EMPOWER Announces New Director of Community Engagement

New Director brings wealth of community engagement experience to Metroplex East

Dallas, TX – EMPOWER is pleased to announce Ashley Burton has been selected as the new Director of Community Engagement. EMPOWER, a child welfare collaborative led by Texas Family Initiative LLC (TFI Texas), serves as the Community-Based Care (CBC) contractor in Metroplex East—a nine-county region which includes Dallas and surrounding communities. EMPOWER will oversee foster care, case management, kinship, and reunification services. Prior to this new role, Burton served at Texas Family Initiative (TFI Texas) for two years as the Community Engagement Manager for 2INgage, the CBC contractor in Region 2. Before that she worked in various capacities at the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services (DFPS). “Ashley has extensive experience in child welfare and has proven herself an expert in helping to build and nurture community partnerships. She is willing to jump in and work tirelessly for the local children and families we serve. We are so excited for her and know she will thrive in this new role,” said Shirlon Douglas Harris, EMPOWER Vice President of Permanency Support. As the Director of Community Engagement, Burton will help lead community outreach and education efforts to promote CBC. She will also be responsible for help to locate new service providers and work with local partners and stakeholders to strengthen the foster care system in Metroplex East. Burton received a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Campbell University in North Carolina. There are many local children in foster care in need of a safe, loving place to call home. To learn more about how you can help these children in need, please visit www.3empower.org.

EMPOWER is a unique partnership between Texas Family Initiative LLC, CK Family Services, Jonathan’s Place, Bair Foundation, Pathways Youth and Family Services that works together to serve some of our most vulnerable children and families. This partnership has almost 190 years of combined child welfare experience and will further our community’s pursuit of caring for our children and families with integrity and success. To learn more, please visit www.3EMPOWER.org.