Miranda Lynch-Smith

Miranda Lynch-Smith was appointed the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy in ASPE on March 8, 2021, and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation on January 20, 2023. Prior to joining the Biden Administration, Ms. Lynch-Smith was a Policy Fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. At Chapin Hall, Lynch-Smith provided strategic guidance and capacity building to child welfare agencies to enhance their performance and services for families and become more prevention and well-being oriented. Lynch-Smith worked directly with public and private decision-makers to translate and use evidence in decision-making, establish well-functioning continuous quality improvement systems and processes, and restructure and align systems, policy and financial investments towards equitable outcomes for families and children. Ms. Lynch-Smith developed nationally-used resources, tools and approaches to enable child welfare leaders and their public, private and community partners to leverage policy opportunities, such as the Family First Prevention Services Act, for reform and transformation.

Prior to joining Chapin Hall, Lynch-Smith was a career employee at HHS for 20 years. At the Children’s Bureau, she was responsible for leading the Child and Family Service Review process, strengthening states' focus on outcomes and evidence, and establishing a federal framework for continuous quality improvement systems in child welfare systems. Lynch-Smith also had key responsibilities for developing and analyzing federal and state legislation, regulations and policy related to child welfare and human services programs.

Ms. Lynch-Smith received her Bachelor of Arts from Douglass College and Master of Science from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, both at Rutgers University.