Kathy Sacco Vice President

Kathy Carney Sacco serves as Vice President, International Children's Policy at First Focus on Children. Prior to First Focus, Kathy worked for nearly eight years at the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues, shaping and leading policies related to child protection, intercountry adoption, and international parental child abduction. Previously, she facilitated foster care and intercountry adoptions for 13 years. In her work on various agency boards, Kathy advocated for ethical adoption practices and the expansion of post-adoption services.

Kathy was adopted from Korea at age five along with her biological sister. She is a licensed clinical social worker who obtained her Master of Social Work from Arizona State University. She resides in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

Resources by Kathy Sacco


Vital Programs Protecting and Saving Children from HIV/AIDS Will Expire September 30th Absent Immediate Congressional Action

| September 25, 2023 |

Mary (not her real name) was just a girl of eight when her mother fell ill. So ill that her mom no longer had


What’s at stake for kids if Congress doesn’t pass Build Back Better

| December 22, 2021 |

As negotiations have stalled and the fate of the Build Back Better Act hangs in the balance, children stand to lose access to monthly


On World Children’s Day, Has the US Made Progress on Children’s Rights?

| November 20, 2021 |

Today is World Children’s Day, first established by the United Nations in 1954 to celebrate children and commit to improving their well-being.   World Children’s Day is


WATCH: Infectious disease expert says new malaria vaccine could save 25,000 kids’ lives

| October 13, 2021 |

On October 6, 2021, World Health Organization (WHO) announced the endorsement of the first malaria vaccine for children. In response to the announcement, First


Administration’s approach to gender-based violence needs to consider children

| July 9, 2021 |

President Biden recently announced the United States’ commitments to the Generation Equality Forum, a global initiative to achieve equality and opportunity for women and


State Department must do more to make foreign assistance for children transparent

| May 26, 2021 |

In Children’s Budget 2020, First Focus on Children sought to identify and categorize — for the first time — how much of the U.S.


Biden Administration to send much-needed Disaster Response Team to Central America

| April 8, 2021 |

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced that it will activate a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs


For World Children’s Day, the US Should Give Kids Their Rights

| November 20, 2020 |

On November 9, 2020, United Nations member states gathered in person and virtually to evaluate the United States’ human rights record. This process, called


Key Stats on the Effect of COVID-19 on Kids

| November 19, 2020 |

The COVID-19 pandemic is doing more than exposing the racial, ethnic, and economic disparities existing in our society; it is compounding them, and so