Carmeann Foster is a Katie who works tirelessly for social justice in the juvenile justice system. Driven to make a difference in the lives of young Black men in the juvenile system, Foster served as the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative coordinator for Dakota County before founding the organization Rebound, Inc, a grassroots nonprofit working to address the overrepresentation of Black youth in the juvenile justice system.
Rebound, as well as Foster’s work establishing two group residential facilities in North Minneapolis, earned her a prestigious 2016 Bush Fellowship and the 2017 Rising Star Alumni Award at St. Catherine University. She was also a featured panelist in 2017’s Fifth Annual Summit on Emerging Issues in Social Work Practice hosted by St. Kate’s and the University of St. Thomas.
Foster was a keynote speaker at the 2019 St. Catherine University winter Commencement. She continues to push for progress in the juvenile justice system, searching for innovative ways to effect systemic change and combat the deep disparities for black youth in the educational and judicial systems.