Sixto Cancel is the Founder and CEO of Think of Us, the leading Research and Development Lab for child welfare.
Sixto knows that the Child Welfare system is failing from firsthand experience. Today, more than 70% of siblings in the child welfare system are separated, 20,000+ youth age out each year, and 36%+ of aged out youth experience homelessness. Riddled with systemic racism, private interest money, and the criminalization of poverty, there is a devastating human cost to the gap between the goals of child welfare and its outcomes.
Founded and led by former foster youth, Think of Us is transforming the system so that people with Lived Experience are at the center of designing, imagining, and building the future. Think of Us works to spark, support, and co-drive new approaches to child welfare, centering lived experience every step of the way. This includes projects across tech, participatory research, and state and federal partnerships—driving system-wide solutions that bridge the gap between policy, practice, and people.
Sixto was named as Forbes Top 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs and is on the 2021 Forbes Under30 Lister Board. Sixto has been recognized by the White House as a “White House Champion of Change'', a “Millennial Maker” by BET, and named “Top 24 Changemakers in Government under 24” by the Campaign for a Presidential Youth Council and Sparkaction.
Sixto has served as a Young Fellow at Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative since 2010. He is also a Clinton Global Initiative University Alum, a FastForward Alum, and an Ashoka Fellow. Sixto lives in Washington, DC.