Carolyn Colvin

Carolyn W. Colvin (born May 27, 1942 in Arnold, Maryland) was the Acting Commissioner of Social Security Administration in the United States, appointed on February 14, 2013, having succeeded Michael J. Astrue.

Colvin served as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources from 1989–1994.

She had previously worked at the Social Security Administration during the 1990s.

Colvin is a graduate of Morgan State University with a BS in Business Administration and an MBA.

She has one son and six grandchildren.

She went on to perform a number of roles for the Social Security Administration, the Deputy Commissioner for Policy and External Affairs, from 1994-1996, the Deputy Commissioner for Programs and Policy, from 1996-1998, and the Deputy Commissioner for Operations, from 1998–2001.

She served as Director of the District of Columbia Department of Human Services, from 2001–2003, before going on to be the Director of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, from 2003–2007, and the Chief Executive Officer of AMERIGROUP Community Care of the District of Columbia, from 2007–2008.

She was appointed Special Assistant to the Secretary of Maryland Department of Transportation, serving from 2009–2011.

Previously, she was the Deputy Commissioner, having been nominated by Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate in 2010.

On June 20, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated her to serve as the commissioner.

On September 18, 2014, the United States Senate Committee on Finance approved her nomination by a 22–2 vote.

However, her nomination was never brought up for a vote before the full Senate.

In November 2020, Colvin was named a member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the Social Security Administration.

Colvin is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.