Sixto Cancel

Why you should listen

Sixto Cancel entered foster care when he was 11 months old, and his personal experiences through young adulthood powered a passion to transform the system. In 2014, he founded Think of Us, a nonprofit research and design lab aimed at ensuring that youth and families have the conditions they need to heal, develop and thrive. Led and guided by people who have been impacted by child welfare, Think of Us partners with leaders and practitioners across the country to create and implement disruptive, scalable solutions and policy reforms.

As chief executive of Think of Us, Cancel works in partnership across tech, service delivery, research, data and state and federal policy to improve outcomes for youth and families. He was named to the Forbes "30 Under 30" list of social entrepreneurs and also appointed as a White House Champion of Change.