Brina Williams is a nationally recognized child welfare advocate, consultant, and social worker. They are a two-time alum of Western Michigan University, where they earned their Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Social Work with a minor in Political Science. They are currently serving as a member of the Team with Lived Experience for the Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth (QIC-EY) in Finding Permancey, in addition to being Project Coordinator for Educate Tomorrow’s and Fostering Success Michigan’s Changemakers. Brina has been a devoted advocate for the last eight years, committed to changing the systems and perceptions of foster care, mental health, LGBTQIA2S+, and many others. Brina is the President of Ingham County's Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative and is part of the Continuous Quality Improvement Focus Group for Foster Care in Ingham County. They served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Children's Mental Health from 2019-2023; they are also a member of Michigan's Statewide Youth Advisory Board for foster care; and a member of the Leadership Corp for the National Foster Youth Institute Michigan Chapter and has previously served as an FSM Ambassador. Most recently, Brina joined the Fostering Success Coaching Institute (FSCI) Advisory Council as a Youth Representative. Brina is also an alum of FosterClub’s AllStar Internship, where they focused on further developing their relationship-building and leadership skills in the summer of 2023. They continue to partner with FosterClub as a Lived Experience Leader and have attended the Breaking the Link: Disrupting the Connection Between Poverty and Child Welfare Summit, a Human Services Summit, and the Achieving Success Convening: Empowering Transition-Aged Young Adults, all sponsored by the American Public Human Services Association and Youth Villages, in 2024. They hope to use their lived experience to develop emerging leaders and advocates who are passionate about helping people and creating change.