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Katie Budolfson

Katie Budolfson, MD, MPH, FAAP, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Quality for the Division of Public Health Pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital. She provides medical care for children in the Texas Children’s Foster Care Clinic, with a focus on evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches to improve healthcare quality.  Dr. Budolfson is also dedicated to improving outcomes for youth aging out of foster care and established a pediatric-to-adult transition clinic to help adolescents develop the skills needed to manage their health independently. 

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Dalia Castillo-Granados 

Dalia Castillo-Granados is the director and co-founder of the Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA), a project of the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Immigration. Dalia is a frequent speaker on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and led the effort at the ABA to advocate for deferred action for SIJS youth stuck in the visa backlog. Prior to working at CILA, Dalia was a senior attorney at Kids in Need of Defense, a staff attorney at Tahirih Justice Center, a clinical supervising attorney at the University of Houston’s Immigration Clinic, and a Greenberg Traurig, LLP Equal Justice Works fellow at Catholic Charities’ Cabrini Center. Throughout her career, Dalia has represented hundreds of children in their immigration proceedings and before Texas state courts. Dalia is also active in her community. She is on the steering committee for the End SIJS Backlog Coalition, the advisory board for the National Immigration Litigation Alliance (NILA), and a board member of the Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project (GHIRP). Dalia was also the 2023-2024 president of the Houston Association of Women Attorneys (AWA). 

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Lauren Fisher Flores 

Lauren Fisher Flores is an immigration attorney and longtime advocate for children and families. Lauren is the Legal Director of the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), a project of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration. ProBAR provides legal services to immigrant children and families, including children detained in 21 federal government shelters in Corpus Christi and the RGV, adults detained at PIDC and El Valle detention centers, and families in the RGV and Houston-area communities. In 2014, Lauren was recognized by the Texas Access to Justice and the Texas Supreme Court for her pro bono work. Her article, “Protecting the Vulnerable Among Us: Notario Fraud and a Private Right of Action under the Texas DTPA, was published in the Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law. Lauren is a member of the Texas Bar, graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, and holds a graduate degree in Early Childhood Studies from UT Brownsville. Lauren has lived, studied, and worked on children’s issues in Honduras, Mexico, Chile, and the U.S. – Mexico border.  

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Luke Gilman 

Luke Gilman is a Co-Founder and Board Member of Generation to Generation. He is a lawyer and the founder of Flywheel Law PLLC in Houston, Texas, where he specializes in litigation, nonprofit advising, and acts as outside general counsel. Prior to founding Flywheel Law, Luke was a partner with a law firm, Jackson Walker LLP, where he spent the first 15 years of his legal career. Luke earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, an Executive MBA from Rice University, and his undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Houston. He previously served as the Program Director for the enter for Children, Law & Policy at the University of Houston Law Center. Luke is active in the community as current director and past-President of the Hispanic Bar Association and Chairman and Director of the board of Wesley Community Center.  

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Christopher Greeley 

Christopher Greeley is Chief of the Division of Public Health Pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital. He is Professor and Vice-Chair for Community Health in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1992 and completed internship and residency in pediatrics at Vanderbilt University. He received a Masters in Clinical Research from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, with a special concentration on Comparative Effectiveness Research. He is board certified in General Pediatrics as well as Child Abuse Pediatrics, and is a member of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Council on Community Pediatrics of the AAP and chairs the Policy Committee. Dr. Greeley is Co-director of the Violence and Injury Prevention and Research Center (VIPR); a CDC-funded Injury Control Research Center (ICRC). He was elected to the American Pediatric Society in 2017. He also served on the Board of Directors of Prevent Child Abuse America from 2005-2014 and was Chair for 2009-2013. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for TexProtects; the Texas Chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. He has chaired Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Task Force for Texas from 2009-2017 and is a past-president of the Ray E. Helfer Society; the international society for physicians working in the field of child maltreatment. Dr. Greeley was the 2006 Ray E Helfer Award winner. Dr. Greeley is Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Applied Research on Children (JARC). He has written more than 70 articles and 10 book chapters on child abuse recognition and prevention, mimics of Abusive Head Trauma, and child well-being and adversity. He is an external peer reviewer for 46 scientific journals. He lectures locally, regionally, nationally and internationally on various topics regarding child maltreatment (in particular Abusive Head Trauma and its mimics), childhood adversity, social drivers of health, inequality, and vulnerable populations and the evidence-based medicine.  

