Chapin Hall

Clare Anderson, Senior Policy Fellow Emeritus, retired from Chapin Hall in 2025. She had a 35-year career dedicated to improving the lives of children and families, including 12 years at Chapin Hall. Her retirement also marks the 15th year of collaboration and shared commitment to systems change with Chapin Hall’s executive director, Bryan Samuels.

Anderson was the first Policy Fellow at Chapin Hall and helped build the organization’s integrated approach to evidence-based capacity-building and policymaking. Her focus over the past several years was synthesizing, translating, and disseminating the evidence related to economic and concrete supports and well-being. She is widely recognized as a national expert and received two leadership awards, alongside Bryan Samuels: the American Public Human Services Association’s Research and Evaluation Innovation Award (2024) and Casey Family Programs Excellence for Children Award (2025).

Prior to coming to Chapin Hall, Anderson served under Samuels as Deputy Commissioner at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children, Youth and Families. She helped craft a federal policy agenda that integrated well-being with safety and permanency. Anderson began her policy-focused efforts at the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, DC in 2000, conducting court-ordered monitoring of child-welfare-related litigation and supporting philanthropically funded innovations. For the first decade of her career, Anderson was a direct practice social worker and held a small private practice.

In retirement, Anderson will be hiking, biking, boating, skiing, walking the dog, participating in community events, enjoying and making art, living for live music, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.