Gladys Carrión, Esq.
Gladys Carrión was appointed Commissioner of the New York State Office of Children & Family Services (OCFS) in January 2007.
The numerous responsibilities she oversees at OCFS include foster care, adoption and adoption assistance; child protective services; preventive services for children and families; child care services; and protective programs for vulnerable adults. Commissioner Carrión is also responsible for directing the oversight, administration and management of specialized programs for juvenile delinquents and juvenile offenders and residential facilities for youth placed in the custody of OCFS by the family and criminal courts. She is also responsible for directing the functions performed by the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH), and state government responses to the needs of Native Americans on reservations and in communities.
Previously, Commissioner Carrión was senior vice president for community investment with the United Way of New York City. She was chiefly responsible for implementing United Way's Community Action strategy.
Prior to joining United Way of New York City, she was executive director of Inwood House, one of the oldest youth serving organizations in the city. Inwood House helps teens develop the skills and knowledge necessary to make healthy choices and become active members of their communities, and also serves pregnant and parenting teens in foster care.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Commissioner Carrión is a graduate of Fordham University and New York University School of Law. She began her legal career as an attorney with the Bronx Legal Services Corporation, where she rose to become managing attorney for the South Bronx Office. From her work on behalf of poor Bronx residents in a wide range of issues including housing, welfare, education and family law, she developed an intimate understanding of how to effectively negotiate the state, city and federal government and legal systems.
Ms. Carrión served for three years as commissioner of the New York City Community Development Agency, where she directed a budget of $48 million, developed citywide policy and programs designed to address the human services needs of the city's most vulnerable citizens, and ensured the quality performance of more than 300 city-funded community-based organizations.
Until her appointment, Commissioner Carrión was chair of the board of the New York Foundation, and served on the advisory board of Child Welfare Watch. She has served on numerous boards including the Executive Committee of Legal Services of New York, the Puerto Rican Policy Institute, and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice. She served as the chair of the Latino Child Welfare Collaborative, a project of the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, and was a member of the Children's Defense Fund's New York Advisory Board and a co-chair of Agenda For Children Tomorrow (ACT).
