Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., was appointed by President George W. Bush and on July 30, 2001, was confirmed by the United States Senate to be the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  In this position, Dr. Horn oversees over 60 federal programs aimed at improving the well-being of children and helping families achieve self-sufficiency, including welfare, child welfare, child support, child care, and adoption.  From 1994 until assuming his present position, Dr. Horn was President of the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) whose mission is to improve the well-being of children by increasing the number of children growing up with involved, committed and responsible fathers.  From 1989-1993, Dr. Horn was the Commissioner for Children, Youth and Families, and Chief of the Children's Bureau within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Horn also served as a Presidential appointee to the National Commission on Children from 1990-1993, a member of the National Commission on Childhood Disability from 1994-1995, a member of the U.S. Advisory Board on Welfare Indicators from 1996-1997, and a member of the U.S. Advisory Board on Kinship Care from 1998-1999.  Prior to these appointments, Dr. Horn was the Director of Outpatient Psychological Services at the Children's Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University.  Dr. Horn also has served as a member of the U.S. Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation, an adjunct faculty at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute, and an affiliate scholar with the Hudson Institute.

Dr. Horn has written numerous articles relevant to children and family issues, including a weekly newspaper column entitled Fatherly Advice, and is the co-author of several books including The Better Homes and Gardens New Father Book (Meredith Books, 1998) and the Better Homes and Gardens New Teen Book (Meredith Books, 1999).  He is also the lead editor of The Fatherhood Movement: A Call To Action (Lexington Books, 1998).

Dr. Horn has frequently been featured on television and radio as a child development expert and commentator including appearances on NBC's Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, 20/20, 48 Hours, ABC World News Tonight, CNN, NBC Nightly News, CNBC, Fox News Channel, CBN and MS-NBC.

Dr. Horn received his Ph.D. in clinical child psychology from Southern Illinois University in 1981.  He lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with his wife and two daughters.

Dr. Hornís service as a member of the Board of Directors of Awakenings is an approved, personal activity of Dr. Hornís and is not part of his official duties at the Department of Health and Human Services.