Rhonda joined the Center in January 2020 as a senior attorney working with the State Permanency Barriers and Trial Skills Training Projects. She comes to the Center directly from the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau where she was a supervising attorney representing children in child welfare cases. She has dedicated more than 20 years to improving outcomes for her clients and their families and has enjoyed collaborating with other child welfare professionals to accomplish that goal.
Throughout her career, Rhonda has worked on several multidisciplinary court teams to improve the court process, co-chaired the Bureau’s CINA Task Force, and facilitated many trainings. She has served as a strong, knowledgeable advocate for her clients in every aspect of their cases, both in juvenile and appellate courts.
Her years of experience have solidified her belief that strengthening the entire family is imperative when thinking about systemic improvements. She believes there is still work to do to ensure that systems preserve family ties, promote child safety and well-being, support the family and their support networks, and equip attorneys who represent parties in child welfare cases. Rhonda’s mantra is: Approach everything you do with excellence, respecting everyone with whom you come into contact.