Linda M. Baldwin, Director

Linda M. Baldwin is the Director of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART). Appointed by the President in July 2009, Ms. Baldwin leads the SMART Office in its dual mission to (1) assist 50 states, five principal territories, 192 tribes, and the District of Columbia to implement the provisions of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and (2) identify, promote and support the use of best practices in the field of sex offender management.

Prior to joining the SMART Office, Ms. Baldwin served as a project manager for the New York State Unified Court System's Office of Court Administration, where she planned and implemented groundbreaking problem-solving court initiatives on behalf of the Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Court Operations and Planning. During her seven-year tenure, Ms. Baldwin implemented and expanded statewide initiatives for New York State's sex offense, mental health and drug treatment courts.

As part of her work on the New York State Sex Offense Court Initiative, Ms. Baldwin organized training programs designed to teach and promote best practices for managing the high risk population of sex offenders. Ms. Baldwin led an effort to create the Initiative's Mission Statement and Key Principles, which were designed to guide and promote uniformity among these courts.

Ms. Baldwin developed and managed New York State's Mental Health Courts Initiative, providing technical assistance and training to jurisdictions across New York State and increasing the number of mental health courts from 5 to 22 over five years. Ms. Baldwin was involved in training, policy and program development for drug courts in New York State, co-chaired the New York City Regional Drug Treatment Court Workgroup, and was regional manager for the adult, family and juvenile drug treatment courts in New York City and Long Island. These courts have resulted in reduced recidivism and have provided significant cost savings for local jurisdictions and New York State.

Prior to joining the New York State Unified Court System, Ms. Baldwin spent eight years in private practice, concentrating in commercial litigation, real estate and zoning law. She began her legal career in 1993 as a law clerk for New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Gary S. Stein after receiving her law degree from Columbia University School of Law.

Before attending law school, Ms. Baldwin worked as a city planner for the City of New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development and Department of City Planning. Ms. Baldwin received a master's degree in urban planning from New York University's Wagner School of Public Service and a bachelor of arts degree from Amherst College.