Last week, the Trump Administration announced the appointment of Jerry Milner as the next head of the Children’s Bureau and Lynn A. Johnson as the new Assistant Secretary for Family Support.
Milner becomes the Associate Commissioner at the Children’s Bureau. While holding that formal title, he will also hold the position of Acting Commissioner for the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF). The Children’s Bureau is within the ACYF (which requires Senate confirmation). Milner has worked for Bureau since the late 1990s, assisting in the implementation of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs). His most recent position was as the Vice President for Child Welfare Practice at the Center for the Support of Families. In that role, he worked with state and local child welfare agencies in evaluating their child welfare programs, and designed and implemented improvements in practice, policy, and procedures. In addition to that private-sector work, he was the child welfare director in Alabama.
Johnson currently serves as the Executive Director of the Jefferson County Department of Human Services. Prior to this position, she ran a consulting firm that focused on mental health, high-risk youth, developmental disabilities, child welfare, and early childhood education. She also served as Chief of Staff for former Colorado Lieutenant Governor Jane E. Norton and as Deputy Director for Policy and as Human Services Policy Advisor for former Colorado Governor Bill Owens.