Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary Interview at Fathers & Families Coalition of America Conference

The Alvin Galloway Show Special Series - 21st Annual Families and Fathers Conference, February 24-27, 2020, in Los Angeles, California, featured Assistant Secretary Lynn A. Johnson, and Director Clarence H. Carter, hosted by the Fathers and Families Coalition of America (FFCA). We extend a heartfelt sense of gratitude to Assistant Secretary Johnson and Director Carter for taking the time for this exclusive interview, and the talents of Mr. Alvin Galloway for the executive producing of this two-part interview series. 

Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson, for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, was honored at the Fathers & Families Coalition of America's 21st annual conference. Additional interviews include Dr. James C. Rodríguez, MSW, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fathers & Families Coalition of America, as well as, Mr. Clarence H. Carter. He is the Director of the Office of Family Assistance and the Acting Director of the Office of Community Services at HHS' Administration for Children and Families. Listen to these broadcasts, as the three interviewees, discuss their responsibilities, vision, how we all can improve the outcomes for children and families.

Assistant Secretary Johnson was presented with the Honorable John S. Martinez National Leadership Award. This award is named after the late Connecticut State Representative, President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, and a founding member of the Board of Directors for Fathers and Families Coalition of America. Over the past 16-years, FFCA has bestowed this national award to numerous leaders who bridge from local, state, or national leadership. Rep. Martinez was a champion of champions who went beyond political affiliation, economic or social status to focus on policies to improve the lives of those who he represented in the State of Connecticut and the United States. The most recent honorees of this national award include the Honorable Holly J. Mitchell, California State Senator(2019), and the Honorable Maxine Waters, U.S. Congresswoman representing California's 43rd District(2018). 

The 2020 National Award was presented at the closing Drs. Ramon and Yolanda Nieves Gala. FFCA honored for her leadership in making a difference from her home state of Colorado and throughout the United States. The U.S. Senate confirmed Assistant Secretary Lynn A. Johnson on August 28, 2018. Before joining the Trump administration, Ms. Johnson served as the Executive Director of Jefferson County Human Services in Colorado, overseeing the county's Head Start program, as well as programs on the workforce, career and family services, child welfare, justice services, and community assistance.

Before this position, Ms. Johnson ran her consulting firm, which dealt with mental health, high-risk youth, developmental disabilities, child welfare, and early childhood education. She was the chief of staff to Colorado Lt. Gov. Jane E. Norton in 2003, and from 1999 to 2002 was a policy advisor to Colorado Governor Bill Owens. Before joining the Owens administration, Ms. Johnson served as a senior specialist with the United States Courts as a probation and parole officer. She was responsible for the direct supervision of offenders with mental health problems and offenders convicted of sex offenses. Ms. Johnson has a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation from the University of Northern Colorado and a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University. She is a graduate of the Federal Judicial Center National Leadership Development Program and Harvard Executive Education for State and Local Governments. Ms. Johnson has been happily married for 32 years and is the mother of three adult children.

Director Carter comes from the Institute for the Improvement of the Human Condition, which he founded. At that organization, he worked with state and local safety net agencies to meet the emergency needs of socially and economically vulnerable citizens. Carter served as the Director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, in addition to other states, federal and local human services management positions. During his service in the Bush Administration, he managed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and served as the Director of the Office of Community Services. As Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services, his program was instrumental in growing the capacity of its citizens.

In his first five years, more than 25,000 public assistance recipients obtained gainful employment, earning more than $200 million. During his tenure, Virginia's public assistance rolls were reduced by more than half, from an all-time high of 74,000 families to a 30-year low of 31,000. On the local level, while serving as the Director of the Washington, D.C., Department of Human Services, Carter led the design and operation of an initiative to house more than 1,000 homeless residents. It was this effort that transformed the District's shelter-based homeless system to one based in permanent supportive housing as the primary mechanism to reduce homelessness.

Both Assistant Secretary Lynn A. Johnson and Director Clarence H. Carter have ties to Arizona. Stay TUNED as you TUNE IN for an intellectual TUNE-UP! The Alvin Galloway Show for conversation, music, and culture.

Enjoy the broadcasts released internationally, Sunday, March 29, 2020. 

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