Linda Spears

Linda S. Spears was appointed president and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) in October 2023. CWLA is a powerful coalition of hundreds of private and public agencies that, since 1920, has championed better lives for millions of children and families who are vulnerable. 

Linda began her career in child welfare as a social caseworker for the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families. She is a veteran social worker and policy expert who returned to CWLA after serving as the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) commissioner for over eight years. There, she led some 4,200 social workers and staff who served approximately 45,000 children, with a budget of $1.2 billion.

Shortly into Linda’s tenure, the administration entered an unprecedented partnership with social workers to initiate a systemwide transformation based on a quality improvement review conducted by Linda’s CWLA team. This reform supported comprehensive policy reforms and included hiring 600+ new social workers and managers; restructuring foster parent and kinship family recruitment, licensing, and support operations; hiring the department’s first medical director and medical social workers for all DCF offices; and expanding clinical specialty services in domestic violence, substance use, and mental health.

Linda attended the University of Rhode Island and holds a BA in psychology. She received her MSW from the University of Southern California and is pursuing a PhD in social work at Simmons University.