Sixto Cancel

Sixto Cancel grew up in – and aged out of – the child welfare system. His personal lived experience has powered a passion to transform the child welfare system so that every person has the conditions to Heal, Develop, and Thrive.

Sixto believes that centering the lived experiences of people whose lives are touched by the system -foster youth, foster parents, caregivers, caseworkers,judges, and funders - allows us to co-design solutions and shift the dynamics that hold problems in place. Sixto was named a 2021 Children’s Bureau Champion Award, 2017 Forbes Top 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur,and serves on the 2021 Forbes Under30Lister Board. Recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change, as a Millennial Maker by BET and as one of the Top 24 Changemakers in Government Under 24 in the country by the Campaign for a Presidential Youth Council and SparkAction. He has played a key role in the work of extending foster care and permanency for older youth as a Young Fellow at the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.Sixto is an Ashoka Fellow, Clinton Global Initiative University Alumni, and Fast Forward Alum.

Sixto is the founder of Think of Us and has served as CEO since its incorporation in 2017. He and the team at Think of Us are committed to total transformation of child welfare in the United States.