Sheila J. Poole
Commissioner
New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)
Sheila J. Poole is Commissioner of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). She joined the agency in 2007 as Associate Commissioner in the Division of Child Welfare and Community Services before being promoted to Executive Deputy Commissioner.
As former Commissioner of the Albany County Department for Children, Youth, and Families, Ms. Poole brings a comprehensive understanding of local social service agency needs to OCFS. She led the transformation of the former Albany County Department of Social Services to the current model of an integrated social services district providing child welfare, early intervention, youth development and children’s mental health services.
Ms. Poole began her career in the not-for-profit mental health sector, creating community-based housing and rehabilitative services for individuals transitioning from state institutional settings. Ms. Poole also spent five years working in the Tennessee child welfare system.
Ms. Poole earned a master’s degree in Psychology from Russell Sage College in Troy, New York after completing her undergraduate work in Psychology at Siena College in Loudonville, New York. She and her husband Ryan live in the Capital District and are the proud parents of two daughters.