As a member of the Center for States’ management team, Melissa leads the Center’s Data Team, and provides support related to data-driven practice and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI).

With 15 years of experience in the Child Welfare field, Melissa is dedicated to increasing and improving the use of data and research in the development of social policy. She has worked effectively from the national to the local level with Child Welfare staff, policymakers, legal and judicial staff, government administrators, service providers, and community stakeholders to prioritize outcomes, develop performance measures, implement improvement strategies, and monitor results. Her primary focus is on making data and research accessible to a wider audience. Her engaging presentations tell a story through data, inspire action and promote a focus on outcomes.

Kate McElroy-Hjelm, MSW, is a Data Specialist with the Capacity Building Center for States and leads the Child Welfare Information Systems Priority Area. She has 13 years of experience providing technical assistance and capacity building in the effective collection, sharing and use of child welfare data. Ms. McElroy-Hjelm previously worked for the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology, and began her child welfare career as a caseworker in Los Angeles County

As Deputy Director for the Office of Data Analysis, Research and Evaluation, Erin Dalton is responsible for directing the research and evaluation activities of the Department of Human Services.

Ms. Dalton has held policy positions with the Allegheny County Executive's Office and the United States Department of Justice and was was an adjunct staff member at the RAND Corporation. Ms. Dalton is a board member of Neighborhood Allies and was a Mayoral appointee to the Pittsburgh Civilian Police Review Board and a County Executive appointee to the Allegheny County Juvenile Detention Board of Advisors. Ms. Dalton received a Master's of Science from Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School of Public Policy.

N’hawa Tangula has eight years of experience executing administrative and analytical tasks in support of government and grant-funded programs in the human service sector. Currently, she serves as a Management Analyst and provides reporting and data quality support for Child Protective Services (CPS) and Protection and Preservation Services (PPS), at the Children, Youth and Families division of Fairfax County’s Department of Family Services (DFS). Prior to joining DFS, she was an Employment and Training Analyst at the City of Alexandria’s Workforce Development Center (WDC). At the WDC, she monitored and reported on performance measures, and developed quantitative reports that were integrated in different technology systems. Before transitioning to the public sector, she was employed for six years at two community-based organizations that serve three local jurisdictions. During her tenure in the nonprofit sector, she held four different positions and administered a variety of projects and programs that focused on youth development and empowerment, employment and training for youth and adults, and mentoring services for children and youth in the foster care system. She also played a pivotal role in streamlining client intake processes, and developed new systems for collecting, organizing, analyzing and reporting on program data. N’hawa is passionate about doing meaningful work that changes peoples’ lives for the better and strengthens their communities. She earned a Master of Public Administration from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from James Madison University.

Aaron L. Ford is Young Adult Consultant with the Capacity Building Center for States. This past May, he earned his Masters of Social Work from Howard University. His field of practice was Family & Child Welfare with a concentration in Community, Administration, & Policy Practice. While at Howard University, he served as President of the School of Social Work Student Council Association. Aaron has previously worked at Child Trends as a Research Assistant, the Center for the Study of Social Policy as a Policy Intern, and New Jersey Department of Children and Families as a Youth Advocate.

Sandra Slappey, Quality Assurance Manager for the Children, Youth and Families Division in the Fairfax County Department of Family Services, has almost 30 years’ experience in human services, primarily in child welfare. She has worked in three local government systems, a community non-profit agency, and a private consulting firm as a federal contractor. Sandi has spent much of her career supporting social services staff in their use of data to understand and inform their work. She has led local efforts in child welfare reform and practice improvement, created a local child welfare case review system, and headed up multiple projects to build evaluation capacity among child welfare managers and staff. She currently has a lead role in creating a Child Welfare Institute to improve the training and onboarding process for new staff. She also is sponsoring the development of a consolidated local database to expand reporting capacity and reduce data entry workload. Sandi enjoys connecting people with the information they need to improve their work, integrating various parts of the system to improve service delivery, and streamlining processes to improve efficiency. Sandi earned a BSW from George Mason University, an MSW from The Catholic University of America, and a Certificate in Public Management from George Washington University and the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments.

Melody L. Vielbig, LCSW, is a Foster Care and Adoption Supervisor with Fairfax County Department of Family Services (DFS). Ms. Vielbig has been working in Child Welfare since 1993 moving from Child Protective Services to Foster Care and Adoption. She has worked with Fairfax County DFS off and on since 1995 as well as working in the private sector in a therapeutic foster care agency in the role of Clinical Director, a therapist at a residential treatment center, and a home based therapist. Ms. Vielbig has a private practice as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2011 working with adults and children, couples and families. Ms. Vielbig is active in Fairfax County’s System of Care Home Based Provider Workgroup as well as representing DFS on the local Family Assessment and Planning Team. Ms. Vielbig is assisting in creating curriculum and training within the new Child Welfare Institute around Case Planning. In addition, Ms. Vielbig is providing training for new DFS supervisors around Performance Management strategies and improving communication between supervisors and staff. Ms. Vielbig is active in supporting the development of strong clinical skills within Foster Care and Adoption to ensure best practice and assist children to move towards achieving safety, permanency and wellbeing within the Fairfax County community. Ms. Vielbig received her Bachelors of Science in Psychology from James Madison University and her Masters in Social Work from Florida State University. Ms. Vielbig has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2001.