Cheryl Hoffman

Adjunct Faculty

Dr. Hoffman is an Adjunct Professor in Human Development and Family Sciences and the School of Integrative Studies. She has taught at George Mason University since 2018.

Dr. Hoffman is the Deputy Commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From 2016-2021, Hoffman was the Director of the Children and Youth Policy Division in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HHS, where she also served as the chair of the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs. Hoffman was a 2010 congressional fellow of the American Psychological Association and then spent five years as a legislative director on Capitol Hill working on health, mental health and child welfare issues. She has also led evaluations of SAMHSA systems of care for children’s mental health and campus suicide prevention grants, was a data analyst for the Nashville Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative for youth transitioning out of foster care, and has direct service experience working with youth in residential and community-based settings.

Dr. Hoffman earned a Ph.D. in Community Research and Action from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from Trevecca Nazarene University and a BS in Child Development from Syracuse University. She completed a NIMH pre-doctoral fellowship in child and adolescent mental health services research and her dissertation focused on the characteristics, experiences and strengths of homeless youth in Nashville, Tennessee.

Selected Publications

Katz, J., Alstrom., A.W., Osher, D.M., Thorngren, M., Montes, E., Hoffman, C., Oberlander, S. (2022). Interagency Collaboration and the Development of a Common Outcomes Framework to Advance Positive Youth Development. Available at: https://youth.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/IWGYP-Common-Outcomes-Brief-Layout.pdf.

Blanco, C., Ali, M., Beswick, K., Drexler, C., Hoffman, C., Jones, C.M., Wiley, T., Coukell, A. and the Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Working Group of the Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic. (2020). The American Opioid Epidemic in Special Populations: Five Examples. NAM Perspectives. Discussion Paper, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.31478/202010b.

Pullmann, M.D., Van Hooser, S.E., Hoffman, C., & Heflinger, C.A. (2010). Barriers to and supports of family participation in a rural system of care for children with serious emotional problems. Community Mental Health Journal, 46(3), 211-220.

Hoffman, C., Heflinger, C.A., Athay, M., and Davis, M. (2009). Policy, funding, and sustainability issues and recommendations for transition-age youth with emotional/behavioral disorders. In H.B. Clark and D. Unruh, (Eds.). Transition of Youth and Young Adults with Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties: Evidence-Based Handbook. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, Co.

Davis, M., Greene, M. and Hoffman, C. (2009). The service system obstacle course for transition-age youth and young adults. In H.B. Clark and D. Unruh, (Eds.). Transition of Youth and Young Adults with Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties: An Evidence-Based Handbook. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, Co.

Heflinger, C.A., & Hoffman, C. (2009). Double whammy? Rural youth with serious emotional disturbance and the transition to adulthood. Journal of Rural Health. 25(4), 399-406.

Heflinger, C.A. & Hoffman, C. (2008). Transition age youth with SED in publicly-funded systems: Identifying high risk youth for policy planning. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 35(4), 390-401.

United States Department of Justice (USDOJ). (2008). You’re Not Alone: The Journey from Abduction to Empowerment. Washington, DC: The United States Department of Justice.

Courses Taught

HDFS 200: Introduction to Human Development and Family Sciences

HDFS 300: Individual and Family Development (internship pre-requisite)

HDFS 401: Family Law and Policy

Education

Vanderbilt University
Ph.D. in Community Research and Action
Dissertation: Young and Homeless in Nashville

Trevecca Nazarene University
Master of Marriage and Family Therapy

Syracuse University
B.S. in Child Development, summa cum laude