Publications and Presentations

Panelist, "Why and How to Engage Business Champions for Children," Childhood Education International, 2022

Panelist, "Effective Grantmaking to Advocate for Educational Equity," Grantmakers for Education annual conference, 2022

S.W., 16 Grantmaking Characteristics to Effectively Support Public Policy Advocacy, Alliance for Justice, 2022

S.W., Advocacy vs. Lobbying: Language Matters. Say What You Mean & Mean What You Say, Alliance for Justice, 2022

S.W., Advocacy Checklist, Alliance for Justice, 2022

Moderator and organizer, workshop, "Building an Effective Policy Advocacy Strategy in Today’s Environment," Public Policy Summit, Council on Foundations, Nov. 4, 2021. 

S.W. with Lori McClung, Public Policy and Advocacy for Grantmakers, Council on Foundations, 2021. 

S.W. moderator and organizer, webinar, "Business leaders as multi-faceted champions for grade-level reading," Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, May 25, 2021.

S.W. and Kim Perry.  Building the Advocacy Infrastructure to Win Equity Victories for Children and Families, Capita, February 2021.

S.W., “Creating Change Through Policy Advocacy: 10+ Ways Foundations Can Engage,” Bainum Family Foundation, 2020

S.W. ,“Why the First 1,000 Days Are Critical to Lifelong Success,” Bainum Family Foundation, 2019. 

S.W. et al, “Business Engagement to Promote Healthy Communities Through Child and Family Well-Being,” National Academy of Medicine Perspectives, Dec. 3, 2018

S.W., “An Emerging Form of Corporate Citizenship,” Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals blog, October 2018

S.W., et al, “Using Education Diplomacy to Create Networks of Business Champions for Early Childhood: Models from Australia, Romania, Uganda, and the United States,” Childhood Education, May 15, 2018, Vol. 94, Issue 3 

S.W., “A Burgeoning New Field for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Early Childhood,” Social Capital Markets, March 22, 2018 

Langenberger, M. and S.W., “How Five Foundations Collaborated on a New Strategy to Advance the Early Childhood Sustainable Development Goals,” SDG Funders Blog, September 2017

Kass, David and S.W., “Engaging Unexpected Champions for Policy Change,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, March 14, 2016 

S.W. “Federal Reserve Bank Statements on Economic Importance of Early Childhood,” Council for a Strong America, 2016

S.W. et al, Strengthening the Current and Future Workforce: European Business Leader Actions to Support Early Childhood Care and Education, Council for a Strong America, 2016

S.W. and Godwin Othieno, “A Powerful, Unexpected Voice for Kids in Uganda,” Devex, August 9, 2016 

S. W. et al, Business Leader Actions to Support Early Childhood: A Global Imperative, A Local Opportunity. Washington, D.C.: Council for a Strong America, 2015

S.W., Mobilizing Business Champions for Children: A Guide for Advocates, Washington, D.C.: The Pew Charitable Trusts, March 2011

S.W., “The Right Policy at the Right Time: The Pew Pre-Kindergarten Campaign,” in Edward Zigler et al., eds., Current Debates and Issues in Prekindergarten Education, Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, Aug. 2011. 

S.W., The Right Policy at the Right Time: The Pew Pre-Kindergarten Campaign, Washington, D.C.: The Pew Charitable Trusts, July 2010 

Nottberg, Tyler and S.W., “Our View: Pre-K is a practical, preventive investment” The Kansas City Business Journal, Nov. 13, 2009

Susan Urahn and S.W. “The Preschool Payback,” Insight, Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families, Winter 2005-06

Susan Urahn and S.W. “Spotlight On: The Pew Charitable Trusts – Advancing Quality Pre-K For All Five Years Later” Children’s Legal Rights Journal, vol. 27, no.1, spring 2007

Susan Urahn and S.W. “Advancing Quality Pre-K For All: Five Years Later,” Preschool Matters, Jan. 2007

S.W., Informed Consent: Advice for State and Local Leaders on Implementing Results-Based Decision Making to Improve the Lives of Children and Families, Washington, D.C.: The Finance Project, Dec. 2000

S.W., Moving the Mountain: Ideas From the People. Olympia, WA: Family Policy Council, 1996

S.W., "Maximizing the Effectiveness of Social Services Reform: People with Disabilities in AFDC, Children and Family Services and Child Care" Journal of Health and Human Resources Administration, spring 1995

S.W., "The Evolution of a Social Movement" Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, 3(2), spring 1994

S.W., "Applying Theory to Practice: A Prospective and Prescriptive Analysis of the Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act" Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 5(1), 1994

S.W. and David Pfeiffer, editors, Disability Policy as an Emerging Field of Mainstream Public Policy Research symposium edition of Policy Studies Journal, 21(4), 22(1), winter 1993/spring 1994

S.W., "A Study in Legislative Strategy: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" in Implementing The Americans with Disabilities Act: Rights and Responsibilities for ALL Americans, Gostin and Beyer, eds., Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, 1993

S.W., "Reality Ignored: Health Reform and People with Disabilities" Journal of American Health Policy, March/April, 1993

S.W., "An Alliance at Risk: The Disability Movement and Health Care Reform" The American Prospect, winter 1993

S.W., Disability Issues in the Public Workplace, Public Responsibility, Personal Choice: Providing Personal Assistance Services in Montana, and (with E. Lipoff) Michigan Rehabilitation Services: Should a Public Agency Compete with the Private Sector? Teaching cases, Cambridge, MA: John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1993

Adrienne Asch and S.W., "Disability Legislation" in Disability Management, by S. Akabas, et al., Saranac Lake, NY: American Management Association, 1992

Selected Presentations 

Moderator, “Families Funding Advocacy and Policy Change” webinar, National Center for Family Philanthropy, September 2020.

