Leadership

Ben Goldhaber serves as the deputy assistant secretary at the Administration for Children and Families. In this role, he advises on all operational matters and administrative services including grants management, facilities, procurement,  staff development and training activities.

Kevin Duvall is the Chief Technology Officer at ACF. In this role via the Office of Administration, Duvall provides leadership and strategic direction to technology, artificial intelligence, and innovation delivery at ACF.

Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith is the deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development leading ACF’s Office of Early Childhood Development, which oversees the Office of Head Start and the Office of Child Care.

Lauren Supplee is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research and Evaluation at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). In this role, she serves as head of ACF’s Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE).

Cheri Hoffman serves as the acting commissioner and deputy commissioner at the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, within the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  

Hope MacDonald Lonetree serves as the Deputy Commissioner for the Administration for Native Americans and oversees the agency’s operations and management responsibilities. 

Joe Bock is the acting Associate Commissioner and the Deputy Associate Commissioner in the Children’s Bureau, part of the Administration on Children Youth and Families at HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF). 

Debbie Powell currently serves as the acting associate commissioner for the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB).

Anne-Marie Twohie serves as the acting director and deputy director of the Office of Child Care. Prior to joining OCC Anne-Marie served as the director of the Fairfax County, Virginia Office for Children, working to advance the care, education, and healthy development of children from birth through age 13.

Kenneth Wolfe is the acting director and deputy director in the Office of Communications (OC) at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services providing leadership and direction in external and internal communications.

J. Janelle George is the acting director and deputy director in the Office of Community Services (OCS). In this role, she provides oversight in the areas of program operations, budget, human resources, and procurement, and is responsible for strengthening the administrative and management capacity of all OCS Divisions and programs. She also serves as the acting director of the Division of Social Services.

Linda Boyer is the acting commissioner and deputy commissioner of the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) that oversees the national child support program, helping states and tribes develop and operate child support programs according to federal law using effective enforcement tools. As deputy commissioner, she oversees seven divisions and is the principal advisor to the OCSS commissioner. With over 30 years of child support experience, she leads with an emphasis on customer service, collaboration, and community.

Shawndell N. Dawson is the director of the Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS), which addresses domestic violence as a public health issue and strives to partner with the continuum of social service agencies families often turn to for help.  

Tala Hooban is the OHS acting director. As a public health professional, she brings expertise in how children, families, and systems can thrive — which is an asset to the comprehensive services that Head Start programs implement in partnership with communities across the country.

Natalie Grant joined the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) as director of the Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response in November, 2018. In this capacity, she oversees the U.S. Repatriation Program, disaster human service emergency management and continuity of operations missions for the agency.

Amanda Barlow is the director of the Office of Legislative Affairs and Budget (OLAB). 

Cheryl Donald is the Director of the Office of Regional Operations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Ms. Donald advises the ACF Assistant Secretary on state relations, cross-program strategic initiatives, and public-private partnerships to improve outcomes for children and families. ORO is comprised of a headquarters office in Washington, DC and 10 regional offices across the nation that serve states and territories in their geographical areas. ORO provides a contextual understanding of regions and states to inform federal policy.

Katherine Chon is the director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) and senior advisor on human trafficking at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). OTIP is responsible for developing strategies and implementing programs to prevent trafficking, increase victim identification and access to services, and strengthen the health and well-being of survivors.

Elaine Zimmerman is the Region I Administrator for the Administration of Children and Families, representing the six states of New England. The regional office includes work in child support, child care, child welfare, TANF, youth homelessness and runways, family economic stability, early childhood development, as well as state and regional innovations, cross-sector work and entrepreneurial practices.

Alfonso Nicholas is the regional administrator for the Administration and Families (ACF) in Region 2. The region includes New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight federally recognized Tribal Nations. In this capacity, he leads ACF's strategic initiatives and priorities to promote the economic well-being of children and families in the region.  Previously, he also served as the acting regional administrator for Region 3, which covers Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Chad Sawyer serves as the regional administrator (RA) for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in Region 3, which includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and seven federally recognized tribal nations.  

Jacqueline “Jacque” Mull serves as the southeast (Region 4) regional administrator for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in Atlanta, Georgia representing Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.  

Angela Green serves as the regional administrator for the Administration for Children and Families’ Region 5. In this capacity, she oversees the high-priority human services initiatives of the agency, administrative leadership and support for ACF’s Chicago staff and human service emergency planning, preparedness and response.

LaKesha Jackson has more than 20 years of experience working on behalf of youth and families in multiple systems of care. As the Region 6 regional administrator (RA), Jackson is responsible for leading ACF’s strategic initiatives and priorities in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Barbara Lacina is the regional administrator (RA) for the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in region 7 (Kansas City, Missouri) which includes the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri, as well as nine federally recognized Tribal Nations.

Nikki Hatch serves as the regional administrator (RA) for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) for Region 8, which includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. 

Pete Weldy joins the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) with extensive experience working to advance the welfare, health, and happiness of children and families across the country. As the Region 9 regional administrator (RA), Weldy is responsible for leading ACF’s strategic initiatives and priorities in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

Jody Becker, MSW, PhD, is the Region 10 regional administrator for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), headquartered in Seattle, WA. As the regional administrator, she serves the States of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and 272 federally recognized Tribal Nations.