Children’s Trust director of research, Aditi Srivastav Bussells, Ph.D., was named by Multiplying Good to the 2021 Class of ChangeMakers in the Midlands – community leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to service and the potential to truly move South Carolina forward.
Multiplying Good has recognized a host of national public figures with the Jefferson Award since 1972 for their outstanding contributions to the country and its communities. The organization’s goal with the announcement of these local honorees is to cultivate the next generation of our state’s servant leaders.
“I am honored to be a member of the inaugural ChangeMaker Class of the Midlands,” Srivastav Bussells said. “Service is at the very core of why I chose to be a community-based researcher. I am passionate about helping our community make good decisions using data and science. I look forward to continuing serving my community by empowering the next generation to step up and lead.”
Earlier this year, she was also named by Narrative Science as one of 60+ Data Changemakers to Know in the nation for being a leader in the data and analytics space pushing new and innovative ideas forward. And in 2020, she was named by Columbia Business Monthly to its Best and Brightest 35 And Under for her commitment to the prevention of child abuse as well as her advocacy for public health.
According to the Multiplying Good press release, the 2021 Class of ChangeMakers will kick off Sept. 2 with an orientation, reception, and networking event for each of the honorees and their guests. Throughout the fall, these ChangeMakers will work both individually and as a cohort to raise awareness of and financial support for Students In Action, Multiplying Good’s flagship youth leadership development program that uses service-learning as the vehicle for arming high schoolers with the life skills necessary for successful in college, career, and beyond.
The ChangeMakers will also participate in volunteer, community and other networking activities each month with the goal of raising awareness of Students In Action and inspiring even more young leaders to do their part. The program will culminate in December with a celebration event, recognizing each of the honorees with a Jefferson Award and celebrating all they have accomplished to make a difference across our Midlands communities.
To ensure that all communities in South Carolina are healthy and thriving, Srivastav Bussells has mixed methods research efforts at Children’s Trust for five years on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), race equity, and community mobilization, in addition to examining policies, programs and practices that improve family and community resilience. She served as the primary author of the organization’s signature prevention framework, the Empower Action Model, an evidence-based tool for building resilience.
In her role, she also oversees the South Carolina Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Initiative and KIDS COUNT South Carolina, in which she directs all data dissemination and translates research for action within the organization and for local partners across the state. To support the high-quality programs and initiatives at Children’s Trust, she helps build capacity of communities to make data-driven decisions that are equitable, sustainable, and promote population health through content expertise, strategic communications, and training. She is an ACE master trainer and represents the agency on several committees and initiatives.
Srivastav Bussells received her Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health as a Doris Duke Foundation Fellow. She holds a master’s degree in public health from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in American government from the University of Virginia.
Class of ChangeMakers in the Midlands 2021
Dr. Aditi Srivastav Bussells, Children’s Trust
Jennifer Bowen, Columbia Skin Clinic
Christine Williams, University of South Carolina
Jennifer Wise, Lexington School District Two
Bailey Wolfe, community volunteer
Julian Wilson, JJE Capital Holdings/Wilson Kibler
Bryant Davis, Richland County government
Keonye Johnson, Bank of America
Callie Price, S.C. Council on Competitiveness
Lindsey Miles, Nephron Pharmaceuticals
Emily Fernald, Central SC Habitat for Humanity
Maggie Dittmar, MB Kahn Construction
Emmylou Todd, Lexington School District Two
Steven Diaz, Northwestern Mutual
Jeff Lawler, Coldwell Banker Realty
Zakiya Esper, Sowing Seeds into the Midlands
