Meghan McCarthy is a senior policy advisor for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Ms. McCarthy reviews and assesses sex offender registration and notification systems in states and tribal jurisdictions to determine substantial implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). She also assists with reviewing and analyzing federal and state sex offender registration and notification case law.
Prior to joining the SMART Office, Ms. McCarthy served as the manager for policy and governmental affairs at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Ms. McCarthy provided substantive assistance on NCMEC's legal affairs, including litigation, governance and internal policy issues, and provided advice and guidance on policy and legislation pertaining to NCMEC's mission. She assisted with NCMEC's advocacy efforts and lobbied the U.S. Congress on federal funding and issues concerning missing and exploited children, including child sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking. Her efforts helped lead to the passage of significant child protection and anti-trafficking legislation in the 115th Congress. Ms. McCarthy also provided technical assistance to members of Congress, state legislators, other governmental entities, and the public about issues related to missing and exploited children and helped NCMEC create policy positions about specific child protection issues.
Before joining NCMEC, Ms. McCarthy handled civil litigation at an international law firm in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Washington, D.C., for several years.
Ms. McCarthy received her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law, where she was a member of the Florida Law Review and served as the executive research editor, and her Bachelor of Science with a major in psychology from the University of Florida. Ms. McCarthy is a member of the Maryland bar.