Children's Services Management

Main Office Phone:  202-541-3081

Kathryn Kuennen, MSW, Director of Children's Services

Ms. Kuennen provides leadership and vision in the design and implementation of USCCB/MRS's protection efforts for vulnerable migrating children. She oversees a national network of more than 200 diocesan and other community-based social service agencies providing family reunification and specialized foster care services to unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children. She has over 16 years of experience working with refugee and immigrant populations and programs. Ms. Kuennen began this career as a full-time volunteer with the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement program in Phoenix, Arizona. She worked as a case manager at a shelter care program for unaccompanied, undocumented children funded by the Division of Children's Services at HHS/ORR and this direct experience provided a strong foundation for her continued work on behalf of unaccompanied, migrating children. Ms. Kuennen has a Master's degree in Social Work from Arizona State University and a BA in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Notre Dame. Ms. Kuennen is fluent in Spanish.

Lindsay Stepp, Associate Director, Foster Care

Lindsay Stepp has over a decade of experience serving refugee and immigrant families and youth. She previously served as an Assistant Director in both Foster Care and Refugee Resettlement and as a Refugee Child Protection Coordinator at USCCB/MRS. Prior to returning to domestic child protection and refugee work, Lindsay served for four years in East Africa in various roles with RefugePoint, Church World Service-RSC Nairobi, and as a consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In these positions, Lindsay assessed the protection and resettlement needs of refugee children and families and helped spearhead a pilot project in collaboration with UNHCR to strengthen child protection capacity in Africa. Lindsay has also worked with the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) and International Rescue Committee (IRC) in domestic refugee resettlement. She holds a Master's degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University, a certificate in Refugee and Humanitarian Emergencies from the Institute for the Study of Migration, and a Bachelor's degree in Conflict Studies and German from DePauw University.