Kim Crane holds a masters' degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee where she received the Provost's Citation for Extraordinary Professional Promise.  She joined the Child and Family Policy Center in 2002 and has a background in child abuse prevention and family support.  Kim is the Project Director for the local Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, which is part of a national initiative focused on improving outcomes for youth in and aging out of foster care.  She is an Adjunct Professor for the UT College of Social Work and the co-author of the textbook, “The Macro Practitioner's Handbook: A Step by Step Guide to Effectiveness with Organizations and Communities,” as well as the journal article, “ Benevolent intervention or Oppression Perpetuated?  Minority Overrepresentation in Children's Services.”   Kim has presented at a variety of local, state and national conferences on issues facing young people exiting the foster care system and how communities can organize to support them.

Kim currently serves as a member of the Tennessee Transition Group, Chafee Stakeholder Team, the Continuous Quality Improvement Needs Assessment Design Team, Tennessee Lives Count Task Force, the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, and the Davidson County Foster Care Review Board.