Joining the ranks of Evicted and The New Jim Crow, a former caseworker’s searing, clear-eyed investigation of the child welfare system—from foster care to incarceration—that exposes the deep-rooted biases shaping the system, witnessed through the
lives of several Black families.

Dr. Jessica Pryce knows the child welfare system firsthand and, in her book BROKEN: TRANSFORMING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, breaks it down from the inside out, sharing her professional journey and offering the crucial perspectives of caseworkers and Black women impacted by the system.

Tombolo Books is proud to partner with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg to welcome Dr. Pryce who will be in conversation with Dr. Kanika Tomalin, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Foundation .

The Foundation works to advance health equity through racial equity so that all Pinellas County residents may thrive. We’re focused on community, driven by data, and fueled for change. Learn more at https://healthystpete.foundation/.

PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK HERE!

Dr. Jessica Pryce is on Faculty at Florida State University’s College of Social Work. For the past fifteen years, she has worked in child welfare from multiple angles, including direct casework, research, teaching, training, and policy development. She has trained over 150 child welfare organizations where she empowers professionals to reimagine their role and their work. She currently lives in Florida where she partners with child welfare leaders who are working on system-wide culture shifts and organizational change. Pryce holds an MSW from Florida State University and a PhD from Howard University.

Dr. Kanika Tomalin is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, a private foundation dedicated to achieving health equity through racial equity. In this role, she leads, directs, and integrates all aspects of the Foundation’s internal and external activities and initiatives. Working closely with the Foundation team, Dr. Tomalin creates and executes the Foundation’s strategic plan, overseeing grantmaking, strategic initiatives, and the Center for Health Equity. She guides the organization as a steward of the Foundation’s resources, consistently reporting back to the community and ensuring decisions and plans of action are mission-aligned and based in equity.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Tomalin served as Deputy Mayor and City Administrator of the City of St. Petersburg, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Strategy at Eckerd
College, Regional Vice President of External Affairs at Bayfront Health Network, and Director of Strategy for Health Management Associations.

Dr. Tomalin currently serves on the boards of The Dali Museum, Academy Prep St. Petersburg, Bayfront Health Foundation, Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation, and the Eckerd College National Advisory Council. She has received numerous honors and appointments, including being named: the ACLU’s Gardner Beckett Civil Liberties honoree; St. Petersburg Chamber’s Businesswoman of the Year, inaugural “Iconic Woman to Watch” and Young Business Leader of the Year; YWCA of Tampa Bay’s Woman of Distinction; one of Florida Business Observer’s 40 Under 40; and one of Florida’s Most Powerful and Influential Women.

Dr. Tomalin was married for 17 years to well-known adventure journalist Terry Tomalin, until his passing in 2016. She is the fifth generation of her family to call St. Petersburg home and enjoys life here with her children Kai and Nia.