Dr. Charity Chandler-Cole is a Justice Alchemist—fusing lived experience, visionary leadership, and radical truth-telling to reimagine systems built to harm.
A nationally recognized advocate, strategist, and changemaker, Dr. Chandler-Cole has spent her life transforming systems that have historically failed children and families. She most recently served as the CEO of CASA of Los Angeles, where she was the first person of color and first leader with lived experience to hold the role. There, she led bold efforts to humanize the foster care system—transforming how the organization saw, engaged, and advocated for children and families through a lens of equity, dignity, and liberation.
Dr. Chandler-Cole is the Founder and President of CARE (Child Advocacy & Reunification Engine), a new AI-powered tech company reimagining child welfare through culturally grounded, strengths-based technology. Her leadership also extends across policy and governance—she currently serves as Vice Chair of the Los Angeles County Commission for Children & Families, where she formerly co-chaired the Commission’s inaugural Racial Justice Committee that launched the county’s efforts to reform mandated reporting. She also served as an advisory board member to Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón and was a founding board member and Chair of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), advancing policy and community reinvestment for formerly incarcerated people.
An author (Stranger Danger), public speaker, Stanton Fellow, wife, and mother of four, Dr. Chandler-Cole’s work reflects a fierce commitment to justice that is personal, generational, and systemic. She is a builder of platforms, disruptor of silence, and unwavering voice for those most often ignored.