About ChildThrive Initiative
We are an independent effort focused on strengthening child and family well-being and preventing unnecessary involvement in the child protection system. ChildThrive brings together rigorous analysis, cross-sector collaboration, and the lived expertise of children, youth, families, and communities to advance more effective, prevention-focused, and sustainable approaches.
Leadership
ChildThrive Initiative builds on years of work to reform the Massachusetts child protection system and reflects those learnings and a continued commitment to advancing more effective approaches for children and families.
Our start-up leadership brings deep expertise and longstanding relationships with providers, advocates, individuals with lived experience, legal and judicial system experts, and legislators across Massachusetts as well as a deep understanding of how the current structure perpetuates an ineffective system.
We are in the process of expanding the Board of Directors with members with lived expertise, and as funding is secured, including a lived expert on the management team.
June Ameen, Co-Founder
June Ameen is a leading advocate and coalition-builder focused on advancing oversight, accountability, and outcomes for children and families in Massachusetts. Following a successful executive career in the private sector, she transitioned to nonprofit advocacy, establishing the policy and advocacy arm of Friends of Children. She has led efforts to advance independent oversight of Massachusetts foster care and co-founded the Child Welfare Coalition. Her work is grounded in a commitment to reimagining the state’s safety net and limiting involvement in the child protection system.
Jane Lyons, Co-Founder
Jane Lyons is a respected child advocate with nearly five decades of experience advancing services and systems for children and families in Massachusetts. As co-founder and Executive Director of Friends of Children for more than 30 years, she built a strong platform for children involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and developed innovative programs to support youth at risk of poor outcomes. She continues to be a leading voice for reimagining child and family well-being systems across the Commonwealth.
Board Officers
ChildThrive’s Board Officers bring deep experience in public service, child advocacy, and community-based systems, guiding the initiative’s work with insight and accountability.
Gail Garinger, President
Gail Garinger has devoted her career to advancing the well-being of children and youth. She served as a Juvenile Court judge from 1995 to 2008, including six years as First Justice of the Middlesex County Juvenile Court. In 2008, Governor Deval Patrick appointed her as the Commonwealth’s first Child Advocate, a role she held until 2015. She later served as Director of the Child & Youth Protection Unit in the Office of the Attorney General under Maura Healey until her retirement from state service in 2017.
Susan Sprung, Secretary
Susan Sprung is a longtime leader in public mental health systems. Prior to her retirement, she served as Western Massachusetts Director of the Department of Mental Health and, for a period, also as Director of Community Services in Central Massachusetts. Recognized for her commitment to high-quality, forward-thinking care, she has received numerous awards and has consulted with other states on the development of community-based mental health systems.
Clare Higgins, Treasurer
Clare Higgins served for 14 years as Executive Director of Community Action of the Pioneer Valley, the region’s federally designated anti-poverty agency. She assumed that role in 2011 after six terms as mayor of Northampton. Her career spans public service and early childhood education, including work as a teacher, childcare center director, and advocate, collaborating with legislators to support the needs of children and families.