Mamdani taps former Biden official Rebecca Jones Gaston as ACS commissioner

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has selected Rebecca Jones Gaston to lead New York City's Administration for Children's Services; Gaston previously headed the federal Administration on Children, Youth and Families and spent time in foster care as an infant.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tapped Rebecca Jones Gaston to serve as commissioner of the New York City Administration for Children's Services. Gaston is a former senior official who led the Administration on Children, Youth and Families in the Biden administration and previously oversaw child welfare systems in Oregon and Maryland. She spent time in foster care as an infant and was later adopted and raised in Iowa, details she has discussed publicly. City Hall highlighted her record in reducing foster care caseloads and expanding family-focused services when announcing the selection. Appointment details: - The mayor's office confirmed the appointment in a news release reported by NBC New York. - Gaston previously served as ACYF commissioner in the Biden administration and held leadership roles overseeing child welfare in Oregon and Maryland. - As executive director of Maryland's Social Services Administration, officials say she reduced the number of children in foster care by about 50%. - While at ACYF, she is reported to have expanded legal representation for families, strengthened protections for LGBTQIA+ youth in care, increased access for kinship caregivers, and overseen approval of prevention plans under the Family First Prevention Services Act. - The appointment comes as ACS continues to address racial disparities in foster care; city data show about 3,000 children a year are placed in foster care now compared with nearly 6,000 in 2011. - City Hall named an interim commissioner, Melissa Hester, earlier this year after passing over two previous finalists, Michelle Burrell and Angela Burton; Burton's past description of herself as an "abolitionist" drew attention and concern within the child welfare community, sources told NBC New York. Summary: Gaston will lead ACS at a moment when the agency is navigating lower overall foster care numbers but persistent racial disparities in who enters care. Undetermined at this time.