The acting head of the Rhode Island’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families is leaving her post. She’s the third Health and Human Services agency leader to step down in less than a few months.
Jamia McDonald took the helm at DCYF less than two years ago, and she was trying to turn the struggling agency around. The challenges include a lack of foster families and a high percentage of children lingering in institutional care. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services has convened a national search committee and will hold two public listening sessions about the agency’s future director.
McDonald says she is leaving for a job in the private sector.
Her departure leaves vacancies at the helm of three top state health agencies: DYCF, Medicaid and the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.
