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.
What’s at stake for kids if Congress doesn’t pass Build Back Better
Aubrey Edwards-Luce, Averi Pakulis, Cara Baldari, Carrie Fitzgerald (Former Staff), Conor Sasner (Former Staff), Elaine Dalpiaz, Haley Winter, Kathy Sacco, Michelle Dallafior, Miriam Abaya, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff), First Focus Campaign for Children | 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?
Aubrey Edwards-Luce, Bruce Lesley, Conor Sasner (Former Staff), Kathy Sacco, Miriam Abaya, First Focus Campaign for Children | 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
Kathy Sacco | 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
Kathy Sacco, Miriam Abaya | 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
Kathy Sacco | 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
Kathy Sacco, Miriam Abaya | 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
Aubrey Edwards-Luce, Bruce Lesley, Conor Sasner (Former Staff), Kathy Sacco, Miriam Abaya | 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
Aubrey Edwards-Luce, Averi Pakulis, Cara Baldari, Carrie Fitzgerald (Former Staff), Christopher Towner (Former Staff), Conor Sasner (Former Staff), Kathy Sacco, Michelle Dallafior, Miriam Abaya, Olivia Gomez (Former Staff) | 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 …