignity as collaborators with professionals. She is the writer of NJPC’s Navigating the Juvenile Justice System in NJ: A Family Guide (the first statewide guide for families), NJPC’s Professional Parent Advocacy Training, NJPC’s Engaging Parents & Family Members Training, and The Incarceration of Children & Youth in New Jersey’s Adult Prison System: New Jersey Youth Justice Initiative Data Brief.