Eric Brettschneider has enjoyed a distinguished career in child welfare and human services, since his entry into the field in 1967 as a family court intake worker and child care worker. He spent 10 years as director of The Queens Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a non-profit agency, where he concentrated his efforts on complementing foster care and child protective services with preventive strategies. In 1980, he joined the New York State Department of Social Services, where he was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Child Welfare Reform Act. During his tenure as Deputy Commissioner for The New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA), Eric promoted this progressive vision of comprehensive, preventive services and was instrumental in creating a Child Protective Training Academy; advocating for the avoidance of sibling separation in foster care; starting minority controlled child welfare agencies; and beginning the movement toward decentralized, community driven, and integrated social service provision within that agency. As Executive Director of the Agenda for Children Tomorrow, Eric continues this work on behalf of New York City children and their families.

Mr. Brettschneider holds a B.A. and an M.A. degree in Psychology from Colgate University and the Graduate Faculty of New School University, respectively, as well as a law degree from Hofstra University. He teaches in NYU's Department of Metropolitan Studies, and Gallatin School of Social Work, and has previously taught at Fordham University and Hunter College School of Social Work. He serves as Counsel to Eisner & Associates; chairs the Council on Children of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York; is a member of the New York City Citizen Review Panel for New York City, and is also on the Advisory Committee of the NonProfit Finance Fund, New York Program. He is also a member of the Board of New Yorkers for Children, and is the founding President of the Board of JumpStart, New York. Eric is a recipient of the 2005 Wasserstein Public Interest Fellowship from Harvard Law School.

Eric's wife, Jeanne Rostaing is a producer with ABC-TV. His son, Corey, has his Masters from Cambridge University, a PhD in Politics from Princeton University and a Law Degree from Stanford University School of Law. Corey has taught at The United Nations School and is now serving on the Political Science faculty at Brown University. His daughter, Kim, graduated from Pomona College and works with the Children's Defense Fund in Los Angeles.