Bryan Samuels Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Direct the operations and priorities of a $20 million nonprofit research and policy organization focused on a mission of improving the well-being of children and youth, families, and their communities. Chapin Hall partners with policymakers, practitioners, and philanthropists at the forefront of research and policy development by applying a unique blend of scientific research, real world experience, and policy expertise to construct actionable information, practical tools, and, ultimately, positive change for children, youth, and families. Chapin Hall’s areas of research include child welfare, juvenile justice, youth homelessness; schools, school systems, and out-of-school time; and youth crime and justice.

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

As ACYF Commissioner, a presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed position, served as lead administrator of federal programs addressing child abuse and neglect, youth experiencing homelessness, domestic and intimate partner violence, and teen pregnancy. Developed and implemented research, demonstration projects, and evaluation strategies for the discretionary funding of activities designed to improve and enrich the lives of children and youth and to strengthen families. These duties involved the administration of more than $9.5 billion to states, community-based organizations, and academic institutions to provide services, carry out research and demonstration activities, and undertake training, technical assistance, and information dissemination. This position also included overseeing policy-making on issues related to child abuse and neglect, child protective services, family preservation and support, adoption, foster care, and independent living, as well as the National Runaway Switchboard, a confidential, 24-hour, toll-free hotline for runaway youth; the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY); and the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Worked with the Chief Executive Officer to manage day-to-day operations of the third largest school system in the nation with 420,000 students, 623 schools, and 44,000 employees. Supervised the Office of Strategic Planning, Internal Audits Department, Environmental Programs, Business Diversity Office, and Adult with Disabilities Officer. Responsibilities included reviewing all proposed policy changes recommended to the Chicago Board of Education, overseeing cross-departmental planning and communication; monitoring implementation of new initiatives; and coordinating the district’s legislative agenda at state, federal, and city levels. During tenure, the District expanded the number of charter schools, introduced new teacher evaluation strategies, implemented innovative approaches to measure student growth and success and inform teachers and principals about improving instruction; recruited, developed, and rewarded effective teachers and principals; and introduced comprehensive reforms for the lowest-achieving schools. Also led the district-wide effort to re-design all school-based behavioral health and mental health services provided to general education students.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

ensuring compliance with state and federal child welfare laws: establishing policies and procedures that ensured effective service delivery to children and their families; overseeing contracts with non-profit foster care agencies; setting budget and program priorities; and maintaining a strong working relationship with the state’s employees union. During tenure, developed and implemented comprehensive assessment of all children entering care, re-designed transitional living and independent living programs to prepare youth for transition to adulthood, created a child location unit that tracks all youth who run away and collaborated with local law enforcement to facilitate the search for these youth, introduced evidence-based services to address the impact of trauma and exposure to violence, established a public/private monitoring unit to ensure the safety of all children placed in residential treatment programs or group homes, redesigned performance-based contracting to emphasize well-being outcomes in addition to permanency, and implemented a new placement system to keep children in the same school they attended prior to substitute care.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Focused on promoting the social and economic well-being of citizens in Northern Illinois – Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Kane and Will counties. Responsibilities included developing a regional index of well-being for Chicago regions, working with state and local advocates to educate the public about state statues and policies that exacerbate urban sprawl, writing issue papers related to regional development, and facilitating a transition team for the newly elected governor. Areas of policy research for regional index included urban sprawl; the concentration of poor minorities; the spatial mismatch between jobs, affordable housing and transportation; and the disparate degrees of access to quality education.

Master Of Public Policy, Public Policy

Bachelor'S Degree, Economics