Plenary or workshop speaker at major international conferences in 2014-2018 on business leadership or on children’s issues: World Business Angels Investment Forum (Istanbul, Turkey 2018), Teaching and Learning in Early Childhood (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2018), Seminar on Corporate Social Investment sponsored by Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil, 2018), World Chamber of Commerce Annual Congress (Sydney, Australia 2017), World Bank Spring Meeting Partners Forum (Washington, D.C. 2017), International Step-by-Step Association Annual Conference (Ghent, Belgium, 2017), Latin American Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood (Colombia, 2016), Salzburg Global Seminar (Austria, 2016), Transatlantic Forum on Inclusive Early Years (Turin, Italy, 2016), Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (Beijing, China, 2016), First European Business Forum on Early Childhood (organizer, host and keynote, 2016), Uganda National Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood (Kampala, Uganda, 2015), World Organization for Early Childhood Education Annual Conference (Washington, D.C., 2015), National Academy of Medicine Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally (Hong Kong and Canada, 2015-2016), World Forum on Early Care and Education (Puerto Rico, 2015). 

Plenary speaker, Kentucky State Chamber of Commerce Workforce Summit, “The Workforce Pipeline Starts in Early Childhood,” January 2017

Invited guest, “Work and Life – Business Radio on Sirius XM,” hosted by Prof. Stew Friedman, Wharton School, June 28, 2016

Plenary speaker, Congressional Black Caucus Policy Institute, “Moving Early Education Policy at the State and Federal Levels: the new case for supporting early education,” August 2014

Webinar, Council on Foundations, “Innovative Business Partnerships for Children and Youth,” August 2014

Plenary session moderator and organizer, “Unexpected Messengers for Early Education,” Education Commission of the States annual summit, July 2014

Plenary speaker, National Black Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, “Engaging African-American business leaders as champions for children,” July 2013

Plenary speaker, Congressional Black Caucus Institute Annual Retreat, “The Business Case for Early Childhood” 2012

Speaker, National Association of Workforce Boards, “Workforce Development Benefits of Early Childhood Investments” 2011

Speaker, National Conference of State Legislatures Fiscal Chairs Meeting, “Results First,” 2010, 2011.  Testimony, California State Senate Budget Subcommittee, “Results First,” 2010

Keynote, Annual Meeting of State Business Roundtable Executives, “Fiscal Crisis in the States: How are State Governments and Business Organizations Responding?” 2010

Keynote, Business Leader Summits in California, Maryland, Missouri, and U.S. Virgin Islands, “Business Champions for Early Childhood,” 2010

Testimony on pre-k policy, Maryland Senate and House of Delegates, 2009, 2010

Speaker, Institute for a Competitive Workforce/U.S. Chamber of Commerce meeting, “Quality Pre-K For All: The Business of Chambers,” 2008

Speaker, Milken Global Conference, “Starting Early to Build the Workforce and Customer Base of the 21st Century,” 2008

Moderator and speaker, National Conference of State Legislatures, “State Progress in Moving Towards Quality Pre-K For All,” 2007

Moderator and speaker, Society for American Business Editors and Writers annual conference, “Pre-Kindergarten as an Economic Imperative,” 2007

Plenary panel, National Association of Attorneys General annual meeting, “The National Movement for Pre-Kindergarten,” 2007

Testimony, “Maryland and the National Movement for Pre-K,” Maryland Task Force on Universal Preschool, 2006

Testimony, “Financing Early Care and Education,” Maryland Joint Legislative Commission on the Financing of Early Child Care and Education, 2001

Trainer, “Strategizing for School Readiness: Logic Model Training” for 15 state teams as part of a National Governors’ Association initiative, 2000

Trainer, “Strategizing for Youth Development: Logic Model Training” for 10 state teams as part of a National Governors’ Association initiative, 2000

Keynote, “Using Logic Models for Proposition 10 Commissions” California State Children and Families Commission Proposition 10 Conference, 2000

Panelist, "A Colloquium on Access to Health Care" sponsored by the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and NYU School of Law, 1993

Moderator and convener, workshop on "Disability Policy and Politics"; presenter, "Applying Implementation Theory: A Prospective and Prescriptive Analysis of the Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act" APPAM annual meeting, 1992

Moderator and convener, workshop on "Disability Policy: An Emerging Field of Mainstream Public Policy Research"; presenter, "The Larger Ramifications of Government Disability Policies" APPAM annual meeting, 1991 

Moderator and convener, workshop on "Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rise of the Disability Movement" presenter, "The Rise of the Disability Movement and Implications for the National Debate on Health System Reform" APSA annual meeting, 1991