Every year, the Ready by 21 National Meeting brings together hundreds of leaders from around the country who are working to get all young people ready by 21 – for college, work, and life. These leaders have dedicated themselves to improving the odds for children and youth by improving & aligning policies, planning & partnering for impact, and strengthening practices & programs.

US Department of Health & Human Services Leader to Succeed Karen Pittman

WASHINGTON, DC - The Forum for Youth Investment is pleased to announce Mishaela Durán will become the next President & CEO and will advance a comprehensive vision for changing the odds that all young people are ready by 21 for college, work, and life. Durán is a recognized leader and champion in the youth development field.

In April’s Changing the Odds discussion, Karen was joined by Stephanie Malia Krauss, Senior Advisor at JFF and author of Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World.

Karen and Stephanie’s colleagueship started with Karen giving Stephanie an audacious challenge: create a universal list of competencies youth need to succeed that speaks clearly to young people, resonates with leaders across multiple systems, and is grounded in everything we know about learning and development. The result was Ready by Design: The Science (and Art) of Youth Readiness.

The Forum for Youth Investment stands in solidarity with the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. We are deeply saddened and enraged by the heinous attacks on the three Asian-owned businesses in Atlanta on March 16th, which led to the murder of eight people including six women and one man of Asian descent. This is the largest-scale hate crime against the AAPI community since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It represents the intersection of white supremacy, misogyny, and xenophobia.

The time has come. The transition is upon us. Not the one in downtown D.C. The one right here at the Forum for Youth Investment. For the last several years, Karen has signaled that the day was coming when she would step out of organizational leadership and “find more time.” More time to reflect. More time to write. More time to amplify powerful ideas. On February 1st she will step down as President and CEO of the Forum and move into a Senior Fellow role. She will continue as a co-lead of the Readiness Projects – “using science-informed strategies to upend inequity and accelerate progress” – alongside coordinating partners Merita Irby (Forum Co-founder and Executive Vice President), Hal Smith (National Urban League) and Deborah Moroney (American Institutes of Research). She will also free up time and brain space to explore new ways of maximizing our our shared mission of “changing the odds for children and youth.

Merita Irby interviews Karen – her colleague for more than a quarter of a century – about where she’s been, what’s up next, and why now.