2008 Ally in Prevention Awards Keynote Speaker & Special Guest
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Ralph Smith, Annie E. Casey Foundation
Ralph Smith is
Executive Vice President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation,
a private philanthropy dedicated to helping build better futures for
disadvantaged children in the United States. Jim Casey, one of the founders of
United Parcel Service, and his siblings, established the Foundation—named in
honor of their mother—in 1948. The primary mission of the Foundation is to
foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that
more eff ectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families.
In pursuit of this goal, the Foundation uses its resources to help states, cities,
and communities fashion innovative and effective responses to these needs.
From 1975 to 1997, Smith was a member of the Law Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a nationally recognized legal scholar and attorney, authoring briefs in landmark cases before the United States Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. While a law professor, Smith served in senior leadership positions for the School District of Philadelphia—including chief of staff and chief operating officer. In the early 1990s, he was a key advisor to the Mayor of Philadelphia on children and family policy development and was the founding director of the National Center on Fathers and Families and the Philadelphia Children’s Network.
Smith joined the Casey Foundation in 1994 as director of planning and development. In that capacity, he helped design the Foundation’s Neighborhood Transformation and Family Development initiative —a comprehensive effort to help communities improve outcomes for children by strengthening families and neighborhoods. Smith has spent the last decade working with a broad range of efforts to improve national and international philanthropy. Today, as executive vice president of the Foundation, he serves on the Boards of the Council on Foundations, the Foundation Center, Wachovia Regional Foundation, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, and Venture Philanthropy Partners. Smith is an active participant in the International Network on Strategic Philanthropy and the Aspen Institute Roundtable on Comprehensive Community Change, and is a member of the Council of the Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program.
SPECIAL GUEST
Alison Starling, ABC 7 News
ABC 7 News Anchor
Alison Starling has been bringing the news to our community since 2003, both on Good Morning Washington and ABC7
News at Noon. A Northern Virginia resident, this is Alison’s third turn in the Washington D.C. area. She lived in
the nation’s capital as a child while her father worked for the U.S. Trade Representative. She later spent a
summer in D.C. as a Congressional intern.
In June 2005, Washingtonian Magazine named Alison one of the D.C. area’s rising stars in local television news. Her own commitment to children, charity and community involvement is best displayed by her decade-long dedication to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Alison has had three Little Sisters over the last ten years, remaining committed to the program no matter which U.S. city she called home. She now enjoys spending time with her current Little Sister, Awilda. Alison is also a member of the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area.
Alison first joined the WJLA staff in August 2003. She came to ABC 7 News from KIRO-TV in Seattle, where she spent three years as a reporter and anchor. While in the Pacific Northwest, she covered major local and national stories, including the Seattle Earthquake and the Tacoma connection to the D.C. area sniper case. Alison also brought live coverage of the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy from Texas. Prior to Seattle Alison was a reporter and morning anchor at WDEF in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Alison is a native Floridian, and like many of her family members, graduated from the University of Florida and is a proud Gator!
In November 2006, Alison took over the long running and much loved series “Working Woman.” What Kathleen Matthews began more than a dozen years ago continues as Alison profiles accomplished, respected women in the Washington area who contribute to the community, their jobs and their families in unique ways.