Judith Meltzer is a Senior Fellow and former President of the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), a national non-profit policy organization that connects community action, public system reform, and policy change to create a fair and just society in which all children and families thrive. Judy has worked at CSSP since its inception, contributing to the overall vision and direction of the center and its future. She brings considerable experience in work related to child and family well-being and public system transformation, strategies for community change and local, state and federal policy initiatives. Judy is one of a handful of pioneers seeking productive, less adversarial approaches to resolving class-action child welfare litigation. In 2005, she was honored by the American Public Human Services Association for her work in this area as the recipient of the Peter Forsythe Award for Leadership in Public Child Welfare. Judy’s work has focused on the development of policies and strategies for child welfare reform and the development of community partnerships for the protection of children. She served as the federal court-appointed monitor of the District of Columbia’s child welfare system and New Jersey’s child welfare system, both of which were defendants in class-action litigation. Judy also served as a member of a Technical Assistance Committee to the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, established as part of a court-ordered settlement agreement. Judy has a master’s degree in social welfare policy from the University of Chicago.
