Paul Elam

As a consultant and subject matter expert at the Center, Paul Elam, Ph.D., supports resource development and provides direct assistance to states in the areas of primary prevention and racial equity, diversity, and inclusion. In these roles, he helps jurisdictions build capacity for collaboration between child welfare agencies and the communities they serve.

Dr. Elam is a team builder, project manager, and researcher with policy expertise in child maltreatment and dual ward youth. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in measuring racial and ethnic disproportionality and believes that sound child welfare practice includes an examination of whether children and families are being treated equitably. Dr. Elam conducts his work using a culturally responsive lens to ensure that the people who are most affected are at the center of conversations that seek to find solutions to the problems affecting them.

Dr. Elam serves as a racial and ethnic disparities coordinator for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and has led several projects and task forces to advance racial equity. In these roles, Dr. Elam works closely with governmental, philanthropic, university, and nonprofit partners to provide strategic consultation about decisions that improve lives, advance social justice, and help produce equitable child and family outcomes.

Dr. Elam has more than 21 years of experience in child welfare. He has written numerous publications and has been a speaker at many conferences and other events across the country, primarily on the topic of child welfare reform.