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Judge Katrina Griffith 

Judge Katrina Griffith graduated from the University of Texas, San Antonio in 2002 and University of Houston Law Center in 2005. After passing the bar, she became a partner in Chatman & Griffith, PLLC, which later became known as The Griffith Law Firm, PLLC. The primary focus of her law practice was CPS ad litem appointments. In 2011, she became one of the first Child Welfare Law Specialists through the National Association of Counsel for Children in Harris County. In February 2014, she was appointed the Associate Judge of the newly created Harris County CPS Project Court, now known as the Harris County Child Protection Court. Her docket consists of CPS permanency managing conservatorship cases and a specialty drug court (CPRC). She has created specialty dockets to assist transitioned age youth with aging out of care and youth transitioning to a HCS home or guardianship. Judge Griffith and her excellent court staff put on several events for the youth and young adults, including multiple adoption day celebrations throughout the year and a Graduation party for high school graduates, college graduates, GED recipients, and completion of trade certifications. Her philosophy for the PMC docket is to hear them often and keep them accountable. This has translated into a reduction in the number of children in PMC status, an increase in aging out youth electing to stay in extended foster care, and a reduction in the length of stay post termination. In January 2025, Judge Griffith was appointed by Governor Abbott to the Family and Protective Services Council.

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Sarah R. Guidry 

Sarah R. Guidry is Executive Director of the Earl Carl Institute for Legal & Social Policy at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law. A graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, she has spent her career in public interest advancing civil rights, juvenile justice, and disability advocacy. She founded the ECI Juvenile Justice Project and oversees initiatives including the Black Girls’ Initiative, the Safe & Supportive Schools Collaborative, and statewide advocacy and training efforts. Ms. Guidry previously held senior litigation and policy roles at Disability Rights Texas and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and is a frequent CLE author and presenter on equity‑focused legal issues.

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Ellen Marrus 

Ellen Marrus is the CEO and Co-Founder of Generation to Generation and Professor of Law Emerita at the University of Houston Law Center. She earned her J.D. in 1990 from the University of San Francisco and her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1992. She joined the University of Houston Law Center in 1995, managed the clinical programs, and taught several courses, including juvenile law, child welfare, and children’s rights. Ellen was a public defender in Solano County, CA where she represented children in delinquency proceedings and children and families in child welfare cases. Her experience working with children and youth helped her develop a holistic approach to representation. She encourages youth to have their voices heard. She believes it is important to teach young people about their rights and responsibilities, provide guidance on making good choices, and teach them how to advocate for themselves. She is a recognized expert in juvenile law, children’s rights, and professional ethics and has authored resources, numerous articles, and books in these areas. She has also spoken at local, regional, national and international conferences on children’s issues, improving the justice system to meet children’s needs, and giving children a voice.

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James Olalekan 

James Olalekan is a dedicated school administrator at The Opportunity Center with over a decade of experience serving youth through Harris County Juvenile Probation. Since beginning his work in 2009, he has played a vital role in supporting and guiding young individuals toward positive outcomes. As a certified Motivational Interviewing Specialist, James was accepted into the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers in 2013, becoming an international trainer. He has since delivered impactful trainings across the nation, equipping professionals with effective communication and intervention strategies. James holds a double major in Criminal Justice and Communications from The University of Texas at El Paso. Beyond his professional work, James is a devoted husband and father of two. He actively invests in his family life and enjoys coaching his son in youth sports, including basketball, football, and soccer.

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Rifqa Sa’Aadat  

Rifqa Sa’Aadat is a board member of Generation to Generation and a native Houstonian. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Colorado. Although her degree is in criminal justice, her passion is working with children. She has worked with children and youth from preschool to high school, including youth in conflict with the law. She ensures youth have a voice, and they often communicate with her about problems they are facing. She developed a detention advocacy curriculum for youth held in detention. Rifqa has presented at national and international conferences on children’s issues and on giving a voice in matters that concern them, both within the justice system and in their communities. As a volunteer at Generation to Generation, Rifqa assisted with program development, reached out to youth, coordinated the yearly Zealous Advocacy conference, and brought Holiday cheer to youth in Harris County facilities. She is excited to continue her work with Generation to Generation as she continues her career working with children on board a Disney cruise ship.

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Stephen Saloom  

Stephen Saloom is the Policy Director for Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis.   Stephen has been a criminal justice-focused policy advocate for over three decades, as a lobbyist, executive director, nationwide policy director, foundation advocacy director, elected official, lawyer, and more.  He started and directed the Innocence Project’s nationwide policy effort for its first ten years, securing over 100 reforms with local partners across 30 states and at the federal level.  He has extensive experience in Texas, at the Lege, and as the lead advocate in the creation and initiation of the Texas Forensic Science Commission.  Throughout his career, Stephen has trained non-advocates on how to strategically engage in policy advocacy in ways that enable them to effectively contribute to improved policies.  

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