I serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this career civil service position, I direct the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, whose mission is to advise agency leadership on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of programs designed to improve the economic and social well-being of children and families. We fulfill this mission by sponsoring research and evaluation studies through grants and contracts; coordinating performance management across the agency; and working to improve the quality and use of data. ACF’s evaluation policy includes five principles that guide our work: rigor, relevance, transparency, independence and ethics.
In the remainder of this blog, I’ll use “we” rather than “I” much of the time. This isn’t the royal we. It’s a recognition that all of this work is carried out with, through, and largely by other people — especially the talented and dedicated staff in my office; our partners in federal program offices and in state, local, and tribal governments, and human service organizations; and researchers in the private sector, including research firms and academia.
I don’t love my job every day. Like every workplace, or perhaps even more so, the federal government offers many challenges. On a bad day, when I feel discouraged, I remind myself that I am fortunate to have a job where the mission is so compelling that I’m willing to fight for it. Here are a few things that motivate me.
Reason number one: I have the opportunity to create knowledge.
I was brought up to believe that the only thing worth doing was to add to the sum of accurate information in the world. — Margaret Mead
I can’t agree with Dr. Mead that building knowledge is the only worthwhile human endeavor. I’m also keen on loving and helping people, building community, creating beauty, and finding joy, to name a few other meaningful activities. But I believe the drive to learn is an important part of what makes us human. Being in a position to create knowledge is a tremendous privilege.
The bread-and-butter work of my office involves identifying key questions, translating them into concrete requirements for a contract or grant announcement, overseeing review and selection among competitive submissions, guiding the work, and helping to translate the findings to make them useful for decision-makers. We study the operations and impacts of ACF programs, and the needs and strengths of the populations we serve. We sponsor work to advance methods for learning. And we work to improve the quality, usefulness, sharing, and availability of data.
Reason number two: I can contribute to making the world a better place.
The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. — Albert Schweitzer
Although our work has much in common with and draws upon basic research, we do not pursue knowledge for its own sake. Rather, we aim to strengthen government and society by supporting ACF programs and our partners in making human services as efficient, effective, and equitable as possible.[i] These services are designed to help the vulnerable, alleviate suffering, and help participants reach their potential.
The mission of the ACF is to foster health and well-being by providing federal leadership, partnership, and resources for the compassionate and effective delivery of human services. ACF’s vision is children, youth, families, individuals and communities who are resilient, safe, healthy, and economically secure.[ii] The importance of these goals demands that we continually innovate and improve, and that we evaluate our activities and those of our partners.[iii]
Reason number three: I have the responsibility to carry out the laws and serve the people of my country.
Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation. — Margaret Chase Smith
Although we have considerable latitude in identifying specific learning questions to pursue, all of the work of my office is authorized, guided, and funded by statute. We are not autonomous actors. Rather we play a specific role in the Administration for Children and Families, nested within the Department of Health and Human Services, nested within the executive branch, nested within the government, which exists to serve the people. When I joined the federal government, I swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; … bear true faith and allegiance to the same; … and … well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter...”. I meant it.
Reason number four: My colleagues
I'm not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
I work with staff across ACF who are knowledgeable, kind, and mission driven. They persevere to lead ACF’s programs through bureaucratic obstacles, changing political priorities, and limited resources. OPRE’s staff, whom I know best, are a national treasure whose skills, commitment, compassion, and integrity impress me every day.
Further, as a manager, I have the opportunity and responsibility to foster a positive work environment. This is a weighty trust. I aim to be honest and open; to listen; to minimize red tape and fight for the tools and resources we need to do the work; to support risk-taking; and to defend the integrity and objectivity of our work. We all spend a great deal of our lives at work. I hope to help make it rewarding for the people within my purview.
In short, my job allows and requires me to build knowledge, help people, serve my country, and collaborate with admirable colleagues. It’s a wonderful life.
Naomi Goldstein is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation. She serves as ACF’s Chief Evaluation Officer. Goldstein joined ACF as Director of the OPRE Division of Child and Family Development in 2001. She became Director of OPRE in 2004 and Deputy Assistant Secretary in 2015. Previously, she directed the United States Postal Service Commission on a Safe and Secure Workplace, an independent commission that examined workplace violence affecting the postal service and the nation. She served as project manager for the Urban Institute’s Assessing the New Federalism project and as Executive Officer in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HHS. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Massachusetts state government and developed infant mortality prevention programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Goldstein received a B.A. in philosophy from Yale University, a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University. She was awarded the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive in 2012.