Whitney Bunts was a policy analyst with CLASP’s Youth Policy team, with a focus on juvenile justice, mental health, racial equity, and Opportunity Youth. Whitney has a competence in education policy, opportunity, at-risk, LGBTQ+ youth, racial equity, system dynamics, and evaluation.

Prior to joining CLASP, Whitney was a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis. During her time in grad school, she interned for the 22nd District Circuits Attorney Office as a Victim Services Advocate. In this role, she educated victims on the criminal and juvenile justice process, while partnering with prosecutors to advocate for their rights. Additionally, she served as Policy Associate Intern at Covenant House Missouri. As an intern she had the opportunity to update, revise, and align their policies with the Housing First federal policy. Whitney aslo facilitated workshops to build racial equity and inclusion within the organization using System Dynamic tools. While a student, Whitney was a Graduate Policy Scholar, served on the Student Coordinating Council and Graduate Professional Council, and was selected for the “Excellence Award for Activism.”

Prior to attending graduate school, Whitney served as a City Year AmeriCorps member, tutoring and mentoring hundreds of high school students in reading and writing. She holds a M.S.W. with a concentration in children, youth, and families, and a specialization in policy and system dynamics from Washington University in St. Louis. Additionally, she has a double B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from Georgia State University.