Connecticut Commission on Children: Thomas R. Brooks, J.D.

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Thomas R. Brooks, J.D.
Director of Policy and Research Analysis,
Connecticut Commission on Children

As the Commission's Director of Policy and Research Analysis, Mr. Brooks is responsible for developing policy proposals on a range of children’s issues. That includes working with representatives of all branches of government and private groups to promote public policies in the best interests of children, identifying emerging issues and policy trends, and enlisting the support of leaders in non-government sectors to improve services and policies for children.

Mr. Brooks serves as Co-Chair of the Connecticut Childhood Obesity Council, a coordinating council of state government agencies and state legislators. He represents the Commission on the Connecticut Family Support Council. Mr. Brooks was a member of the Connecticut Department of Education’s review committee for its "Action Guide for School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies." He has played key roles in developing legislative proposals in the areas of poverty, prevention, bullying, obesity and school readiness.

Before joining the Connecticut Commission on Children in 2001, Mr. Brooks served as Senior Policy Analyst at the Child Welfare League of America. He worked with members of Congress and the executive branch to promote federal policies for young people and their families on issues such as welfare, foster care and adoption, poverty and juvenile justice, and he was a speaker at children’s policy conferences across the nation. Mr. Brooks was Vice Chair of the National Collaboration for Youth’s Washington Support Group. He co-authored an issue brief, "Welfare Reform and Teen Parents."

Mr. Brooks served on the staff of the U.S. House Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families, advising chairs Patricia Schroeder (D-CO) and George Miller (D-CA) on policy strategies related to children and families. At the U.S. House Select Committee on Hunger, Mr. Brooks wrote a congressional report, "Food Security in the United States."

He served as Legislative Director to New York State Assemblyman Martin Luster (D-Trumansburg) and as a Cornell University consultant advising the New York State Office of Children & Family Services. As a law student, Mr. Brooks interned with the United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, the New York State Attorney General, and the Tompkins County Law Guardian.

Mr. Brooks began his career as a juvenile court investigator in New Haven, Connecticut.

As a teenager in Chicago, Mr. Brooks founded the Junior Congress on Constitutional Issues, a youth rights advocacy organization. As JCCI’s president, he surveyed conditions in juvenile facilities, testified on Illinois state education legislation, and worked to raise public awareness of children’s issues.

Mr. Brooks holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity degrees from Yale University, and a Juris Doctorate from Cornell University. He is a member of the New York State Bar.

Mr. Brooks is married to Erica Bodenman Brooks. They have a daughter, Elizabeth Louise, and a son, Trevor William.