Erin McDonald, PhD is a senior advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health where she co-leads the HHS Food is Medicine Initiative and leads People and Places Thriving.  Before stepping into this role she was the regional administrator for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the mid-Atlantic, where she led strategic initiatives to promote the economic wellbeing of children and families. Prior to joining federal service, Erin served in leadership roles in public sector, philanthropic, and non-profit organizations including the chief strategy officer for Human Services in the New York City Mayor’s Office, the vice president of research and strategy at Feeding America, and the director of research and evaluation at Women’s World Banking. She holds a PhD in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a Master’s in Public Policy and Evaluation from Johns Hopkins Policy Studies Institute. (Washington, DC).