Leslie Cohen

Leslie brings more than 30 years of experience in the child welfare field, with extensive expertise in program development, implementation, and evaluation focused on children in relative foster care and those who have achieved permanency.

As a Research Specialist at the Children and Family Research Center, she worked on the implementation and evaluation of the Subsidized Guardianship Waiver Demonstrations in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Tennessee. Her research also examined post‑permanency outcomes in Illinois for children who were adopted or placed in guardianship.

During her time as a Senior Research Specialist at James Bell Associates, Leslie served as both a Site Lead and the Cross‑Site Implementation Evaluation Coordinator for the Children’s Bureau’s Permanency Innovations Initiative.

As a consultant with the National Resource Center for Adoption, she provided technical assistance to states, tribes, and territories to strengthen organizational and service capacity in meeting the needs of at‑risk populations.

Currently, Leslie serves as the Project Director at Spaulding for Children, where she continues her work advancing evidence‑informed practices that support children and families.

Leslie holds an AM from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice (formerly the School of Social Service Administration) and a BA from Tufts University.