Meet the People Behind YSO Partners
Attorneys, a former judge and head of state child protection agencies, and practitioners who’ve done this work from the inside.
The YSO Partners Story
- Law degrees from the University of Georgia
- Master’s in International Human Rights Law from Oxford
- Decades inside courts, schools, and child welfare systems
YSO Partners started with the simple observation that youth-serving organizations don’t fail because they lack a policy. They fail because the policy never became part of how people work. Debbie Ausburn spent decades advising and defending organizations as outside counsel, and Tom Rawlings spent decades running the courts, agencies, and systems charged with protecting children.
Together with Amber Jewell, Gena Hood, and Donna Caudell, Debbie and Tom formed YSO Academy to help youth organizations train their staff in practical, workable policies using on-demand courses and coaching cohorts. Then clients started asking for more intensive and personalized help beyond what the Academy could offer. So, Debbie and Tom built YSO Partners, centered around a belief that workable policies grow from within an organization, not from consultant directive.
Collaborative Development Model
The core of YSO Partners is the Collaborative Development Model. It treats every engagement as a partnership. Debbie and Tom bring the framework and the experience, and your team brings the knowledge of how your organization runs. We don’t hand a policy to you. We build everything alongside you.
Meet the Team
Team Leaders
Debbie Ausburn
Co-Founder
An attorney with 40 years in child protection, including service as a DOJ prosecutor, and a foster parent herself.
Tom Rawlings
Co-Founder
A former juvenile court judge and state child welfare director, with international experience strengthening child protection systems abroad.
Trainers & Coaches
Amber Jewell
Trainer & Coach
A licensed clinical social worker with 15 years in child protective services, education, and mental health.
Gena Hood
Trainer & Coach
A veteran school principal with more than two decades in school leadership.
Donna Caudell
Trainer & Coach
A doctorate-level counselor educator with more than 22 years supporting schools and students.
A Team That Has Done This Work
University of Georgia School of Law · Oxford Master’s in International Human Rights Law · Doctorate in educational leadership · Decades in courts, schools, camps, and child welfare
This isn’t a team that studied youth-serving organizations from the outside. It includes a judge who sat on the bench and attorneys who built these programs firsthand, alongside practitioners who worked inside the schools and systems built to protect children.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who will I work with directly?
You’ll work directly with Debbie Ausburn and/or Tom Rawlings for Policy Assessment and Policy Development engagements. For Cultural Change engagements, Debbie and/or Tom lead the team, and Gena Hood, Donna Caudell, and Amber Jewell join to help train your staff. You’ll know exactly who’s on your team before the engagement starts.
How do Debbie and Tom divide engagements?
Debbie and Tom both work across every sector, but each brings a natural specialty. Debbie often leads engagements with faith communities, camps, and organizations wanting a trauma-informed, culture-first approach. Tom often leads engagements with national or international organizations navigating governance, compliance, or regulatory complexity. For Cultural Change engagements, they work together as equal partners.
How do Amber, Donna, and Gena work with YSO Academy and YSO Partners?
Amber, Donna, and Gena are co-founders of the YSO Academy program with Debbie and Tom. YSO Academy offers on-demand courses and cohort coaching for youth-serving organizations. Amber, Donna, and Gena join Debbie and Tom for the leadership training phase of Cultural Change engagements. Their backgrounds as a licensed clinical social worker, child protective services caseworker, school counselor, college professor, and school principal enhance every engagement.
Is YSO Partners a law firm?
No. YSO Partners provides non-legal consulting services only, building child protection policy and culture with youth-serving organizations. Legal services such as independent investigations into staff misconduct allegations require an engagement with Debbie and Tom through their law firm, Chalmers, Adams, Backer & Wallen LLC.
Does YSO Partners only work with organizations in Georgia?
No. YSO Partners is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but it works with youth-serving organizations across the country and internationally. YSO Partners can work with your organization on site, or save costs by working through calls, video sessions, and collaborative document work. Tom Rawlings brings direct experience strengthening child protection systems abroad, including his work as Guatemala country director for the International Justice Mission.
Every Engagement Starts with a Discovery Call
No proposal goes out until we understand your situation. A discovery call is a conversation, and it costs you nothing but time.