Carolyn Allshouse – Executive Director

Carolyn Allshouse has been a leader in the patient-and-family-centered care movement since the late 1980’s. She has written several publications for families of children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities about family-centered care and parent/professional collaboration, including: “Working with Doctors”, “Speaking Up For Your Child”, and “All About Me”. She has also managed multiple federal maternal child health grants.

Prior to accepting the position of Family Voices Executive Director, Carolyn coordinated the Minnesota Pediatric Medical Home and the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention quality improvement learning collaboratives at the Minnesota Department of Health. In the 1990s, Carolyn coordinated a health advocacy program at PACER Center and a program focused on health reform for families of children with special health care needs and disabilities at Pathfinders Resources.

Carolyn has been a strong advocate for the involvement of families whose children have special health care needs and disabilities in program and policy development, implementation, and evaluation. Carolyn is a mom of four children; her youngest son was born with multiple complex health care needs.