CRANSTON – Jamia R. McDonald will leave her position as acting director of the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, and a national search will be conducted to find a replacement.
The announcement was made Friday by Health and Human Services Secretary Elizabeth H. Roberts, who credited McDonald with beginning a turnaround of DCYF. McDonald is leaving her position to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
She will remain in her current role while the agency searches for a permanent DCYF director.
“Jamia has done significant work on behalf of the most vulnerable families in Rhode Island,” Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement. “In less than two years, she moved quickly to reorganize DCYF, address operational challenges and set the organization on a path to excellence through her reform initiatives. She’s laid a foundation that will allow us to recruit a highly-qualified, permanent director. I am deeply grateful that Jamia will continue to lead DCYF while we conduct a national search for a permanent director. I’m equally grateful for her near decade of service to the state.”
McDonald said it “has been an honor” to serve the governor and the children and families of Rhode Island in “this incredibly demanding role.”
Changes at DCYF during McDonald’s tenure include keeping children closer to their families and communities, improving preventative services to families, and reducing the number of children in group homes. The agency also took measures to improve quality, operations and management, and deliver services more efficiently.
In January 2015, McDonald became chief strategy officer at EOHHS, a position she held in addition becoming acting director at DCYF at that time. Prior to becoming chief strategy officer, McDonald oversaw a turnaround at the R.I. Emergency Management Agency, where she advised on emerging threats, homeland security matters and potential natural disasters.
Roberts will serve on the search committee, along with:
- Victor Capellan, Central Falls superintendent of schools
- Nancy Benoit, retired legislator and educator
- Darlene Allen, executive director, Adoption RI
- Jennifer Griffith, Rhode Island child advocate
- Linda D’Amario-Rossi, former director, DCYF
The search committee will conduct two public listening sessions, which will be scheduled in the coming weeks.
The search committee will provide a recommended candidate to Raimondo for her approval.
“These listening sessions are part of the search for our next DCYF director and will be invaluable to us in learning firsthand what the community would like to see in this new leader,” Roberts said.
