Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden
Under the leadership of Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the New York State Senate confirmed the appointment Wednesday of Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden as the new Commissioner of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).
Dr. Harris-Madden previously served as Executive Director of the Westchester County Youth Bureau from 2018 until her appointment. Governor Kathy Hochul nominated her to the OCFS post earlier this month, and on Wednesday, Sen. Stewart-Cousins brought a confirmation vote to the State Senate floor, with Dr. Harris-Madden and her family in attendance.
“As a Westchester resident and as somebody who has known Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden for years, I’m so pleased that the governor has selected her for this position,” Sen. Stewart-Cousins said. “As Director of the Westchester County Youth Bureau, Dr. Harris-Madden kept a focus on the youth of our county by developing and implementing more than 200 youth-centered programs each year to support and nurture children, including implementing the OCFS Youth Development Program and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program in Westchester. She is an exceptional leader, and the Office of Children and Family Services will be an even better organization under her leadership.”
Sen. Stewart-Cousins’ comments were echoed by Bernie Dean, the Acting Executive Director of the Westchester County Youth Bureau, who thanked Dr. Harris-Madden for her excellent work in Westchester and wished her the best in her new role.
The OCFS is an agency of the New York State Department of Family Assistance, and provides families and youth with services and resources across a broad spectrum, helping families find childcare, working to prevent child abuse, overseeing the state’s foster system for children and parents, providing health care and disability services, and a host of other functions.
