05/11/2021
For Immediate Release:
May 10, 2021, Syosset, NY… MercyFirst, a multiservice organization serving the children, youth and families of Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, today announced that Ms. Renée Skolaski, MSW, has been named President & Chief Executive Officer of MercyFirst, effective immediately. This is following an extensive search by the MercyFirst Board of Trustees to find a replacement for Mr. Gerard (Jerry) McCaffery who will retire after 15 years of inspired leadership as President & CEO of the agency.
“The Board of Trustees and I are all truly delighted by the appointment of Renée and confident that she is the right person to lead MercyFirst into the next stage of our development and growth” said Mr. Paul Travers, Chair, MercyFirst Board of Trustees. “We will certainly miss Jerry, are forever grateful to him for spearheading MercyFirst’s transformation into a first-class organization and wish him all the best as he begins his well-deserved next chapter in retirement.”
“I am thrilled to join MercyFirst and honored to follow in the footsteps of Jerry, who has done amazing work on behalf of children and youth, including unaccompanied migrant children, as well as families,” said Ms. Skolaski. “I look forward to collaborating with this impressive and dedicated team of professionals to carry out MercyFirst’s critical mission of helping those in need through high-quality services, and to evolving the agency to grow with the ever-changing times.”
Ms. Skolaski brings with her an extensive background in child welfare, education, and children, youth and family services. Most recently, Ms. Skolaski served as the CEO & Executive Director of Help For Children (HFC), a global charitable foundation focused on child abuse prevention and treatment based in New York City. Previously she served as Chief Program Officer at SCO Family of Services where she was responsible for foster care, adoption, prevention, homeless shelters, transfer high schools, after school programs and early childhood education. While at SCO she also oversaw development, IT, quality improvement and program development. Previous experience includes work at the Council on Accreditation and Graham Windham.
Ms. Skolaski obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and served with AmeriCorps as a Teach for America Teacher in South Central Los Angeles. She obtained an MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work and was appointed a Presidential Management Intern working on welfare reform in Washington, DC at the Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Skolaski has previously worked as Adjunct faculty at Columbia University teaching Program Evaluation and for over 20 years has served as an MSW Field Work Advisor.
Mr. McCaffery, who will officially retire on June 30, joined MercyFirst in 2006, soon after it was formed from the merger of St. Mary’s of the Angels and Angel Guardian orphanages. As its president and CEO, he has been responsible for integrating the nonprofit’s organizational culture and overseeing its group homes and programs, which provide foster care services, mental health support and other services to youth and families. In recognition of his valued accomplishments and impactful efforts on behalf of so many children, City & State recently named him one of The 2021 Nonprofit Power 100, which recognizes the nonprofit leaders who are serving the most vulnerable New Yorkers.
