Department Of Youth Services Commissioner Jane Tewksbury to Serve as Executive Director of Thrive in 5
BOSTON — The Patrick-Murray Administration announced today that Jane Tewksbury, Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services, will assume a new role as Executive Director of Thrive in 5, Boston’s citywide movement to ensure that all children have the resources and support they need to succeed in school and beyond. Commissioner Tewksbury will leave her post at the Department of Youth Services on January 31. Deputy Commissioner Ed Dolan will serve as Interim Commissioner until a new agency head is named.
“Jane Tewksbury’s commitment to the young people of the Commonwealth is unparalleled, and she has made meaningful contributions to the lives of children and families as Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby. “Her highest priority has always been to maximize each young person’s potential for success. On behalf of the Patrick-Murray Administration, I thank her for her extraordinary leadership and know she will continue to serve children and families through Thrive in 5’s important work.”
Jane Tewksbury has served as Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services since 2005. Under her leadership, the agency has promoted positive youth development for juvenile offenders across the state. She has been a champion of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) and, along with her team, engaged a diverse group of juvenile justice system stakeholders in a shared mission to rethink the locked secure detention for youth in Massachusetts. Her initiative led to an increased effort towards keeping low-risk high need youth out of DYS custody. Commissioner Tewksbury has also overseen the redesign of the department’s re-entry system, changing it from an adult parole model to one that emphasizes positive youth outcomes and maximizes each young person’s potential for becoming a law-abiding productive adult citizen of the Commonwealth.
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