FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, July 20, 1995
Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215
JOAN LOMBARDI NAMED HHS ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER FOR CHILD CARE
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala has announced the appointment of Joan
Lombardi, Ph.D., as associate commissioner for child care.
As associate commissioner, Lombardi will head the Child Care Bureau,
created in January 1995 by merging the operations of the four federal
child care programs. A part of the Administration for Children and Families,
the bureau provides direction and leadership in improving child care
quality and accessibility.
"Quality child care is critical both for the economic self-sufficiency
of the family and the healthy development of the children," Shalala
said. "Dr. Lombardi is exceptionally well qualified to lead the
Child Care Bureau."
Lombardi previously served as senior advisor to the assistant secretary
on Head Start and child care issues in the Administration for Children
and Families. She coordinated the work of the Advisory Committee on
Head Start Quality and Expansion and its final report, Creating A 21st
Century Head Start, which provides a blueprint for
the future of the Head Start program.
Lombardi has also served as a senior policy associate for the National
Association of State Boards of Education and co-authored Right from
the Start, the report of the Early Childhood Task Force and Caring Communities,
the Report of the National School Readiness Task Force. She has served
as an advisor to a number of other national organizations, including
the Families and Work Institute, the National Head Start Association
and the Children's Defense Fund.
"Dr. Lombardi brings a broad range of leadership experiences to
the Child Care Bureau," said HHS Assistant Secretary for Children
and Families Mary Jo Bane. "Her long-standing commitment to child
care that meets the needs of families will be a tremendous asset to
the bureau."
Born in Amityville, N.Y., Lombardi is the mother of two children. She
received an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Boston College and
a Ph.D. in Human Development Education from the University of Maryland.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials
are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
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