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Joan Lombardi, long-time advocate for children around the world and founder of the World Forum Global Leaders project, has been tagged by the Obama administration to serve in two roles for Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services (HHS). Lombardi has been named the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). In addition, she will also be ACF's interdepartmental liaison for early childhood development. Lombardi will likely answer to Carmen Nazario, who has been nominated by President Obama to head up ACF. Nazario's confirmation hearing has not been scheduled yet.

Lombardi was deputy assistant secretary for children and families under President Bill Clinton, and before that served as his associate commissioner of the Child Care Bureau. Since then Lombardi has served as director of The Children's Project, which helped foundations develop youth-related policy initiatives and projects, and as a professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute.

Prior to being appointed to these positions, Lombardi contributed the article, "The Dawn of a New Era: Investing in Early Childhood Helps America Recover and Grow," to the July/August 2009 issue of Exchange. This article can be viewed at www.ChildCareExchange.com.

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