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| William C. Bell, Casey Family Programs’ new President and CEO |
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Seattle – Casey Family Programs announced today that William C. Bell – Casey’s current executive vice president of child and family services and former commissioner of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services – has been named the organization’s new president and CEO, effective January 1, 2006. Bell succeeds Ruth W. Massinga, who has served as president and CEO since 1989 and will retire in early 2006.
Casey Family Programs is the nation’s largest foundation dedicated solely to providing and improving—and ultimately preventing the need for—foster care.
“We’re fortunate, as an organization, to have one of America’s leading experts in the foster care and child welfare community within our leadership ranks at Casey,” said Gary R. Severson, Chair of Casey’s Board of Trustees. “William Bell has worked for the last year as part of Casey’s executive management team and closely with our board in driving the vision and business strategy of the organization. It was clear that William shares our vision for the future and brings his own innovative ideas and experience to lead Casey Family Programs into what can only be described as a very challenging future for children, youth and families in foster care.”
As executive vice president of Casey since 2004, Bell was responsible for the leadership, overall management, and strategic direction for Casey’s national field offices and case management programs.
“With the number of children in foster care nearly doubling in the last decade, there is no one I feel more confident about to meet the challenges facing Casey and the child welfare community in the years to come than William Bell,” said Massinga, who will continue to work closely with Bell and the Board of Trustees for the next several months to ensure a smooth leadership transition. “He has the vision, the passion and the expertise to create the partnerships necessary to bring about fundamental changes and improvement to our child welfare system.”
Bell has spent his entire career working to protect and improve the lives of children and youth in foster care. Under his tenure as commissioner of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services, foster care admissions decreased significantly, more children were placed with their families safely, and more adoptions were completed.
Bell has received numerous national awards and accolades for his achievements in reforming and improving child welfare practice and policy, including the National Association for Public Child Welfare Administrators’ Betsey R. Rosenbaum Award for Excellence in Child Welfare Administration. In addition, Bell serves on several national child welfare advisory boards and committees.
“I’m honored that the Board of Trustees has given me this opportunity to lead one of America’s top operating foundations,” said Bell. “I’m also excited to continue the vision and work of Ruth Massinga, who has pushed Casey to do more with its resources and influence to protect the well being of children, youth and families in foster care. I’m excited about the work ahead of us and the progress we’ll make in partnership with business leaders, policymakers, the child welfare community and the children and families we serve.”
Casey Family Programs operates across the country and collaborates with foster, kinship and adoptive parents to provide safe, permanent and loving families for youth in foster care. The foundation also works with counties, states, and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes to improve services and outcomes for the more than 500,000 young people in out-of-home care.