Monday, June 02, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES NEW DHS COMMISSIONER

Philadelphia, June 02 –- Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced today that Anne Marie Ambrose will serve as the new Commissioner of the Department of Human Services (DHS). Ms. Ambrose will join DHS from her position as Director of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Services at the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare on June 23rd. In the interim James E. Randolph, currently Deputy Commissioner for Juvenile Justice Services at DHS, will serve as Interim Commissioner, as well as Deputy Commissioner.

The Mayor was joined by senior members of the government at a press conference at City Hall this morning as he made this key appointment. The Mayor invited all Cabinet members and Commissioners to be present, underlining the importance and centrality of the position of DHS Commissioner.

“We all have a stake in DHS’s work of keeping Philadelphia’s children and youth safe. The leader of this department needs to work in partnership with the state, service providers, the School District and other City agencies and communities across this city to deliver the highest quality care,” said Mayor Nutter. “In Anne Marie we have a leader who is extraordinarily well-qualified for this challenge and is a regionally and nationally respected figure. I have complete confidence in Anne Marie’s ability to succeed in this position.”

Anne Marie Ambrose commented: “I am deeply grateful to Mayor Nutter for the trust he has placed in me, to take on this most important mission. Having worked at DHS in the past, I know the genuine commitment and dedication of the staff, who share my passion for ensuring that positive outcomes are achieved for children and families through the delivery of competent, sensitive, and timely services. It is with great anticipation and excitement that I look forward to continuing the great work of leading this agency and to making it a model for excellence in child welfare.”

Ms. Ambrose served as DHS Deputy Commissioner for Juvenile Justice Services from 2001 to 2005. During her tenure, Ms. Ambrose developed and led initiatives to reform and improve the juvenile justice system in Philadelphia. She was a tireless advocate for gender-specific services for girls entering the juvenile justice system, and she was instrumental in the creation of the Philadelphia’s reintegration project, which is a nationally recognized model for aftercare services for delinquent youth. Most notable among her accomplishments were her efforts to reduce chronic overcrowding at the Youth Study Center. Her work in population reform resulted in a three-year period that the population at the Youth Study Center was at or below its legal capacity, the longest sustained population reduction in the facility’s history.

“Ms. Ambrose brings the kind of child and family-focused, practical approach that we were looking for in a leader for DHS,” said Dr. Donald Schwarz, Deputy Mayor for Health and Opportunity. “Further, she knows Philadelphia, knows our State colleagues, and values the daily contributions that each staff person at DHS demonstrates in doing this critically-important work with children.”

At the press conference the Mayor paid tribute to Dr. Arthur Evans, Director of the Department of Behavioral Health, who has also served as Acting Commissioner of DHS since October 2006. Dr. Evans will now continue solely in his position as Director of the Department of Behavioral Health.

“I thank Arthur for leading DHS through this period of transition and reform,” said Mayor Nutter. “He is an exemplary public servant and will continue his great work at the Department of Behavioral Health. We owe him a great debt of gratitude for his period as Acting DHS Commissioner.”

The Mayor also thanked Jim Randolph for his ongoing commitment to the Department. “Jim’s dedication to the City of Philadelphia is demonstrated by his willingness to step forward and lead the Department in this period of transition.”

Anne Marie Ambrose biography

As Director of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Services at the Department of Public Welfare Anne Marie Ambrose is responsible for operation of four regional offices that provide licensing, child abuse investigations and technical assistance for public and private agencies as well as seven state-run facilities for delinquent youth including one for girls.

Anne Marie began her career as an advocate for youth in the juvenile justice system in Philadelphia where she spent 13 years as an attorney for the Defender Association. She left that position in 2000 to become the Deputy Commissioner for Juvenile Justice Services for the City of Philadelphia.

She is a member of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Girl’s Study Group, former Vice President of the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators and a gubernatorial appointee to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. In 2007, Anne Marie provided critical testimony before the United States House and Senate in support of the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.

Anne Marie is a 1987 graduate of the Emory University School of Law.