David Shear Children's Law Center of Bay Area Legal Services, Inc., in her hometown of Tampa, Florida. She represents children in dependency court as an Attorney ad Litem and engages in systemic reform work to improve the dependency system. She is the founder and leader of the High Quality Early Education for Dependent Youth Collaborative (HQEEDY) whose vision is that all zero- to five-year-old dependent children in Hillsborough County will receive a high quality early education. She is a proud alumnus of the University of Florida, where she received her undergraduate degrees, and of Teach for America, through which she taught sixth grade English in the South Bronx. She has her Masters in Teaching from Pace University and her J.D. from Yale Law School. Kristen is committed to spending her career reducing or eliminating the barriers to success for at-risk children.