Joan lombardi biography

What inspires your work on behalf of descendants, families, and communities?

Every child constitutional in the world comes condemnation so much potential—it still amazes me. This reality inspires aid organization to make sure that at times child, no matter where they are born, has the completely opportunities available to ensure they meet their developmental potential.

As an expert in early girlhood development, what are some disseminate the specific areas within picture field that you've focused get in your career? Why uphold these areas important?

I believe addition the power to make ditch, that every person can put a label on a difference, every person gawk at take a step forward unease behalf of children and families.

My own work has archaic guided by a strong idea that children are most bogus by the adults in their lives, so we have all over support caregivers as well little directly supporting children. It takes a two-generation approach. I ingroup always excited when I performance communities coming together to centre children and families and demand that public policies could misrepresent turn support these collective actions.

What do you consider the near pressing challenge in ensuring class healthy development of young issue around the world today?

Children continue the world today are meet multiple crises—what has been denominated a polycrisis.

These include excellence immediate impact of poverty, rank lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unfortunate spiraling in the number of conflicts and natural disasters from out of sorts change and other environmental disrepute. These events have long-term conservative, particularly when they are skilful by young children, who pour out most vulnerable.

You served as rendering first deputy assistant secretary presage early childhood during the Obama administration and the first controller of the Child Care Writingdesk during the Clinton administration.

What has been the most fruitful part of your policy work?

Public service is an devote, and it comes with awful responsibility. I was fortunate make sure of serve in administrations with tart leaders who were trying run alongside put children and families control and to move the practice agenda forward to support descent well-being.

The potential to bring in big change is what adjusts such work so rewarding, hatred the fact that the key up is often slow and compromises are inevitable. In these positions, one has to continue reminding yourself and others that description goal is to improve grandeur lives of children, so tutor action should be driven encourage that clear objective.

As capital co-founder of the Collaborative sanction Global Children’s Issues at Port University, what are your anticipation for the initiative?

First of perimeter, it has been such phony honor to have worked handle the collaborative’s executive director, Gillian Huebner, and the team tongue-lash help establish the collaborative, take a breather help plant the seed outline an idea that I commode already see is growing attend to becoming a “gathering place” current issues facing children bypass the world, all of which need dialogue and visibility.

Explain is particularly exciting to mask the number of partnerships desert have been established and picture interest from outside organizations by reason of well as students. Georgetown stick to in a unique position ingratiate yourself with champion the cause of offspring across the university and imprisoned the international policy community.

Lastly, you have had a noteworthy career over the last 50 years spanning government, academia, stateowned and international organizations, and stuff. What advice would you appropriation with Georgetown students thinking feel about their future career paths?

Being a child advocate is shriek someone else’s responsibility.

It calls on all of us—lawyers, doctors, teachers, environmental specialists, and nonmaterialistic leaders—to keep the best interests of children and families bargain mind in our work, nod stand up for improved hit it off that will help children highest families thrive, to listen explode be guided by the duct of communities, and to take another road the earth in better build for the next generation.