Dear Friends,
Many of us entered 2022 with high hopes for the passage of major federal legislation that would have had a transformative impact on millions of children and families with low incomes and communities of color across the country. While our expectations were tapered by the end of 2022, we can’t dismiss last year’s notable accomplishments at the federal level—passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the omnibus appropriations act—all of which included historic investments in infrastructure, jobs, and climate. For CLASP, 2022 was a year of major transitions and impact at the federal, state, and local levels. I encourage you to look at our newly released 2022 Impact Report to see more of our achievements from last year.
CLASP’s New Leadership
Since I joined CLASP, we have welcomed several new leadership team members whose impressive expertise and passion for our work will ensure continuity, sustainability, and innovation. In February 2023, we welcomed our new chief operating officer, Dana Bailey , who has taken over from Cormekki Whitley, CLASP’s first COO. Elizabeth Lower-Basch stepped into the role of deputy executive director for policy at the end of 2022, leaving vacant the director of income and work supports role. I’m excited to announce Cara Brumfield as the new director of income and work supports who joined CLASP in March. And we just hired Rricha deCant who joins CLASP this month as our director of legislative affairs. With these transitions at the senior level, we remain committed to supporting ongoing change management, particularly in our leadership, to ensure cohesion and sustained commitment to our mission, vision, and values. Stay tuned for updates on this journey and new additions to our CLASP family.
Snapshot of CLASP’s 2023 Accomplishments
The work ahead requires us to be nimble, employing a strong defense to face current policy threats, while simultaneously playing offense to ensure sustainable advancements toward real economic security. The challenges we face and the issues we address are complex and systemic. Advancing transformative solutions that create meaningful change requires 1) creativity to seed and successfully implement big ideas; 2) strategic collaborations at all levels to ensure equity and always center those most affected; and 3) ongoing assessment to measure gains, track progress, and document harms to inform new approaches.

2023 Priorities
Each year, CLASP teams develop work plans addressing federal, state, and local policy advocacy priorities; organizational sustainability and effectiveness strategies; and plans to engage partners. We link these efforts to our annual Ten Goals
The work ahead is a huge undertaking for CLASP’s staff of nearly 60 multi-talented individuals. Their ongoing passion, invaluable expertise, and desire to make real change for children and families across the country – despite the odds – energize me every day. I hope it will do the same for you, too.
Continuing to support CLASP, whether with a one-time generous donation, sustained monthly contribution, or spreading the word about CLASP to your networks, are just a few meaningful ways to help. [[link removed]]
I have truly enjoyed getting to know many of you and look forward to more connections in the future. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to reach out.
Warmly,
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Indi
PS: March was Women's History Month. At CLASP we honored this by featuring a series [[link removed]] of profiles on social media about the women of CLASP who are helping make history through the critical work they do.
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CLASP • 1310 L St. NW, Suite 900 • Washington, D.C. xxxxxx • (202) 906-8000
CLASP
1310 L St. NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC xxxxxx
United States