Child Welfare System Colleagues,   

You may recall that in November 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration nominated me for a program leadership position in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Administration for Children and Families. I wanted to share with you that on December 22, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed my appointment as the Commissioner for the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF).   

My last day as the Child Welfare Division Director in the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) will be December 31, 2022. Aprille Flint-Gerner will serve as interim director after my departure. Aprille currently is the Child Welfare Division deputy director for equity, training and workforce development.   

I am honored and humbled by the appointment but most of all, I am grateful to you. During the past three years, we have stabilized the Child Welfare Division and begun transformation of the child welfare system into one that is focused on prevention and empowering every child and family to live a safe, stable and healthy life. The appointment is a recognition of the rapid improvement, results and compelling vision we delivered for Oregon together. Our vision and our work now have an opportunity to become part of a national conversation.   

We intentionally built our Child Welfare Division Vision for Transformation and put supports in place for its implementation to withstand changes in directors. We have a capable and experienced Child Welfare leadership team in place to carry the work forward. We have the strong support of ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht. We have partners, resource families, and communities at our side. We have you.

We can be proud of where we are today and hopeful about seeing our vision for Oregon children and families come into being. I am looking forward to sharing Oregon as an emerging model for other states to watch.   

 Some of the highlights I am proud of include:

• Building relationships with other system partners such as the Oregon Health Authority
• Leading the collaborative development of Oregon’s Family First Prevention Plan 
• Creating a new leadership role, the Deputy Director for Equity, Training and Workforce Development 
• Leading the development of Child Welfare’s infrastructure to build Family Preservation, Equity, Workforce Development, and Continuous Quality Improvement 
• Reducing the number of children in foster care from over 7,000 to under 5,000 
• Building more transparency and connection between central office and the local offices and communities 

When I first arrived in Oregon, I was struck by the dedication and the passion not only of the Child Welfare staff, but of the many organizations we partner with in working with children and families. Your input, feedback and partnership in creating the Vision for Transformation has made an indelible mark on the state.  I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve alongside you and extremely proud to have played a part in the work you will continue to do to in making sure children and families can thrive in Oregon.   

With appreciation,

Rebecca Jones Gaston (she/hers)  
Director, Child Welfare Division  
Oregon Department of Human Services