Dr. Chahine has dedicated her career to serving children and families and is considered one of the leading national experts on child welfare.

Her work at Casey Family Programs has included leading the foundation’s efforts to safely reduce the need for foster care and to support improvement to the safety and well-being of children and families across the 16 states and multiple child welfare systems in the regions under her oversight. She has also led Casey’s national efforts to work in partnership with child welfare systems and national organizations to improve safety and prevent child maltreatment-related fatalities.

Dr. Chahine brings direct practice experience as well as experience leading large-scale field operations. Prior to joining Casey Family Programs, she served at New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services in multiple roles, including as executive deputy commissioner for child welfare programs. In that role, she was responsible for the operation of all child protective, preventive, foster care and adoption services in New York City. During her 22-year tenure working in child welfare with New York City, she played significant roles in the design, development and implementation of innovative reform initiatives that helped to improve outcomes for children and families.

She holds a doctoral degree from The Graduate Center – City University of New York. She also holds master’s degrees from The Graduate Center in philosophy and from Columbia University in social welfare administration, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College.

Public service, honors and professional affiliations

Dr. Chahine has received local and national recognition for her work. Her awards include the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators Peter W. Forsythe Award for Leadership in Public Child Welfare and the Jim Casey Leadership Award, the highest award presented to a Casey Family Programs employee for exemplary leadership. She was featured in the New York Daily News as an immigrant New Yorker who has made a positive difference for the city.

Dr. Chahine’s publications in the child welfare field include topics such as national child maltreatment response and foster care entries, improving safety and preventing child maltreatment-related fatalities as a public health issue, neighborhood-based services, family team conferences, as well as immigrants and child welfare. She has presented at various national and local forums on the history of child welfare policy through a racial/ethnic perspective promoting the need to shift the current child protection paradigm by focusing on family and child well-being and applying safety science and safety culture.

She has served in multiple roles, including: co-chair of the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators Child Safety Committee, co-chair of the National Breakthrough Series on Safety and Risk, as a member of the National Resource Center for In-home Services, on the advisory board for a special safety initiative at the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and on the Child Welfare League of America National Advisory Committee on Family Preservation and Family Support Services.