Monica Sampson, LMSW' 00, is a macro/clinical social worker with 26 years of practice with vulnerable children, youth and families. Sheis the Youth and Family Service Director at the Ruth Ellis Center – a social service agency in Detroit that provides a wide range of services for LGBTQ children, youth and young adults. At the Ruth Ellis Center, she coordinates a family preservation program to strengthen families with LGBTQ children and a federally funded Quality Improvement Center to increase family support and acceptance for LGBTQ children and youth in foster care in southeastern Michigan. Prior to her work with the Ruth Ellis Center, Sampson was a Services Program Manager for Child Protective Services in Wayne County for 18 years where she supervised social work staff and was an advocate for appropriate services and care for LGBTQ youth. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Westminster College and a Masters of Social Work Degree from Wayne State University with Michigan licensure. She is currently working towards her Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor Certificate.