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.