April has utilized her lived expertise to serve as a national consultant for the past 20 years where she worked on developing youth programs, youth councils, grants, board development, strategic planning and trainings for organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico. She has also consulted on several conferences, sat on several panels and has served as a keynote speaker. She has presented and trained both youth and adults in the child welfare community on various topics. She is a founding board member of Foster Care Alumni of America and served on the CWLA Board of Directors for 12 years and is now a Fellow for CWLA.
She is currently a Board of Directors Member for FCAA National and serves as Chair. She is a co-founder of the IL Chapter. April, a diligent advocate, and leader, now works to help youth and families in her community solve problems, advocate for themselves, and improve their lives.
April works with the National Foster Youth and Alumni Policy Council via FCAA. She also participates in the coordination of the CWLA annual National Conference and Alumni PowerHouse Conference(a conference geared towards bringing youth and alum of the child welfare system together.
Her work with her state leaders provided an opportunity for her to consult for the Director of DCFS in the Strategic Planning and Innovation Division in transforming the IL Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Mental Health Systems. She helped integrate new normalcy policy, youth bill of rights, reunification strategies, joint youth, and alumni legislative shadow days, transformation summit, systems of care program pilots, permanency policy and procedures revisit, older youth in care support services, employment initiatives, stakeholder engagement and youth Advisory board redevelopment. She has developed many trainings that help with stakeholder engagement, trauma-informed practice, life skills, and professional development.
April Curtis, an alumnus of the Illinois child welfare system. April is a graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. April, a diligent advocate, and leader, now works to help youth and families in her community solve problems, advocate for themselves, and improve their lives.