Kristin Cowart, MSW, LCSW

Outside of Goshen, Kristin loves the outdoors and dreams of one day living with the ocean in her backyard.

About Kristin

Kristin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years’ experience as a child and family therapist, adjunct faculty in social work, and within philanthropy as a program officer prior to joining Goshen as Principal and Co-owner. Kristin received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a focus on juvenile justice from Michigan State University and her master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan. She has been based in the greater St. Louis region for the past 17 years but brings a unique perspective having worked previously in a variety of locations, settings, and roles across the midwest including Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Des Moines.

Kristin is a strategic thought partner who uses her unique blend of micro and macro social work skills, teaching, and leadership skills to design, implement, manage, and evaluate a wide range of nonprofit, school-based, and philanthropic projects. She is passionate about supporting system-level changes that address existing inequities for children and families through relationship building and data-informed decision-making.

Select Presentations & Trainings

Program Evaluation & Organizational Development

“From Proposal to Program: Mapping Success in Grant Writing” - 75-minute workshop - Heart of America Grant Professionals Association - Kansas City, Missouri.
Airtable is Awesome!" - Full-day professional development workshop - American Evaluation Association National Conference - Portland, Oregon
“From Proposal to Program: Mapping Success in Grant Writing.” – one-hour workshop - Regional Grant Professionals Association - St. Louis, Missouri
Trained staff and implemented Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity (ARC), an organizational culture change model, as part of a research study between the University of Tennessee and Washington University. Training multiple teams over multiple years.

Philanthropy

“Increasing Equitable and Accessible Early Childhood Funding Practices.” – one-hour Zoom presentation - Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
“Our Commitment to the Funded Partner Experience.” Co-created and implemented a regional philanthropic commitment to a trust-based philanthropic approach in partnership with 10+ St. Louis funders.
“Funded Partner-Funder Engagement Feedback.” Initial report and local presentation summarizing data collected on 1) communication, 2) need alignment, 3) relationship, and 4) knowledge sharing to identify practical, meaningful shifts in practice that funders can implement to increase trust, transparency, and efficiency within the funded partner-funder relationship.
“Strengthening Funded Partner and Funder Relationships Through Honest Conversations.” -Follow-up report and local presentation summarizing updated data collected on 1) communication, 2) need alignment, 3) relationships, 4) knowledge sharing, and 5) equity identifying changes or strategies that were helpful since the onset of the pandemic.

Mental Health

Mental Health Awareness Blog. Authored a daily blog for Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Understanding Children.” Provided a three-hour training to CASA volunteers and staff focusing on child development and attachment multiple times over several years.
“The Impact of Family Violence on Children.” Guest lecture for family violence class at Blackburn College.
“Teacher Wellness.” Implemented a 16-week Teacher Wellness group with teachers in Des Moines, Iowa. Over nine weeks, trained fellow clinicians to establish wellness groups with educators.
“Do you Give too Much? Understanding and Preventing Compassion Fatigue.” Poster Presentation - Center for School Mental Health Assistance National Conference - Cleveland, Ohio.
“Creative Approaches to Engaging Clients and Overcoming School-based Obstacles.” Provided a 45-minute workshop and “Beyond Outpatient Therapy: Child Guidance Center’s Successful School-based Model” Poster Presentation - Center for School Mental Health Assistance Annual Conference – Dallas, Texas.
“Achieving Permanency through Local Collaboration.” Provided a 90-minute presentation -Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children conference – Chicago, Illinois.