TGC Positivity Accreditations

Just a Few of Our Clients

Education

Ph.D., Leadership and Change

Antioch University, 2011

Dissertation: Enough hope to spare: The Transformative Experience of birth parents as leaders in Child Welfare

Advisor: Dr. Carolyn Kenny

M.A., Sociology

University of Virginia, 1995

Master’s Thesis: The Pulpit or the Pew: Reconstructing “woman’s place” in the African-American Baptist church.

Chair: Dr. Sharon Hays

B.A., Sociology

Xavier University, 1992

Senior Research Thesis: Black women and beauty images: How black college women maintain positive self image in the dominant culture.

Advisor: Dr. Kandi Stinson

Lectures

Bossard, N. (2016, Feb). Engaging families and embracing change: What does it mean to meaningfully engage families in the child welfare system? Practice Issues in Child Welfare, Hunter School of Social Work (Course SB-332), Dr. Gerald P. Mallon, New York, NY.

Bossard, N. (2013, Feb). Engaging families and embracing change: Meaningful family engagement beyond the case plan. Practice Issues in Child Welfare, Hunter School of Social Work (Course SB-332), Dr. Gerald P. Mallon, New York, NY.

Clients

  • Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program
  • Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program
  • Edmonds Community College I-CATCH
  • Adams County Human Services
  • Larimer County Human Services & Economic Development Division Partnership
  • Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
  • Montefiore Medical System (HPOG Program)
  • Administration of Children and Families’ Office of Family Assistance DEIA Initiatives
  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
  • HigherEd Insight
  • International Conference on Women in Physics
  • WorkBaltimore Empowerment to Employment Convention
  • Oregon Department of Human Services Self-Sufficiency Program
  • Health Careers Northwest
  • Contra Costa County Child and Family Services
  • Administration for Children and Family Services
  • National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections
  • Connecticut Department of Family Services
  • New Hampshire DHHS Health Profession Opportunity Program
  • Mesa County Workforce Center Team
  • Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Nassau County (NY)
  • The Workplace’s HealthRx Career Academy
  • Tanana Chiefs Conference Client Development Division
  • Vermont Reach Up (TANF)
  • Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, Family Income Support
  • Ocean Science Trust
  • Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
  • Climb Wyoming
  • Kansas Social and Rehabilitative Services
  • Kansas Family Advisory Network

MEETING FACILITATION, STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREATS, AND WORKSHOPS

Sept 2021*. HSC=E2 Blueprint Summit Series: Creating the Conditions for an Exceptional Place to Work and an Extraordinary Place to Serve. Adams County Human Services Department, Westminster, CO. (*-my work with the Blueprint initiative began in Sept 2020 and concluded Sept 2021).

July 2021. Understanding Intersectionality: Gender Marginalization and Other Barriers for Women in Physics (Facilitator). The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, NTU, Singapore.

July 2021. Women in Physics in Developing Countries (Facilitator). The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, NTU, Singapore.

Jun, 2021. University Centers of Exemplary Mentoring Online Community Retreat: Increasing Community and Diversity in STEM. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, MPhD Program, New York, NY.

Feb-Mar 2021. Interrupting the Impact of Trauma: A Resilience Building Workshop for TANF and Workforce Professionals. Office of Family Assistance Virtual Summits. 

Feb 2021. Thriving in Uncertainty: Delivering Extraordinary Service When It Matters Most: A Virtual Resilience Summit. Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program, Virtual.

Jan 2021. Values in Action: Family Income Support Team Visioning Retreat. Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Virtual.

July 2020. Radical Resilience: Leveraging Our Collective Strengths for Better Workforce and Youth Development Opportunities in Jackson MS. Thriving Communities for a Better Mississippi, Jackson, MS.

Aug 2019. Embracing Change, Empowering the Future: A Triple Bottomline Transition Strategy. Montefiore Workforce Investment Organization, Bronx, NY.

Jul 2019. New Employees of Nevada Program: Strategic Listening and Leading Summit. Nevada Department of Welfare and Support Services, Las Vegas, NV.

Mar 2019. Igniting Student Success in Health Career Pathways: Innovation Roundtable. Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program Grantees Roundtable, Denver, CO.

Jan-Apr 2019. Using Appreciative Inquiry to Supercharge Your Staff and Program. Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program. Virtual Learning Series.

Oct 2018. Teaming with Strengths: A Leadership Capacity Building Workshop, South Carolina Department of Social Services, Columbia, SC.

Jun 2018. From Barriers to Boundless Opportunities: An ICATCH Sustainability Summit. Edmonds Community College, Lynwood, WA.

May 2018. Team Excellence!: Building on our Strengths to Win the Future. HealthCareerRx, The Workplace, Bridgeport, CT.

Nov 2017. Health Careers Northwest: Diagnostic Assessment of Occupational Training Performance and Strategies for Improvement. Health Careers Northwest, Portland, O

Feb 2016. Building the Bridge to Better Practice and Better Outcomes for CO Families. CO Works Division of Employment & Benefits Facilitated Workday, Denver, CO.

