Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith

Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith is the deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development and acting director of the Office of Head Start at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She leads ACF’s Office of Early Childhood Development, which oversees the Office of Head Start and the Office of Child Care.

Before joining the Trump Administration in March 2025, Dr. Todd-Smith worked at the America First Policy Institute as director of the Center for Education Opportunity and the Center for the American Child, where she focused on assisting states to advance evidence-based education policy reforms, including the expansion of school choice, early literacy, foster care reform and the online safety of children, as well as model policy for fentanyl curriculum in public schools. 

Dr. Todd-Smith is a former public school elementary and preschool teacher and served as a child care director with experience working in multiple states including New Mexico, Arizona and Mississippi. She served as senior education and workforce policy advisor to Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant as well as executive director of Mississippi’s State Early Childhood Council. In those roles, she spearheaded several legislative initiatives that significantly improved public education in the state. Her efforts included the Literacy-Based Promotion Act, early childhood education, school choice for special Education students and accountability models for school districts. These reforms led to remarkable growth in reading and math achievement outcomes for Mississippi's students, earning the state the title of the "Mississippi Miracle".  The state is now leading the nation for growth in reading and math scores.

During President Trump’s first term, Dr. Todd-Smith was the director of the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor. At the Women’s Bureau, she focused the agency on child care quality and access, paid family leave and grants to support women in apprenticeship.  

Dr. Todd-Smith holds a doctorate in education from Mississippi State University, a master’s degree from Western New Mexico University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona.