Christine Norbut Beyer, MSW, is a nationally recognized child and family policy and practice leader with more than 30 years of experience across government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as Executive in Residence (EIR) at Think Of Us, a national non-profit driving systems change in child welfare, using data, technology, policy and lived experience as the levers for transformation. The EIR role is focused on supporting efforts in Innovation for Prevention.
Most recently Christine served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, where she led a $2.2 billion cabinet-level agency serving more than 100,000 children, youth, and families each month. Appointed by Governor Phil Murphy in 2018, Beyer transformed the department into a prevention-focused organization centered on the vision that all New Jerseyans are safe, healthy, and connected. During her tenure, New Jersey successfully exited a 20-year federal child welfare lawsuit, reduced foster care placements by 56 percent to one of the lowest rates in the nation, expanded investments in children’s mental health and primary prevention, and established groundbreaking initiatives including Universal Nurse Home Visitation, Kinship First legislation, NJ Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S), and the nation’s first Offices of Family Voice and Staff Health and Wellness.
Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, Beyer served as Senior Director of Strategic Consulting for Casey Family Programs, where she partnered with states and communities across the country to improve child welfare outcomes and safely reduce reliance on foster care. She also held multiple leadership positions within New Jersey’s child welfare system, including Assistant Commissioner and Director of the state’s child protection agency.
Beyer holds a Master of Social Work in Administration, Policy, and Planning from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Social Work from Stockton University. She is an Aspen Institute Ascend Leadership Fellow.
A passionate advocate for children, families, and communities, Beyer is widely respected for advancing prevention, equity, family voice, and systems transformation in child and family services.