Deborah S. Smolover

Under Deb’s leadership, America Forward has leveraged over $2 billion in public funding for social innovation, championed numerous pieces of breakthrough federal legislation, and helped drive millions in federal resources to programs achieving measurable outcomes for children, workers, and families. Deb has overseen the growth of the America Forward Coalition to over 100 social innovation organizations, in more than 15,000 communities nation-wide, advocating collectively and driving progress in: early, K-12, and post-secondary education; youth mental health and well-being; economic mobility; social innovation; national service; and civic participation. She also led the development and launch of: the America Forward Advocacy Institute, helping social innovators become better, bolder advocates; multiple United to Move America Forward nonpartisan election initiatives; and America Forward’s Whole-Learner and Today’s Student national public engagement campaigns.

Deb has a long-standing interest in how the public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors can best leverage their resources and expertise to address intractable social issues. Deb’s work began in the public sector. Following a federal judicial clerkship, she joined the U.S. Department of Justice and had a distinguished career as a federal trial attorney, handling high-profile white-collar criminal and civil cases. At DOJ, Deb received the John Marshall Award, the Department’s highest honor for a trial attorney recognizing outstanding performance. Deb then served as Counsel to former Attorney General Eric Holder and as Associate Deputy Attorney General. In that role, she chaired the multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Children Exposed to Violence Initiative, directed the first Public Private Partnership Initiative, and led national Safe from the Start Summits. Her portfolio also included juvenile justice, community policing, crime victims rights, violence against women, white collar criminal matters, and clemency issues.

Deb transitioned to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector to focus on positive youth development, violence prevention, and social innovation policy. She served in senior leadership roles at various nonprofit organizations and foundations, including: Vice President and General Counsel of the I am Your Child Foundation, an early childhood development policy and public awareness organization; Vice President for Public Policy at Turnaround for Children, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming high-poverty low-performing schools; Public Policy Director at the Yale University Child Study Center/National Center for Children Exposed to Violence, the first national program dedicated to cutting-edge law enforcement/mental health partnerships that effectively break the cycle of violence; and a Managing Partner at New Profit, a national venture philanthropy firm investing in social entrepreneurs, where America Forward was incubated.

Deb is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College. She has taught courses on Social Innovation Policy and Practice, American Government and Policy, White Collar Crime, and Law and Writing at law schools, public policy schools, and universities in DC, Virginia, and Massachusetts. She is a sought-after public speaker on issues relating to social innovation policy and children exposed to violence, and she has published numerous articles on  education innovation, juvenile justice policy, law enforcement/mental health partnerships, and evidence-based policy. Her nonprofit board service includes: the AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation; the Human Potential L.A.B.; the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE); Third Sector; and the We Are Family Foundation.