For more than 50 years, Joan has dedicated her work to assuring the healthy development of young children and support for their families in the US and around the world. She has served as a public servant in the United States across multiple administrations, as an advisor to international organizations and philanthropy, and as a researcher and academic expert in child development and family support policy. She is a strong believer in the power of communities, dual generation strategies, and the ability of the individual to make a difference.
Currently she serves as a Senior Advisor and Adjunct Professor at the Center on Early Childhood, Graduate School of Education at Stanford University and Senior Scholar and Adjunct Professor at Thive Center on Children, Families and Communities, Georgetown University. She is the Co-founder of the Georgetown Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues.
In addition, since 2011 she has been directing Early Opportunities, serving as an advisor to a range of international organizations including UNICEF, The World Bank, and UNESCO, among others, and to a number of philanthropic organizations including the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and the Bainum Family Foundation, Global Education Fund.
Over the years, Joan has served in several positions in the public sector including as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development (2009-2011) in the Obama Administration, and as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and External Affairs in Administration for Children and Families, USDHHS and the first Commissioner of the Child Care Bureau among other positions (l993-1998) during the Clinton Administration
Outside of public service, she was the founding Chair of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance 2005-2008 (Now the Alliance for Early Success). She is the author of numerous publications including Time to Care: Redesigning Child Care to Promote Education, Support Families and Build Communities and co-editor of Beacon of Hope: The Promise of Early Head Start. She serves on the governing boards of The National Black Child Development Institute and the Global Fund for Children and on the Leadership Council of the Early Childhood Development Action Network.