Susan Golonka joined the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Deputy Director of the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) in May 2012. Now as the Acting Director of OFA, she oversees the administration of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, Tribal TANF, the Health Profession Opportunity Grants, and healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood activities-- providing overall guidance and direction for the work of OFA.
Prior to joining the Administration for Children and Families, Ms. Golonka was the program director for human services at the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices. She directed NGA's research and technical assistance efforts for governors' policy advisors and states around issues related to welfare reform, low-income working families and poverty, and child welfare. Prior to this position, she was the director of human services legislation at NGA. In this capacity, she was the principal staff representative for NGA during the national debate and passage of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. Before joining NGA in 1995, Ms. Golonka worked with the Family Impact Seminar, a small nonpartisan public policy institute, and served as a policy advisor to former Governor Kean of New Jersey and for the United States Senate. Ms. Golonka received an MPA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.