PATTY'S EXPERIENCE

Patty Flores is a passionate advocate, researcher, and speaker with extensive experience in foster care, education, and juvenile systems. She has delivered keynote speeches and presentations for organizations in Los Angeles County and internationally, addressing judges, attorneys, probation officers (including the Chief of Probation), counselors, professors, social workers, and other stakeholders. Her insights are shaped by a combination of lived experience, academic research, and professional work, offering organizations a unique analytical lens for understanding and addressing social issues. Patty’s presentations combine determination and strength with a trauma-informed and social justice-centered approach, allowing her to connect with diverse audiences across sectors.

In addition to her speaking engagements, Patty has served as a consultant and research collaborator to leading researchers and authors in the field of Child Welfare. She brings extensive hands-on experience with programs that support foster youth, including independent living services, transition programs for youth aging out of care, and educational initiatives. Patty is deeply committed to serving disadvantaged communities both in the U.S. and Central America. Through her activism, she collaborates with NGOs in Latin America that focus on addressing violence against women, children, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Through her initiative, Defying Labels, she has mobilized resources and fundraised to support vulnerable women, children, and the trans community in El Salvador.