Donna L. Wilson
Policy Fellow
Dr. Donna L. Wilson is a Policy Fellow at Chapin Hall, where she spearheads transformative initiatives focused on technical assistance and capacity building for state systems, with an emphasis on sustainable and equitable strategies in child welfare. Her work is dedicated to enhancing the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families across the nation. Wilson is a respected curriculum developer, qualitative researcher, and published author in peer-reviewed journals and a book chapter.
With over three decades of experience in human services, Wilson has progressed from being a direct service provider to providing executive leadership to several multifaceted, high-performing, and complex projects and teams. Her notable achievements include pioneering the Child Protection Treatment Team for Adams County Human Services and managing Casey Family Programs’ National Breakthrough Series Collaborative on Safety and Risk Assessments. She also served as the Race Equity Consultant for Cuyahoga County Department of Children’s Services and was the inaugural Principal Investigator for the Colorado Child Welfare Training System.
Before joining Chapin Hall, Wilson was Director of Operations and Community Engagement at WellPower, overseeing community-based clinical programs and operations for Child and Family Services. Prior to that, she served as a Program Director for Children and Families at the National Conference of State Legislatures, delivering expertise, research, technical assistance, and training to state legislators for child welfare and early care and education.
Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Tuskegee University, a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education and Human Development with a concentration in Administration Leadership and Policy from the University of Colorado Denver. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado. Throughout her career, Wilson has dedicated her life’s work to improving human services systems to better serve children and families equitably, making significant contributions to leadership development and policy in child welfare and education.
PhD in Education and Human Development with a concentration in Administrative Leadership and Policy, University of Colorado Denver
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, University of Colorado Denver
Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Tuskegee University
Wilson, D. L., & Landry-Bourne, T. (2025, October). Leading policy with purpose: Community-centered approaches to systems change. This session offered a deeper exploration of how leadership can evolve to authentically engage with communities, staff, and individuals with lived expertise to drive meaningful system change at the National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA) and American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) Annual Education Conference. Norfolk, VA.
Wilson, D. L., Olson, S., & Green, R. (2025, October). Blue sky: Shifting systems through relationship-centered c. This session introduced the BlueSky Possibilities Framework, a six-part, relationship-centered model designed to foster internal alignment, reflection, and sustainable community co-creation at the National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA) and American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) Annual Education Conference. Norfolk, VA.Â
Wilson, D. L. (2025, June). Developing a collective policy agenda. This session brought participants together to align shared priorities and begin shaping a unified, actionable policy agenda to drive lasting change at the Advancing Outcomes for African American Children and Families Forum. Morehouse School of Medicine. Atlanta, GA.
Wilson, D. L. (2025, April). Driving data into action to deliver real impact in child welfare. This interactive presentation focused on how to use data to maximize impact in child welfare for the American Public Humane Services Association’s National Leadership Academy for the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Virtual Presentation.
Wilson, D. L., Landry-Bourne, T. (2024, October). Doubling down on impact: Leading through a lens of equity. This interactive session focused on maximizing inclusive leadership and belonging at the National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA) and American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) Annual Education Conference. Albuquerque, NM.
Wilson, D.L., Turner, B., Burdick, J. (2024, October). Bridging to Belonging- Part 2. This action-oriented session assisted participants in shifting from reflection to actionable strategies for equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging at the National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA) and American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) Annual Education Conference. Albuquerque, NM.
Wilson, D.L. (2024, March). Professional reflections of an African American clinician and mental health executive. This interactive presentation focused on the career journey of an African American human services executive for the Leadership in Community Behavioral Health (LCBH) Fellowship Program. Virtual Presentation.
Wilson, D. (2024, March). Navigating race/ethnicity and positionality in leadership. This interactive session engaged participants in exploring how race and ethnicity impacted their leadership stance for the Center for Equity and Resilience in Trauma Responsive Organizations (CERTRO) program. Virtual Presentation.
Wilson, D.L, Williams, N., Saldana, A., (Invited September 2023). Advancing Data Equity across Human Services Systems. This panel discussion provided participants with data informed decision-making tools to enhance their human services system at the IT Solutions Management for Human Services (ISM) and American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) Conference. Kissimmee, FL.
Courses Developed
Wilson, D. L. (2025). Engaging in data informed decision making in child welfare. [Online course]. Developed for the American Public Human Services Association, Thrive Learning Management System.
Distinguished Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Leadership Award, American Public Human Services Association, 2022
People on the Move, Denver Business Journal, 2021
President’s Diversity Award for Faculty Leadership, University of Colorado Denver- Anschutz Medical Campus, 2016
Excellence Award, Colorado Association of Family & Children’s Agencies, 2009
Wilson, D. L. (2024, June). Leading upstream: Cultivating an inclusive leadership stance to promote well-being. APHSA Practice and Policy Magazine. Moving Human Services Upstream to Proactively Promote Well-being. Spring 2024.
Wilson, D. L. (2021). More than the sum of their struggles: Success factors of first-generation African American women with doctorates. In A. Griffen (Ed.), Challenges to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in organizations (pp. 128–147). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4093-0.ch009
Schelbe, L., Wilson, D. L., Fickler, W., & Williams-Mbengue, N. (2020). Bridging the gaps among research, policy, and practice in the field of child maltreatment through cross-sector training and innovation. International Journal on Child Maltreatment, 3, 293–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-020-00054-6
Wilson (formerly Parrish), D. L. (2016). Culturally responsive parent support training 101: A curriculum for
enhancing culturally responsive practice in SafeCare® Colorado. Aurora, CO: Kempe
Center for the Treatment and Prevention of child Abuse and Neglect.
Wilson (formerly Parrish), D. L., Howard, M. D., & Wheeler, M. (2011). Achieving racial equity in child welfare services: Training implementation guide. Englewood, CO: American Humane Association.
Wilmot, L., Wilson (formerly Parrish), D. L., Howard, M. A., Ferguson, J. B., Horner, A., Carlisle, A., & Bedford, K.(2010). Colorado supervision training: Leading the way in child protection. Englewood, Co: American Humane Association.
Wilson (formerly Parrish), D. L., & Hargett, B. A. (2009). Bridging the cultural divide: Innovative supervision practices to impact disproportionality with African American clients in child welfare. Protecting Children, 25(1), 99–108.
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