Aubrey Edwards-Luce has been named the new executive director for the University of Baltimore’s Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts. She began the role in July.
Founded in 2000, the Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) advocates for family justice system reform and trains attorneys on the complexities of the needs of those involved in family court. It conducts research and evaluations of legal services and develops best practices for courts.
Edwards-Luce comes to the role with more than 15 years experience working with court-involved and at-risk children, most recently serving as vice president of child welfare and youth justice at First Focus on Children. Prior to that, she was a policy advocate and guardian ad litem at the Washington, D.C.-based Children’s Law Center.
“We could not be more excited to have Aubrey join us,” Shanta Trivedi, the center’s faculty director, said in a blog post announcing the news. “Aubrey has spent her entire career advocating for children while emphasizing the importance of family and community. She is a natural collaborator and centers the voices of those with lived experience in legal systems in everything she does. We are grateful for her policy expertise and are so excited to work together to bring her ideas to life.”
Edwards-Luce’s bio highlights her focus on “creating anti-racist solutions with people who are most harmed by social and legal systems.” In 2020, she launched the Child Welfare and Racial Equity Collaborative, which brings together people with lived experience and federal policy experts to reimagine an anti-racist version of the child welfare system. Members include representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Bar Association and youth-led organization Foster Club.
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to build on CFCC’s incredible legacy as we launch new efforts to prevent unnecessary court involvement by supporting children and families in ways that are responsive to their needs and experiences,” Edwards-Luce said.