About Us

Meet our team of experts

Who We Are

National Leaders in Human-Centered Systems Change

J. K. Elder & Associates, a nationally recognized consulting firm, works with public and private social services organizations to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities. We collaborate with executive and operational teams to address needs for innovative improvements in programs, operations, technology, and fiscal management. We also work closely with organizations to develop proposals, reports, and outcomes evaluations.

Experts in public & private social services

The JKEA team includes experts in public and private social services, including domestic and global child welfare, mental and behavioral health, disabilities, domestic violence, and trafficking. We also focus on systems change, organizational transformation, and enhanced training programs.

JK Elder and Associates Who We Are Video

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Our subject matter experts have experience working in government organizations, private entities, and academic institutions.

JKEA

The Team

Jean K. Elder, Ph.D., FAAIDD

Chief Executive Officer & President

Jean K. Elder, Ph.D., FAAIDD, is the founder and driving force behind J.K. Elder & Associates. For more than 45 years, she has blended clinical insight with policy expertise to advance child welfare, early education, and disability inclusion nationwide. Her leadership has expanded Head Start, established the first federal Supported Employment initiative that opened competitive jobs to 90,000 people with developmental disabilities, and modernized foster-care regulations to allow licensed kin to care for children—pioneering today’s kinship-care model. Clients rely on her strategic vision to turn promising ideas into measurable results.

History & Experience

Dr. Elder’s federal service is distinguished. As Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—and concurrently Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities—she managed a $5.5 billion portfolio and supervised 1,100 staff across ten regions. In that role, she steered 174 pieces of legislation, launched Supported Employment, and issued the landmark rule permitting states to license relatives as foster caregivers. Earlier in her career, she helped translate the Perry Preschool Project into the national Head Start program and later served as the Assistant Secretary responsible for overseeing the program. Her global perspective grew during her tenure at the Council on Accreditation, where she led the task force whose standards became the Hague Convention framework for intercountry adoption. Since founding JKEA in 2006, Dr. Elder has guided public agencies, nonprofits, and private firms through accreditation, performance-based contracting, and large-scale systems change, always with a focus on improving outcomes for children and families.

Education & Accolades

Dr. Elder earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Education and Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan and completed post-doctoral studies in Organizational Development at the University of Wisconsin. She holds honorary doctorates from Ferris State University and Davis & Elkins College and is a Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Her federal appointments include the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the Commission on Presidential Scholars, and the President’s Committee on Intellectual Disabilities. Among numerous honors, she is a recipient of the Ravenswood International Award for her advocacy on inclusive employment internationally.

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Bryanna Harlan, MPH

Chief Operating Officer & Lived Expert Consultant

As Chief Operating Officer and Lived Expert Consultant, Bryanna Harlan leads J.K. Elder & Associates from the conviction that real progress begins with the people most affected. A public-health strategist and foster-care alumna, she keeps every engagement grounded in the social determinants of health—access, equity, community voice—while orchestrating the teams, coalitions, and cross-sector partnerships that turn good ideas into measurable impact. Her record of building cross-sector teams and authentic partnerships has made her a sought-after speaker on lived expertise and systems change.

History & Experience

Bryanna’s dedication to transforming systems stems from her lived experience. Growing up within Michigan’s child-welfare system, she witnessed firsthand the gaps in support networks and the power of unified efforts. Her professional perspective developed within public health, where she worked to improve patient experience at a Detroit-area hospital and led an HRSA opioid-response media campaign. These experiences paved the way for her involvement in statewide projects focused on behavioral health and rural telehealth.

Since joining JKEA, she has directed multi-state program evaluations, guided performance-based contracting, and secured funding that expands prevention services, kinship supports, and broadband equity. A founding member of the Michigan Kinship Advisory Council, she convenes caregivers, policymakers, and service providers to embed family preservation into state practice.

Whether standing up Continuous Quality Improvement processes or organizing community task forces, Bryanna is known for translating big-picture vision into collaborative action plans that stick—and for keeping every conversation focused on healthier, more equitable outcomes.

Education & Accolades

Bryanna holds both a Master of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Ferris State University. Her advocacy has been recognized with the FosterClub Outstanding Young Leader Award and selection as a Together We Rise Family Fellowship recipient. She continues to lend her voice to statewide councils, community coalitions, and national platforms—proving that collaboration, when grounded in lived experience, can move systems toward health, equity, and hope.

