Joseph A. Califano Jr.

About the Author

Joseph A. Califano Jr. is a distinguished public servant, lawyer, and author whose career has spanned decades of influential leadership in American government and policy. Serving as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under President Lyndon B. Johnson and as President Jimmy Carter's chief domestic policy advisor, Califano has been at the forefront of shaping national initiatives on health, education, and social welfare. A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Harvard Law School, he has also held key roles in private practice and as chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. In his writing, Califano draws on his extensive experience to critique systemic issues and advocate for reform, as seen in his incisive work 'Our Damaged Democracy: We the People Must Act,' where he calls for citizen engagement to restore democratic integrity amid political dysfunction.