KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Governor Mike Kehoe announced the appointment of Justin Horton, Chief Programs & Innovation Officer at Cornerstones of Care, to the Missouri Child Welfare Task Force.

The Missouri Child Welfare Task Force was announced via Executive Order 26-17 by Governor Kehoe in August and is charged with establishing a common framework grounded in objective assessments of safety threats, child vulnerability, and parental or caretaker protective capacity. The Task Force brings together 18 representatives from the Department of Social Services Children’s Division, courts and juvenile offices, law enforcement, the General Assembly, private providers, attorneys, advocates, and child welfare experts—each with a critical role in protecting children.

“Every child in Missouri deserves the opportunity to grow up safe, supported, and surrounded by people who are committed to their success,” said Governor Kehoe. “This task force brings together the right voices to take an honest look at the challenges facing our child welfare system and, with those in mind, develop meaningful solutions. Our goal is simple: better protect Missouri children, strengthen families, and give those on the front lines the tools they need to do their jobs well.”

Horton has established himself as an expert in child welfare, building a distinguished career over 23 years marked by progressive leadership and innovation. Since 2022, he has served as the chief programs and innovation officer at Cornerstones of Care, where he leads the organization through strategic planning and engages with funders, donors, community partners and government stakeholders. In this capacity, Horton ensures that internal teams operate at peak capacity across 27 programs, helping others understand the critical work being done to support children and families.

“It’s an honor to be appointed to the Governor’s Missouri Child Welfare Task Force and represent Cornerstones of Care in this important work,” Horton said. “I am grateful to join this task force and work alongside leaders from across the state to ensure children are safe, families have access to the support they need, and communities are equipped to help young people thrive. Our collective focus must be on creating measurable improvements that lead to better outcomes for children and families.”

In addition to his professional roles, Horton has cultivated a strong national reputation through active membership in several industry organizations. He is president-elect of the Children’s Alliance of Kansas beginning in 2025 and has been involved with the Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services since 2019, Social Current since 2015, Functional Family Treatment Association since 2014 and Missouri Coalition for Children since 2014.

Horton is recognized for authoring or co-authoring numerous conference presentations that highlight innovative practices in child welfare. His works include “Prevention in Practice — Real Results From a Family Preservation Therapeutic Family Foster Home Model” presented at the FFTA National Conference in Chicago in 2026, as well as “Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Technology to Empower Staff and Improve Outcomes in Child and Family Services” at the FFTA National Conference in New Orleans in 2025. He has participated as an author or panelist at various conferences between 2016 and 2025.

“Justin’s appointment to the Governor’s Child Welfare Task Force reflects both his deep expertise and Cornerstones of Care’s unwavering commitment dating back more than 150 years to improving outcomes for children and families,” said Cornerstones of Care President and CEO Merideth Rose. “His leadership in program innovation and community collaboration embodies our mission to build safe, healthy, and resilient communities. We are proud to see his voice—and the voices of those we serve—help shape the future of child welfare in Missouri.”

From 2019 to 2022, Horton was the executive director of Missouri programs and services at Cornerstones of Care. During this period, he oversaw statewide initiatives and played a pivotal role in maintaining the organization’s status as a certified trauma-informed provider through the Sanctuary Institute. His earlier tenure as director of customer access from 2018 to 2019 focused on improving service delivery and accessibility for clients. From 2014 to 2019, he also held the position of director of electronic health records and technology to practice, where he managed the development and implementation of electronic health records for nearly 1,000 employees.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Horton’s roles included quality improvement specialist, systems coordinator and information security officer. During this time, he also served as a federal Child and Family Services Reviewer and contributed to the State Automated Child Welfare Information System as a tester, trainer, implementation coach and change management board member. From 2011 to 2014, he served as program administrator and deputy director for Jackson County operations within the Children’s Division, overseeing all aspects of child welfare services.

Among Horton’s most notable achievements is his instrumental role in preparing Jackson County for its successful inaugural Council on Accreditation site visit. As part of the quality improvement team and later as deputy director, he facilitated both the first accreditation and subsequent reaccreditation processes every three years. This work established a robust framework for best practice services statewide. At Cornerstones of Care, he continued this commitment by working through multiple accreditation cycles and reinforcing its trauma-informed practices.

Horton’s career began in public service with the State of Missouri’s Children’s Division in 2003. He started as a children’s service worker and family drug court case manager, supporting mothers with drug-exposed infants. In 2004, he became a performance analyst in the quality assurance unit, auditing casework for compliance and improvement opportunities until 2006.

Horton’s academic background includes graduate work toward a Master of Arts in sociology (ABT) from Kansas State University, a Bachelor of Science in sociology with a minor in justice studies from Pittsburg State University and an Associate of Arts from Coffeyville Community College. He further enhanced his expertise by earning a certified nonprofit professional graduate certificate from Rockhurst University.

For more information about the Missouri Child Welfare Task Force, visit: https://dss.mo.gov/cd/missouri-child-welfare-task-force

About Cornerstones of Care

Cornerstones of Care is a behavioral and mental health nonprofit dedicated to partnering with children and families to build safe and healthy communities. For more than 150 years, our passionate team members have been creating safe healing spaces for those impacted by trauma in Kansas, Missouri and beyond. Today, Cornerstones of Care serves more than 14,000 children and families each year through prevention, treatment, education and support services. Learn more at cornerstonesofcare.org.