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Elizabeth Wynter, EdD, LMHC

Youth-Centered Consultant

Elizabeth Wynter, EdD, LMHC is the Chief Strategy Officer for JKEA. Dr. Elizabeth Wynter is a visionary leader driving transformative change in child welfare. For over 25 years, she has championed the rights and well-being of transitioning youth, spearheading impactful initiatives such as National Foster Youth Voice Month and the Foster Youth Champion Blog.

History & Experience

Her expertise in policy, program design, and implementation science, combined with a deep understanding of lived experience, has earned her numerous awards, including the prestigious 2023 Florida Institute for Child Welfare Professional of the Year. Dr. Wynter’s influential work, grounded in a youth-centered philosophy, extends to her authorship of Follow the Love: Permanent Connections Scaffolding. This seminal work addresses the critical need for strong, lasting connections for youth leaving care. She leverages research, lived experience voices, and strategic collaboration to dismantle systemic barriers and create brighter futures.

Education & Accolades

A highly accomplished academic, Dr. Wynter holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. Her unwavering commitment and tireless advocacy inspire change-makers nationwide, making her a true champion for a more equitable and supportive, youth-centered child welfare system. Dr. Wynter’s visionary leadership and dedication provide a beacon of hope for transitioning youth and those working to improve their lives.

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Beth Englander Maida

Emeritus Chief Operating Officer

For nearly five decades, Beth Englander Maida has turned complex child-welfare systems into engines of safety and permanence for children around the globe. Colleagues say she has “management in her DNA,” a gift she has used to rescue struggling agencies, translate statute into frontline practice, and guide entire states through once-in-a-generation reforms. Whether modernizing Florida’s $900 million child-welfare program, building the world’s largest foster-care network for unaccompanied refugee minors, or helping tribes reclaim jurisdiction for Native children, she leads with the conviction that every policy must work for the child who needs it most.

History & Experience

Beth’s career began in Oregon, where she rose from county director to statewide program manager, driving landmark improvements in protective services, family-sex-abuse treatment, adoption, and guardianship. She then accepted Florida’s call to execute Community-Based Care—privatizing services in fifty-five counties while renegotiating the state’s federal IV-E waiver and overseeing development of a new SACWIS platform. Her results endure today in stronger performance metrics and lower staff turnover. Nationally, Beth directed ICF’s support for the federal Child and Family Services Reviews, coaching states through data-driven system change, and later led the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ resettlement programs for unaccompanied refugee children and trafficking survivors, monitoring services in all fifty states and refugee camps on three continents. Along the way she has briefed Congress, testified before state legislatures, and presented practice breakthroughs from Stockholm to San Antonio—all while mentoring the next generation of child-welfare leaders.

Education & Accolades

A skilled communicator, Beth earned her B.S. in Communications from the University of Maryland and pursued graduate studies in Organizational Policy and Management at the University of Oregon. She was selected for the Pacific Program Catalytic Leadership cohort and holds certifications in Lean, Total Quality Management, and Trauma-Informed Care. Her impact has been recognized with the Nine Nations Award for excellence in Indian Child Welfare Act implementation, the national Adoption Across Borders award from Voice for Adoption, and appointments to the Oregon State Bar and the Executive Committee of the National Association of Professional Child Welfare Administrators. Yet her favorite honor remains the countless letters from former youth who now call themselves “home.”

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Kathryn Roose

Chief Strategy Officer

Kathryn Roose is a human services consultant at JKEA, bringing over a decade of extensive experience in public service including serving as Administrative Faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno, and as Deputy Administrator and later Consultant for the Division of Child and Family Services within the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. Kathryn’s areas of expertise encompass juvenile justice, child welfare, children’s mental health, and victim services, with a strong emphasis on systems analysis, program implementation, and quality assurance.

History & Experience

Kathryn’s experience as a public servant also included participation in the legislative session including bill analysis, legislative research, providing testimony on proposed legislation, and legislative implementation. She is a highly skilled grant writer, securing over $24 million in competitive federal awards, and is a respected academic with peer-reviewed publications performance improvement, social and environmental justice, and collective violence; she also serves on the Editorial Board and as a Guest Editor for the scientific journal Behavior and Social Issues.

Education & Accolades

Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, as well as Master of Arts and Doctoral degrees in Behavior Analysis from the University of Nevada, Reno.

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