Jul 2015. Nothing about us, without us: Meaningfully engaging birth parents and youth in the helping process. Fostering Change for Children, Children’s Corps Summer Training Academy at the Columbia School of Social Work. New York, NY. Co-trained with Youth Advocate, Benjamin Muhammed.

Apr 2015. Healthcare Employer World Café: Bridging the Gap: Helping Employers Find Skilled Talent and Qualified Trainees Find Good Jobs!  Sponsored by Health CareeRx Academy, a program of The WorkPlace. Bridgeport, CT.

Oct 2012.WE are the system, too”: Connecticut’s family engagement appreciative inquiry summit. Sponsored by FAVOR Statewide Family Advocacy Organization and Connecticut Department of Children and Families Services, Department of Behavioral Health. Hartford, CT.  Co-facilitated with Family Leader, Angela Braxton.

Sept 2009. Lessons learned from the systems of care grant program in child welfare Pennsylvania: A world café on our past, present, & future. Mechanicsburg, PA.

Oct 2008. Sankofa: Discovering past successes, building a better future. CRADLE, New York City Administration for Children’s Services, Brooklyn, NY.

Sample Projects

“Interrupting the Impact of Trauma: A Resilience Building Workshop for TANF and Workforce Professionals”

Office of Family Assistance Regional Meetings

February-March 2021

“Igniting Student Success in Health Career Pathways: Innovation Roundtable”

Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program Grantees Roundtable, Denver, CO

March 2019

“From Barriers to Boundless Opportunities: An I-CATCH Sustainability Summit”

Edmonds Community College, Lynwood, WA

June 2018

“Health Careers Northwest Partner Agency Retrospect: Root Cause Analysis of Occupational Training Results”

Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program, Portland, OR

November 2017

“Baltimore Get M.A.D.!: A Motivational Workshop for Job Seekers and Incumbent Workers Looking to Step Up to Employment”

2017 WorkBaltimore Empowerment to Employment Convention Baltimore, MD

September 2017

“Health Careers Northwest Network Partners’ Strategic Planning Retreat”

Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program, Portland, OR

July 2017

“Office of Research and Evaluation Change Management Retreat”

Corporation for National and Community Service, Washington, DC

February 2017

“Building the Bridge to Better Practice and Better Outcomes for CO Families”

CO Works Division of Employment & Benefits Facilitated Strategic Planning Retreat

February 2016

“Nothing About Us Without Us: Meaningfully Engaging Youth and Families in the Helping Process”

Columbia University School of Social Work, Children’s Corps Workshop for New Social Workers

July 2015

“Healthcare Employer World Café Retreat: Bridging the Gap: Helping Employers Find Skilled Talent and Qualified Trainees Find Good Jobs!”

Health CareeRx Academy, The Workplace (Bridgeport)

April 2015

“2014 Sustainability Roundtable for HPOG Program Directors”

Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program, Kansas City, MO

March 2014

“WE Are The System: Connecticut’s Family Engagement Appreciative Inquiry Summit”

FAVOR Statewide Family Advocacy Organization and Connecticut Department of Children and Families

October 2012

Publications

Bossard, N. (2014, Jul). From pariah to partners: How parents and their allies change New York City’s child welfare system. [Review of the book From pariah to partners: How parents and their allies changed New york City’s child welfare system by Tobis, D. Critical Policy Studies, 8(3), pp. 368-370. doi: 10.1080/19460171.2014.944375.

Bossard, N. Munson, S., Braxton, A., Conway, D., Muhammad, B. & Mallon, G. P. (2013). Nothing about us without us: Meaningful engagement of youth and families in child welfare systems. In K. Briar Lawson, M McCarthy and N. Dickerson (Eds.). The Children’s Bureau: Shaping a Century of Practices, Programs, and Policies (pp. 79-110). Washington, DC: NASW. 

Bossard, N. Braxton, A., and Conway, D. (2014). Meaningful family engagement. (2nd ed.) In P. Hess and G. Mallon (Eds.) Child Welfare for the Twenty-First Century: A Handbook of Practices, Policies, and Programs. New York, NY: Columbia University.

Bossard, N. and Harps, S. (2008). A closer look: Family involvement in public child welfare driven systems of care. Available online: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/acloserlook/familyinvolvement/

Kendall, J. and Bossard, N. (2015). Using the world café to improve instructor engagement: A guide for Health Profession Opportunity Grants programs. Internal report funded through funds from the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program, an initiative of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (Funds provided under contract #HHSP2332009563WC/HHSWP23337025).

“I SLEPT AND DREAMT THAT LIFE WAS JOY.  I AWOKE AND SAW THAT LIFE WAS SERVICE.  I ACTED, AND BEHOLD, I SAW THAT SERVICE WAS JOY.”

– RABINDRANATH TAGORE