The Story Behind the Rise 🔥

Phoenix Santiago holds an MSW from Columbia University, a BASW from Western Connecticut State University, and an Associate’s degree in Applied Science in Transportation from the Community College of the Air Force. With over 20 years of experience in the child welfare field, Phoenix has worked as a frontline social worker, program planner, evaluator, and community organizer.

As a foster care alum, social worker, and veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserves, Phoenix is passionate about empowering individuals and communities to create lasting change in child welfare systems. As a member of the Two-Spirit LGBTQIA+ and Latinx communities, Phoenix advocates for inclusivity, resilience, and justice.

Through public speaking and training, Phoenix offers compassionate guidance and collaboration, aiming to help others reconnect with joy and possibility. Phoenix is committed to amplifying the voices of those with lived expertise, believing they are the key architects of the change they seek. Phoenix Santiago is the CEO of Phoenix Santiago Consulting, where they continue to drive meaningful transformation in the field.

Mission and Vision

At  Phoenix Santiago Consulting, my mission is to empower individuals and communities to create meaningful, lasting change in child welfare systems. With firsthand experience as a social worker, a foster care alum, and someone who has lived through the challenges of poverty, I bring a deep understanding of the barriers many face. As a member of the Two-Spirit LGBTQIA and Latinx communities, and a veteran of the Air Force Reserves, I am committed to inclusivity, resilience, and justice.

Through my skills as a public speaker and professional development trainer, I deliver focused, methodical, and compassionate guidance to organizations and individuals. I believe in the power of collaboration and in cultivating environments where people can thrive together. Humor and movement are central to my approach, as I aim to relieve the stressors of life, helping people reconnect with joy and positivity.

I am dedicated to elevating the voices of those with lived expertise, providing them with the tools and opportunities to lead. My work is driven by the belief that with the right support, those who have experienced the foster care system can be the architects of the change they want to see.

Through Raising Phoenix Santiago Consulting, I strive to inspire and cultivate growth, always working toward a future where equity, understanding, and community collaboration prevail.

Trusted Partnerships. Shared Impact.

Phoenix has worked alongside national organizations, child welfare leaders, community partners, and lived-experience networks to strengthen youth and family engagement, develop leaders, build workforce capacity, and advance systems change.

    • AdoptUSKids Speakers Bureau

    • AdoptUSKids Professional Leadership Development Fellowship (APLD)

    • Families Rising

    • Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth (QIC-EY)

    • Judge Baker Children’s Center

    • State of Michigan

    • Treehouse Foundation

    • Child Welfare League of America

    • National Indian Child Welfare Association

    • Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association

    • Family Focused Treatment Association

    • Kempe Center

    • Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption / Wendy’s Wonderful Kids

    • Healing Children With Love

    • Michigan Foster Care Review Board

    • Suitcase of Hope

    • United States Air Force Reserve

Keynote and Training Topics

KEYNOTES:

  • Raising Phoenix: From Lived Experience to Systems Change: A story of foster care, resilience, leadership, military service, and transforming lived experience into purpose and impact.

  • From Lived Experience to Leadership: Harnessing lived expertise as a source of leadership, innovation, and systems transformation.

  • Service Before Self: Leadership Across Systems: Lessons from child welfare, social work, military service, and organizational leadership about accountability, teamwork, and leading through uncertainty.

  • Disrupting the Systems We Were Taught to Accept: Challenging organizations to examine long-standing practices, assumptions, and structures that no longer serve children, families, or the workforce.

  • Centering Lived Expertise: Moving youth and family engagement from consultation and tokenism toward authentic partnership and shared decision-making.

  • The Courage to Change the System: What it takes for leaders and organizations to move from identifying problems to implementing meaningful, sustainable change.

  • Belonging, Identity & the Power of Connection: Exploring identity, culture, family connections, and belonging through lived and professional experience.

TRAININGS:

  • Strategic Planning: From Vision to Action

  • Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), PDSA & Small Tests of Change

  • Root Cause Analysis & Moving from Problems to Testable Solutions

  • Human-Centered Design in Human Services

  • Data-Driven Decision-Making & Data-Informed Practice

  • Authentic Youth & Family Engagement

  • Engaging People with Lived Expertise as Partners

  • Youth Advisory Boards & Councils: From Participation to Shared Power

  • Child Welfare Policy: From Rules to Real Life

  • Sibling Connections & the Lived Experience of Foster Care

  • Trauma-Informed Practice & Understanding Trauma

  • Unaccompanied Children, Immigration & Child Welfare

  • Workforce Development, Wellness & Retention

  • Supportive Supervision, Coaching & Psychological Safety

  • Leadership Development & Leading Through Change

  • Systems Thinking & Cross-System Collaboration

  • Facilitating Difficult Conversations & Building Consensus

  • Entrepreneurial Mindset in Human Services

Let’s Connect

Have a project, training, or event in mind? Let’s talk about what we can build together.