Ryan Hanlon

Ryan Hanlon, Ph.D., MSW serves as Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF). In this leadership role, he provides national guidance on child welfare policy and practice, collaborating with states, tribes, and territories to promote safety, permanency, and well-being for children and youth. His work encompasses preventing maltreatment, strengthening families, reducing time in foster care, and expanding pathways to safe, permanent families.

Dr. Hanlon brings over two decades of distinguished experience in child welfare, foster care, and adoption to ACF. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of the National Council For Adoption (NCFA), where he previously led the organization's education, research, and constituent services initiatives. His career foundation includes hands-on experience in direct-service child welfare roles, including adoption and foster care practice.

As a trained social worker, Dr. Hanlon has enriched the field through teaching undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students while supervising social work interns. His expertise spans accreditation and regulatory frameworks, state licensing requirements, and federal and state child welfare policy development.

Dr. Hanlon holds four advanced degrees: an M.A. in Liberal Arts, an M.S. in Nonprofit Management, an MSW, and a Ph.D. in Social Work. He resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and their four children.