Lawton Chiles GovernorofFlorida, 1991-1998 Social Change, Public Policy and Community Collaborations: Training Human Development Professionalsfor the Twenty-First Century is more than the name of the Third National Applied Developmental Science Conference; it is more than the name of a book prepared from the proceedings of this conference. It describes one of the largest and most complex challenges facing state government, higher education and communities in the coming decade. The answer to this challenge will not be found in a college or program in our higher education institution nor in laws conceived and written in state capitals. The answers to this challenge are to be found at the place where academia, public policy, and communities meet. The problems and issues that are facing our children and families will require that all the players work together to develop community-driven programs, designed and evaluated using current research and staffed by highly trained professionals. It will be critical that academia, policy makers, legislators, and community members work together to ensure that the programs we design work. We must ensure that research is being conducted so that programs that work better are continued and programs that don't are stopped.