Eddye Vanderkwaak
Senior Consultant
Pronouns: She/Her
Eddye Vanderkwaak has more than a decade of experience in social justice, racial equity, and youth development. As the Media and Marketing Coordinator for the W. Haywood Burns Institute, she promoted its mission through various platforms and networks. As Lead Organizer for Foster Youth in Action, she designed and implemented the organization’s international Organizer’s Fellowship. In Iowa, she served as a Child Protective Worker and Restorative Justice Specialist.
Currently, a Senior Consultant with Maddy Day LLC & Associates, Mainspring Consulting, and the Journey to Success Campaign, Eddye focuses on eliminating disparities in the child welfare system while advancing opportunities for youth and families. In this role, she combines expertise in project management with a strong focus on policy advocacy and communications—supporting the Journey to Success Campaign in amplifying youth voice, advancing federal and state policy priorities, and strengthening campaign messaging across diverse audiences. She has lead initiatives from concept through execution, ensuring alignment with strategic goals, and tracking measurable outcomes.
Her platform management experience includes overseeing and monitoring digital systems, curating and publishing content, and developing platform engagement strategies that increase visibility and drive meaningful participation. She has also supported organizations in assessing platform performance and applying data-driven improvements to strengthen outreach and impact.
Eddye is skilled at building and sustaining partnerships through key stakeholder engagement. She has led outreach and recruitment efforts to bring in new collaborators, facilitated trainings and capacity-building sessions, and created spaces for shared learning and resource exchange.