Andrea Sanders – Commissioner, Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services

This week on the Everybody Leads podcast, Tim Lupinacci welcomes Andrea Sanders, Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services. Andrea leads the almost 1,500-member State Child Welfare Agency in its mission to protect Mississippi’s most vulnerable children. Andrea previously served as general counsel and principal deputy executive director for the Mississippi Department of Human Services, where she served on the senior leadership team and held administrative responsibility for the Division of Early Child Care and Education.

Our host, Tim Lupinacci, asks Andrea to discuss her leadership journey, early leadership influences, creating a positive work environment and systemic change, learning from mistakes, and her daily disciplines and motivations. Andrea also shares insights on building trust within your team, taking risks, acknowledging blind spots, and leading with humility. 

Other Topics Discussed Include: 

• Andrea’s Leadership Journey and Passion for Child Welfare 
• Using Leadership as a Necessary Vehicle to Make a Broader Impact
• Being Intentional About the Culture You Create in Your Organization
• Building Trust by Opening Up as a Leader and Owning Mistakes 
• Taking Risks Outside of the Status Quo
• Encouraging People to Challenge You Respectfully
• Leadership Motivations and Resources 
• Studying What Drives People and Motivates Them
• Pursuing a Passion as a Young Leader

Additional Resources: 

Charity: 

• This episode is in support of Andrea Sanders’ designated charity, CarePortal Mississippi. We have made a donation to CarePortal Mississippi as a thank you to Andrea for joining Everybody Leads. To learn more about CarePortal Mississippi, please visit https://lifelinechild.org/careportal/.

Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services:

• Website: https://www.mdcps.ms.gov/

Contact Andrea Sanders:

• Website: https://www.mdcps.ms.gov/about/leadership/andrea-sanders

Thank you for listening, and please join us again to hear from more exceptional leaders.

Click for more: 

• https://everybodyleads.org
• https://www.bakerdonelson.com

Producer: Jason Plank
Intern: Claudia Bonney Amamoo