ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — The Maryland Governor’s Office for Children appointed Jessica Foster as the new Senior Advisor for Children and Families, officials announced Tuesday.
The Senior Advisor for Children and Families position was created with the passage of legislation introduced by Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk in the 2026 legislative session and signed by Gov. Moore.
Foster will lead the development of policy solutions to address the causes that lead to pediatric hospital overstays.
“The harm pediatric overstays cause to young people and their families requires an all-of-government response, and Jessica is the perfect person to lead it,” said Governor’s Office for Children Special Secretary Carmel Martin.
In this role, Foster plans to identify solutions to prevent children from experiencing hospital overstays, improve services before they reach a crisis, and lead cross-agency efforts to improve outcomes for children and families across Maryland.
Foster most recently served as President and COO of Upstream USA. She previously held several leadership roles at Youth Villages, where she spent more than a decade working on strategy, policy and systems change across 29 states. She also served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and as a legislative aide to former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.
Maryland House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk released the following statement on Foster’s appointment:
“For too long, children who no longer need hospital care have remained in hospital beds because the services and placements they need simply aren’t there. These children deserve better, and their families deserve a system that works with urgency and across agency lines to find the right care at the right time,” “That is why I made addressing pediatric hospital overstays a priority this year and introduced legislation to create this position. I am thrilled to welcome Jessica Foster to this work. Her experience and commitment to children and families make her exceptionally well suited to help us break down the barriers that keep young people from getting the care and support they need.”
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