Cynthia Flynn joined the faculty of the College of Social Work in 1998, where she now serves as interim director of the Center for Child and Families Studies (CCFS). Prior to joining the University of South Carolina, Flynn was a research coordinator for the Center for Rehabilitation Technology Services for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department.

Flynn leads the strategic planning and overall operations and serves as principal investigator for contracts with state agencies and organizations, such as the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The CCFS provides professional development and capacity building to improve the lives of vulnerable populations and communities, and developing, facilitating and providing solutions throughout the entirety of each project. Current projects are Medicaid eligibility training for the DHHS staff and basic training for several divisions at DSS. Instructional design, media production and training evaluation are provided to both agencies. For the DSS agency, the CCFS staff also conducts Child Protective Service quality assurance reviews, a federally required survey of youth exiting foster care, and various other research and evaluation tasks.         

Flynn’s publications focus on adolescent adoptions and has authored and co-authored scientific journal articles on topics including, successful adoptions amid challenges, and adolescent adoptions and the birth family. Her publications have been featured in scholarly journals, such as the Journal of Public Child Welfare and Child and Youth Services Review.

Flynn received a Master of Education in Education Administration from South Dakota State University. She earned her Ph.D. in special education, with a concentration in human services management, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.