Policy & Practice | April 2021

staff spotlight

Name: Lofaine Bradford Title: Knowledge Mobilization Coordinator Time at APHSA: Five months Life Before APHSA: After I graduated from college, in May 2019, I worked as a Research Associate at The Advisory Board Company, a health care consulting and research services firm. Priorities at APHSA: My priorities are supporting the policy team in day-to-day activities and providing support for cross-teaming. I manage projects for some of our grants and help engage membership and produce content.

What I Can Do for Our Members: I will work to support strategies to engage member and affinity groups through learning communities and other knowledge mobili- zation strategies, including meeting planning and logistics. Best Way to Reach Me: I can be reached at lbradford@aphsa.org. When Not Working: I like listening to podcasts, reading, and spending time exploring the local Washington metropolitan (DMV) area. On weekends, I enjoy hiking and riding my bike. Motto to Live By: “Men must live and create. Live to the point of tears.” —Albert Camus association news

No Kid Hungry Invests $2 Million in Innovative SNAP Efforts in Six States; APHSA to Provide Technical Assistance S hare Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign will invest nearly $2 million in six states to advance Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) agency innova- tion and interagency coordination to combat childhood hunger. Each project will be carried out over an 18-month grant period with support from APHSA. Federal nutrition programs are critical antipoverty measures, and the state and local agencies that administer them play an essential role ensuring families can access these supports, getting their children the nutrition they need both at home and where they learn so they can grow up to be healthy and strong. The selected agencies will participate in cohort learning, sharing best prac- tices and opportunities for policy and practice changes that reduce childhood hunger. No Kid Hungry and APHSA will work with a national advisory

grants will help agencies build modern platforms that remove systemic barriers for families to access the nutri- tion supports they need to thrive.” Throughout the 18-month grant period, grantees will leverage data and technology improvements to address systemic barriers and promote equitable access to services. Grantees plan to reduce cross-departmental silos, facilitate community organiza- tion engagement, and enhance client outreach and experience. The following grantees have been selected: Hawaii Department of Human Services; Kansas Department for Children and Families & Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services (North Carolina); Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; New Jersey Department of Human Services; and NewMexico Human Services Department & NewMexico Department of Health, WIC Program. For more information, contact Adrienne Carter at acarter@strength.org.

committee to guide planning and provide technical assistance throughout the project. The advisory committee will provide expertise to grantees and is composed of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Code for America, the Center for Law and Social Policy and their Community Partnership Group, and the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “We know that SNAP is one of the most effective tools our nation has to feed kids, but it works hand in hand with school meals, WIC, and other child- hood nutrition programs,” said Jillien Meier, Director of the No Kid Hungry campaign. “This exciting new initiative will allow us to gather best practices that lead to evidence-based policy change that can reduce childhood hunger.” “This strategic partnership with the No Kid Hungry campaign reflects exactly the kind of boundary-spanning systems alignment work that health and human services agencies seek to advance,” said Matt Lyons, Director of Policy and Research at APHSA. “The investments made through these

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April 2021 Policy&Practice