Gabriel brings more than 20 years of experience in child and family services, spanning direct care, supervision, quality improvement, and executive leadership. He began his career working in group homes and prevention programs, then joined Milwaukee’s child welfare system in 2003 as a case manager. He later moved into supervisory roles and then led performance and quality improvement, where he developed dashboards and analytics tools to guide practice and policy. Before co-founding ICFW, Gabriel served as Director of Family Case Management for Children’s Wisconsin’s child welfare program, overseeing operations and strategy across child protection, foster care, and family support services. In that role, he helped establish a culture of data-driven decision-making, led the implementation of evidence-based interventions, and introduced a system-wide focus on child and family well-being.

Gabriel holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

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Dr. Mersky applies his expertise to the design, application, evaluation, and dissemination of effective practices, programs, and policies. He is currently the lead evaluator of the Family Foundations Home Visiting program, a partnership between the and that supports evidence-based home visiting programs statewide. He also heads the Healthy Families Study, a randomized trial of multiple home visiting programs at the Milwaukee Health Department. In addition, Dr. Mersky is principal investigator of the Families and Children Thriving (FACT) Study, a longitudinal investigation into the health and well-being of at-risk children and families across Wisconsin.

Dr. Mersky and Dr. James Topitzes directed Project Connect, a randomized trial of a novel group-based model of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) for children in foster care. integrated the model into its community services array based on results demonstrating that this intervention enhances the parenting skills of foster care providers and the mental health of children in foster care.

Through his collaborative work at ICFW, Dr. Mersky continues to promote the use of empirically validated interventions such as PCIT and TF-CBT as well as effective and innovative screening and assessment practices within the context of usual care.

Dr. Mersky holds a master’s degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also earned an advanced certificate in prevention science.

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Dr. Topitzes teamed with Dr. Mersky to co-direct Project Connect, a randomized trial of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) adapted for use with foster families. Based on study results,  integrated the modified PCIT model into its community services array. In his role as an ICFW associate director, Dr. Topitzes contributes significantly to the sustainability and expansion of PCIT models within CHW. In addition, he continues to translate other promising approaches to the problem of early trauma, such as brief treatments or group interventions, within child welfare service settings and beyond. He directs the Trauma-Informed Care Graduate Certificate Program at 51���� and teaches three courses within the certificate program.

Dr. Topitzes holds a master’s degree in social work and a doctoral degree in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also earned an advanced certificate in prevention science.

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