Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed Rebecca Jones Gaston as Commissioner of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), marking a new chapter for the agency overseeing child welfare, juvenile justice, and family support programs.
Jones Gaston is a nationally recognized leader in human services with almost 30 years of experience in child welfare and family support. She held the role of Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2022 to 2025, where she directed initiatives to expand prevention programs, strengthen kinship and foster care services, and advance youth development.
Before her federal service, Jones Gaston directed child welfare systems in Maryland and Oregon. In Maryland, she reduced the number of children in foster care by 50% while expanding service flexibility and securing early federal approval for the state’s Family First Prevention Plan. In Oregon, she guided a major system turnaround, cutting out-of-state placements and reducing out-of-home placements by more than 2,000 children over two years.
Born into foster care in Minnesota and raised by a white family in Iowa, Jones Gaston has described her personal experiences as shaping her commitment to children and families. “This is our opportunity to move beyond managing crises and instead invest in prevention, trust and strengthen families, and ensure every family and child has a real pathway to stability, belonging, and opportunity,” she explained.
Her appointment follows a turbulent search for the agency’s leadership, with previous finalists withdrawing or not advancing due to concerns about their approaches to ACS reform. City data shows roughly 3,000 children enter foster care each year, and investigations disproportionately involve Black and Latino families.
Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga highlighted Jones Gaston’s qualifications, noting, “Rebecca Jones Gaston brings decades of experience – from her years of direct practice to her leadership at the highest levels of government – in building systems that keep children and families safe.” Mayor Mamdani emphasized that her leadership will focus on safety, family support, and opportunities for young people to flourish.
