Youth program leader to take helm at DCYF
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Jul. 3—CONCORD — A leading advocate who built a nationally renowned network of services for troubled youth will be the new director of the Division of Children, Youth and Families in New Hampshire, state officials announced Monday.
Jeff Fleischer will start Aug. 1 to replace Joe Ribsam, who stepped down after five years to take a position with the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
For 38 years until his retirement last January, Fleischer worked with Youth Advocate Program Inc. (YAP), which offers a cost-effective alternative to jail or other institutional housing for troubled youth.
Fleischer worked the past 20 years as YAP's CEO helping grow it to 150 program sites that serve 20,000 youth and their families each year while employing 2,000 staff.
Health and Human Services Acting Commissioner Lori Weaver said Fleischer has been a national leader who has worked with child welfare and juvenile justice agencies to apply family-centered strategies to reduce the number of youth needing out-of-home placement or detention settings.
Fleischer chaired the National Human Service Assembly from 2019 to 2022.
"With his skills in strategic leadership, programmatic oversight, community collaboration, and executive management, Jeff is the ideal individual to guide DCYF's next chapter," Weaver said in a statement.
Interim DCYF Director Marie Noonan will move back into her role as chief of operations and help Fleischer as she has more than 20 years of service at DCYF, Weaver said.
"From parents and families to division staff and community partners, it takes all of us, and Jeff will be an exceptional addition, helping ensure the strength of New Hampshire's next generation," Weaver added.
Worked in 33 states, five countries
Fleischer holds a bachelor's degree and master's degree in social work from Rutgers University. At YAP Inc., his work took him to 33 states plus Washington, D.C., and several countries, including Australia, Guatemala, Ireland, Sierra Leone and Sweden.
Prior to being at YAP Inc., Fleischer directed La Casa De Don Pedro's youth programs in Newark, New Jersey, developing programs serving high-risk youth and gangs.
DCYF has a staff of about 700 who serve 15,000 children and their families.
Ribsam presided over the DCYF during a turbulent time when hundreds of former residents filed lawsuits alleging they suffered sexual and physical abuse at the Sununu Youth Services Center (SYSC) and its predecessor Youth Development Center in Manchester.
The Legislature last year used budget surplus to create a $100 million fund to compensate victims and named as its administrator former Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick.
One of Fleischer's top tasks will be to supervise construction of a trauma-centered replacement for the SYSC that will likely be on the grounds of Hampstead Hospital the state bought from a private entity to convert into a cutting edge mental health treatment program for juveniles.
Ribsam took the post of director of child welfare and juvenile justice policy at the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The number of children in out-of-home care programs dropped 25% in recent years and Ribsam maintained New Hampshire had the lowest combined rate of youth detention and commitment in the nation.
"As I move on, I pray that you all remain collectively committed to this vision and to each other, so we can deliver an even brighter tomorrow for those we serve," Ribsam said at the time he announced his departure.
