About

Founded: May 26, 2026
Founders: Nathaniel Williams and Jillian Reagan
Based in: Wyoming – Statewide
Lead Organization: Threads of Hope Foster Care Closet of Laramie County
Co-Lead Organization: Foster Care Alumni of America – Wyoming Chapter (FCAA WY Chapter)
Executive Leadership: Nathaniel Williams, Executive Director of WPC
Organizational Leadership: Jillian Reagan, Executive Director of Threads of Hope

Our Founding Story

The Wyoming Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council (WPC) was founded on May 26, 2026, by Nathaniel Williams and Jillian Reagan. Inspired by the work and success of the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, the founders envisioned a statewide council that would ensure the voices of young people and alumni with lived experience help shape Wyoming's child welfare system.

Recognizing the need for a permanent, youth-led advisory body in Wyoming, Nathaniel and Jillian established WPC to bring together current and former foster youth from across the state to identify challenges, develop solutions, and provide meaningful recommendations to the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) and other state agencies, policymakers, and community partners.

The council was founded on the belief that young people who have experienced foster care should have a meaningful seat at the table when decisions are being made about the systems that directly affect their lives.

Founders' Leadership & Biographies

Nathaniel Williams

Co-Founder of WPC | Executive Director of WPC | Deputy Director of Threads of Hope | Founder of FCAA Wyoming Chapter

Nathaniel Williams is a former foster youth, advocate, and community leader whose work is dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth, and alumni involved in the foster care system.

Having spent eight years in Wyoming's foster care system, Nathaniel brings firsthand experience and a deep understanding of the challenges young people face while navigating child welfare. His lived experience has become the foundation of his commitment to advocacy, leadership, and meaningful system improvement.

Throughout his career, Nathaniel has served in several leadership and advocacy positions, including as a former AdoptUSKids spokesperson, former Outreach Coordinator for CASA of Laramie County, President of the Wyoming Youth Advisory Council, and a Governor-appointed member of the State Advisory Council on Juvenile Justice.

Nathaniel is also the Founder of the Foster Care Alumni of America – Wyoming Chapter and currently serves as Deputy Director of Threads of Hope Foster Care Closet of Laramie County.

As Co-Founder and inaugural Executive Director of the Wyoming Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, Nathaniel is responsible for advancing the council's vision, developing statewide partnerships, supporting youth leadership, coordinating organizational development, and ensuring that lived experience remains at the center of the council's recommendations and initiatives.

His vision is to create a Wyoming where current and former foster youth are not simply invited to share their stories but are empowered to influence the policies, programs, and decisions that shape their futures.

Jillian Reagan

Co-Founder of WPC | Executive Director of Threads of Hope | Lead Organizational Partner

Jillian Reagan is the Executive Director of Threads of Hope Foster Care Closet of Laramie County and Co-Founder of the Wyoming Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council.

Through her leadership at Threads of Hope, Jillian is dedicated to supporting children, youth, and families involved in Wyoming's foster care system by helping provide essential resources, building community partnerships, and strengthening support for foster, kinship, and adoptive families.

As Co-Founder of WPC, Jillian recognized the importance of establishing a statewide platform where the voices and lived experiences of current and former foster youth could help shape the future of Wyoming's child welfare system.

Under her leadership, Threads of Hope serves as the Lead Organization of WPC, providing organizational oversight, administrative support, resources, and strategic guidance to help establish and sustain the council.

Jillian works alongside Nathaniel Williams and youth council leadership to support the development of WPC, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that the council has the organizational foundation necessary to accomplish its mission.

Additional Biography: To Be Announced.

Organizational Leadership and Partnerships

As the founding organization, Threads of Hope Foster Care Closet of Laramie County serves as the Lead Organization of WPC. Threads of Hope provides organizational leadership, administrative support, resources, and guidance while working alongside statewide partners.

The Foster Care Alumni of America – Wyoming Chapter (FCAA WY Chapter) serves as the Co-Lead Organization, contributing leadership, organizational support, and strategic guidance while helping elevate the voices of foster care alumni throughout Wyoming.

Together, these organizations provide the foundation for a collaborative statewide council that places youth leadership and lived experience at the center of its work.

Upon the council's establishment, Nathaniel Williams was appointed as its inaugural Executive Director, responsible for leading the council's development and working alongside Jillian Reagan, Threads of Hope leadership, and youth council officers.

Although WPC receives organizational support from its founding partners, the council is designed to remain youth-led, with its youth President and Vice President providing leadership and representing the voices of its members.

Our Mission and Purpose

Modeled after the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, WPC serves as a collaborative advisory body where current and former foster youth work alongside public and private partners to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families involved in Wyoming's child welfare system.

The council believes that those with lived experience are uniquely qualified to help improve the policies, programs, and services that directly affect foster youth.

The Wyoming Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council is committed to:

• Providing recommendations to the Wyoming Department of Family Services, the Governor's Office, the Wyoming Legislature, and other state and local agencies on child welfare policies and programs.

• Elevating the voices of current and former foster youth through authentic leadership opportunities.

• Developing future leaders with lived experience through advocacy, public policy education, and civic engagement.

• Building partnerships with child welfare organizations, nonprofit agencies, tribes, educators, and community leaders throughout Wyoming.

• Promoting policies and practices that improve safety, permanency, well-being, education, housing, employment, and lifelong connections for youth and alumni.

• Creating opportunities for young people to participate in meaningful discussions and provide recommendations to state agencies and community partners.

WPC is an advisory council, not a lobbying organization. Its purpose is to provide recommendations, share lived experiences, identify opportunities for improvement, and work collaboratively with decision-makers to strengthen Wyoming's child welfare system.

Our Vision for Wyoming

The council believes that meaningful system change happens when young people with lived experience are not simply consulted — they are trusted as partners in decision-making.

By creating a permanent platform for youth and alumni leadership, WPC is working to build a stronger, more responsive, and more inclusive child welfare system for Wyoming.

Although still in its early years, the Wyoming Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council is committed to becoming a leading statewide voice for foster youth and alumni and a trusted advisory partner to state government, nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholders.

Through collaboration, innovation, and lived experience, the council is working to ensure that every recommendation reflects the real needs of Wyoming's foster care community.

A Message From Our Founders

"Our lived experience isn't just our story — it's our greatest qualification to improve Wyoming's child welfare system. Together, we're turning experience into action and recommendations into lasting change."

— Nathaniel Williams
Co-Founder of WPC
Executive Director, Wyoming Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council
Deputy Director, Threads of Hope
Founder, Foster Care Alumni of America – Wyoming Chapter

— Jillian Reagan
Co-Founder of WPC
Executive Director, Threads of Hope Foster Care Closet of Laramie County
Lead Organizational Partner, Wyoming Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council

One important organizational distinction: This version identifies Threads of Hope as the Lead Organization and FCAA Wyoming Chapter as the Co-Lead Organization, while Nathaniel serves as WPC Executive Director and Jillian provides organizational leadership as Threads of Hope's Executive Director. This keeps the founders' roles and the council's youth-led structure distinct.