Thaddeus Ferber

Thaddeus is the Vice President of Policy.

Thaddeus is a leading national voice on aligning inter-agency policy efforts for children and youth. Thaddeus helped draft and advance the Federal Youth Coordination Act, creating a council of the Secretaries of all major federal departments charged with aligning federal efforts for youth. The legislation was signed into law in 2006 but has yet to receive funding.  Currently he is leading a campaign calling for the creation of a White House Office on Children and Youth.

Thaddeus also is a national leader in online communications and advocacy. In 2005, he launched the Youth Policy Action Center Web site to build a national constituency that contacts elected officials about youth issues. He also manages the Connect for Kids Web site to inform the public on the full range of child and youth issues. Under Thaddeus’ leadership, these two Web sites will merge and expand, re-launching in 2010 as SparkAction: for children, for youth, for change. SparkAction will serve as the nation’s online clearinghouse and action center for the child and youth field.

While focused domestically, Thaddeus' work has also extended internationally. He led an international delegation through Ecuador to study efforts to connect youth development with community development, and has participated in numerous international forums discussing the creation and promotion of national youth policies.

Thaddeus serves on the Steering Committee of the Campaign for Youth and the Children's Leadership Council, and has received numerous honors including the prestigious John Gardner Public Service Fellowship, the Capitol Advantage Civic Award, the Mobilize 08 Award, and the Champion of Juvenile Justice Award.

Thaddeus joined the Forum in 1998 as a John Gardner Public Service Fellow.  Prior to his work at the Forum, he assisted the President’s Crime Prevention Council (Chaired by Vice President Gore), the Stanford Center on Adolescence, the John Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities, and the HOME Afterschool Project in Alameda California. Internationally, Thaddeus worked for ELEM, a non-profit organization for runaway, homeless and neglected Israeli and Arab youth in distress. Thaddeus earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Youth Development and Policy from Stanford University.