"[5] In 1963, The New York Times cited her influence on the Commission: "Her recommendations led directly to the recent creation of [some] Family Court reforms ..."[6] The Ford Foundation hired Conway Kohler to examine why in Europe there was less delinquency than in the US.

Around the same time, The American Bar Association appointed Kohler to chair its Committee on Juvenile Laws and Procedure.

[4] In 1961, Kohler was appointed the first director in New York City of the Neighborhood Youth Corps, a United States Department of Labor program that still provides paid work experience for thousands of adolescents from economically disadvantaged families.

[8] In February 1963, addressing the growing national concern about delinquency and the lack of jobs for young people, President John F. Kennedy proposed significant new resources in a speech to Congress: "My Committee on Youth Employment ... has reported to me that the immediate need for additional youth employment opportunities is critical.

Starting in 1966, Conway Kohler brought together a group of prominent educators, social scientists and business leaders who were to establish and become the board of the National Commission on Resources for Youth (NCRY) which she directed until her retirement in 1982.

[a] NCRY sought to address the increasing difficulty young people faced in making the transition from adolescence to constructive adulthood.

From its office in New York City, NCRY identified hundreds of programs in schools and community centers throughout the country in which young people had significant roles.

To support this effort it created publications, training manuals and protocols, films, and offered onsite assistance.

Kohler and members of her board reached out to state and national policy makers, business people and private funders encouraging them to support youth participation.

[14] With NCRY's training and materials support, YTY demonstrations were conducted in 1967 and 1968 in Philadelphia and Newark for 14 and 15 year olds in after-school and summer projects.

"[18] Kohler, her board members and other allies influenced people in leadership roles in government, business and education.