Dot Erickson-Anderson

Dot is retired from 35 years as a primary caregiver within her home. During that time, she  served as a kinship parent for 2 teenage cousins, adopted a daughter from foster care, gave birth  to 2 children, assisted with the birth of a number of babies in care, transitioned over 240 youth  in care back home, on to other community services or into independence and was a primary caregiver for her elderly/bedfast father for 5 years. She has served as a foster parent in Virginia,  Washington DC and Ohio and with both the public and private child welfare and juvenile justice  foster care systems.

During her active child welfare work years, Dot served as an administrator for several foster  care agencies including two that she helped to create in Columbus, Ohio. Her specialty areas:  Teen Parents, Disrupted Adoptees, Deaf Youth, Unruly/Delinquent Youth, Family Reunification,  Permanency Planning & Working with Primary Families.

She previously served as the Director of the Ohio Family Care Association. She also has served as a social  worker with families in need of community help in a home-based program as well as time serving  those living within a domestic violence shelter. Her last paid work experience was 6 years as an  Administrator and Fiscal Director with the Compassionate Communication Center of Ohio. She  completed her child welfare work as a training coordinator and now serves as the Ohio Family  Care Association Volunteer Administrator/Coordinator.

Dot came to her service in child welfare from her training and experience being a Youth  Associate and Christian Educator in the church. She attended college in Kansas, where she grew  up, majored in sociology & psychology and graduate studies in social psychology. In addition, she  holds a graduate degree in Christian Education from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton,  OH. She is a licensed social worker with post-graduate training in family relations, psychology,  and religious education.