Judith Meltzer

Judith Meltzer is the 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. As President of CSSP, Ms. Meltzer is responsible for developing the overall vision and direction of the Center and, in conjunction with the staff and leadership team, driving the future vision of CSSP. With a particular focus on improving the ways in which public systems support families and ensure children are able to grow up in safe, stable families, Ms. Meltzer brings considerable experience in work related to child and family well-being and public system reform, strategies for community change and local, state and federal policy initiatives.

Ms. Meltzer’s previous work focused on the development of policies and strategies for child welfare reform and the development of community partnerships for the protection of children. She serves 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 are subject to oversight as the result of class action litigation.  She is co-monitor for a class action lawsuit governing reforms to South Carolina’s child welfare system, a member of a Co-Neutral team assessing reform in New Mexico and 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. Ms. Meltzer 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. Ms. Meltzer previously served as CSSP’s Executive Vice President and has a Master’s Degree in Social Welfare Policy from the University of Chicago.