He | Him | His
Traverse City, Michigan
Hi! I’m Chris Hindbaugh, and I live in Traverse City, MI. I love to be outdoors spending time with my family. I even built an 18-foot kayak out of wood in my grandfather's workshop after he passed away. I've traveled all over the world by swapping our home with other people looking to visit northern Michigan. I have two amazing teenagers, a very tolerant wife, and a cross-eyed cat.
I became interested in this work when I started working as a mental health tech in college. I became frustrated about how we treat our vulnerable friends and neighbors, so I switched majors to become a social worker focused on improving systems of care. My grandparents on my father’s side fostered nearly 100 individuals. Additionally, my mom was adopted and raised by family members after her parents were unable to care for her. The impact of the systems they navigated runs deep on both sides of my family. I feel pride when we can build systems and processes that improve people's lives by being less oppressive and more reflective of those they aim to support. Through my work at FosterClub, I hope to become as strong as the young people we work to support.
Chris graduated from Western Michigan University, School of Social Work, with a Master of Social Work degree. Prior to working at FosterClub, he was the CEO of a 110-bed behavioral health treatment center in northern Michigan. Chris has won two national awards—one for innovative treatment approaches and the other for efforts around community engagement and stigma reduction of behavioral health issues. He was also invited to the White House to speak as a member of a national task force aimed at improving recovery pathways.
