Educational/Professional Background

Ms. Ostrander is the newest member of the team, having joined in May of 2023. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from the University of Michigan in 1988, and taught high school Spanish before completing coursework at Jane Addams College of Social Work, ultimately earning a master’s degree in Public Services Management from DePaul University in 1996. For the past 25 years she has held various positions in two private child welfare agencies, creating and leading continuous quality improvement systems at both. She is passionate about making data understandable and useful to stakeholders, and using data to drive practice decisions.

Research/Practice Interests

Ms. Ostrander’s research and practice interests lie in understanding and addressing racial disparities in child welfare. Before joining FCURP she served on the Lutheran Services in America Results Network, a 3-year initiative dedicated to building the capacity of agencies to achieve equitable outcomes for families. Most recently, as part of that role, she helped found Our Side of the Street, a subgroup of the Illinois Collaboration on Youth, which is striving to achieve equity for all families in Illinois.