Jennifer Cannistra '01 has led several cross-functional health and human services offices at the federal and state level. Since February 2021, she has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, where she helps to coordinate cross-cutting policies and programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. Immediately before joining ACF, she was Deputy Administrator for Strategy and Performance of the Family Services Administration at the DC Department of Human Services, where she led a team supporting the agency’s mission of providing protection, intervention, and social services to meet the needs of vulnerable adults and families.  She also previously served as Director of the Systems Transformation Administration at the DC Department of Behavioral Health, which oversees DC’s public behavioral health system and provides prevention, intervention, and treatment services for children and adults.

Before that, Cannistra served for eight years in the Obama-Biden Administration.  From 2014-2017, she was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).  She also co-chaired the Administration’s working group to end youth homelessness.  From 2011-2014, she served as HHS Executive Secretary, leading an office that manages the development, clearance, and submission of regulatory and policy documents to the HHS Secretary.  From 2009-2011, Cannistra worked on the Affordable Care Act, first at the White House and then as part of the HHS Office of Health Reform.

Cannistra received her A.B. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, her M.Sc. from Oxford University, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
 

Larry Handerhan *12 has spent over 15 years in the public sector helping government agencies work better for communities. He currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF), where he started as Chief of Staff in 2021 and supports day-to-day operations for the federal government’s largest human services agency focused on children, youth, and families.

Prior to his position at ACF, Larry was Chief of Staff for the D.C. Department of Human Services, an agency responsible for administering public benefits, ending homelessness, and delivering anti-poverty programs. Previously, he spent five years at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where he started as a President Management Fellow and led initiatives to improve internal management and support partnerships with philanthropic and international stakeholders. Larry has also worked for then-Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom and served as a team leader in AmeriCorps.

Larry received a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and a B.A. from Bates College. He is Co-Chair of the SPIA Advisory Council and serves as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the LeDroit Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

This is part of the Princeton in Washington program, which is open to current Princeton students and recent alumni in the D.C. area over the summer. Email the Princeton in Washington coordinator to learn the location and RSVP.