A Long Beach resident and former foster child was appointed today to the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families.

Supervisor Janice Hahn appointed Tiffany Boyd, who is believed to be the first member of the commission to have spent time in foster care.

“Tiffany spent much of her childhood in foster care, so she understands the challenges facing our foster youth,” Hahn said. “Her lived experience allows her to see things advocates and allies would miss.”

Boyd, who was in the foster care system for a decade, is a member of the National Foster Youth Institute’s Leadership Corps and is starting her own nonprofit to create a network of foster youth mentors while pursuing a degree in public administration at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

“My firsthand experience gives me an understanding of how the decisions that are made affect those they are created to help and allows me to have compassion and empathy for those who I am advocating on behalf of,” Boyd said. “I plan to contribute my professional and personal experiences to the discussions and efforts within the group and serve as a representative for

other current and emancipated foster youth.”

Department of Children and Family Services Director Bobby Cagle said he was “fairly certain that Tiffany’s appointment represents a historic ‘first’ for L.A. County.”

“We are looking forward to hearing her voice at the table,” Cagle added.

The commission advises the Board of Supervisors on delivering services for at-risk children and their families. There are currently 35,000 children and young adults that receive county child welfare services and more than 17,000 of them live in a foster care or group home.

Photo courtesy of Hahn’s office.