Elizabeth Jordan is a senior policy fellow who specializes in translating research and data for use by policymakers and practitioners. She brings legal expertise in child welfare law and policy to her role, along with an extensive understanding of early care and education systems. 
 
At Child Trends, Elizabeth has led numerous research projects focused on child welfare and early childhood policies. She provides overall project leadership for the organization’s work on the State Child Abuse & Neglect (SCAN) Policies Database. She has also led several projects that explore opportunities and challenges for coordination between early childhood and child welfare systems, including a 50-state survey of policies and intensive case studies in six states. Elizabeth has also written on the topic for Child Trends and for external publications, including the American Public Human Services Association’s Policy and Practice Magazine and the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare’s CW360° publication.  
 
Elizabeth also develops and nurtures partnerships between researchers and the decision makers who can use that research, including policymakers, advocates, and practitioners. Elizabeth serves as a dissemination lead for several projects, for which she develops and implements strategic plans designed to meet the unique goals of individual initiatives. She also co-leads Child Trends’ ongoing partnership with the Alliance for Early Success, a network of state advocates. Elizabeth has presented to several high-profile policy organizations, including the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Governors Association, and the American Public Human Services Association. 
 
Elizabeth is an attorney in the state of Maryland. She has past experience working at the Washington, DC Superior Court and at the American Bar Association.