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DSS Veteran, First Appointed in 2021, Will Continue Work to Revitalize Agency
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins announced the reappointment of Leonard G. Townes as Commissioner of the Department of Social Services.
Townes was first appointed Commissioner in February 2021, capping a 36-year career at the Department that began as an Eligibility Examiner. He had previously served as Deputy Commissioner. Townes also currently serves as president of the Board of Directors of the New York Public Welfare Association. He is also an Elder on New York State’s recently convened Fatherhood Steering Committee, established to help guide statewide fatherhood engagement across family-serving system, and in Blue Nile Rights of Passage of Harlem and Westchester, a spiritual, cultural and moral character development mentor program with a focus on youth of African descent.
With a $750 million budget and 1,000 employees, the Department of Social Services is the County's largest department, providing food, medical, housing, child care and child support services, and child and adult welfare protection to hundreds of thousands of Westchester's most vulnerable residents annually.
Jenkins said: "The Department of Social Services provides crucial services for the county's most overlooked residents: improving community stability through housing support, making sure people don't go hungry, providing people in crises with lifeline services to get them back on their feet, and protecting children and vulnerable adults when they can't protect themselves.
“Leonard took the reins during one of the most difficult times the Department has faced, the COVID crisis, and has worked to revitalize the Department with a data-driven approach focusing on service, staff development and innovative and efficient use of technology. Today we face new challenges stemming from both the economic environment and uncertainty about federal support for the vulnerable. Commissioner Townes is the right person to continue to lead DSS through the coming challenges and opportunities."
Townes said: "I want to thank County Executive Jenkins for the opportunity to continue to serve the people in Westchester who need our help the most. Our work is about protecting the vulnerable, strengthening families and supporting people in need so they can get back on their feet, and I am grateful to the Department's tireless, dedicated employees for the commitment to that mission that they display every day.
“As Commissioner, my work also is to build a resilient, efficient, 21st-century organization focused on innovation and best-practices, fostering new ideas, efficiently using the newest technology, and building robust leadership across the whole department, and I'm grateful for the chance to continue the process of revitalizing the department."
A graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with an M.P.A. from Pace University, Townes is a lifelong resident of Westchester, graduating from Woodlands High School in Hartsdale, and currently resides in Dobbs Ferry.
