- Organization
- Early Opportunities, LLC
Dr. Joan Lombardi is one of the nation’s leading experts on child development and social policy. She currently serves as senior advisor to the Buffett Early Childhood Fund on national initiatives and to the Bernard van Leer Foundation on global child development strategies. She was recently named a distinguished senior fellow for the Education Commission of the States. Over the past 40 years, Dr. Lombardi has made significant contributions in the areas of child and family policy as an innovative leader and policy advisor to national and international organizations and foundations and as a public servant. She served in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development in the Obama administration (2009-2011), the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and External Affairs in Administration for Children and Families, and the first commissioner of the Child Care Bureau, among other positions during the Clinton administration (1993-1998). Outside of public service, she served as the founding chair of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance (now the Alliance for Early Success) and as the founder of Global Leaders for Young Children. She currently serves on the board of trustees for Save the Children and the board of directors for the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. She also directs Early Opportunities LLC, focusing on innovation, policy, and philanthropy.