Jamielah Jenkins-Donato is a kinship caregiver and family advocate who brings both lived experience and professional child welfare expertise to GKU. She works with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, supporting children and families involved with the child welfare system.
Jamielah has stepped into kinship caregiving roles at several points in her life, helping young relatives maintain family connection and stability during challenging periods. Those experiences have shaped how she approaches her professional work and strengthened her commitment to making sure relatives are identified, engaged, and considered when children and families need support. She is especially proud of developing and piloting a process across three Michigan counties designed to increase engagement with fathers and relatives when children first enter care.
Through GKU, Jamielah hopes to strengthen her voice as a caregiver advocate and further develop a vision for community-based supports where kinship caregivers can find resources, connection, respite, and practical assistance in one place.