Governor Mikie Sherrill today announced the nomination of Joseph Ribsam to serve as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF). Ribsam will lead the state’s cabinet-level agency dedicated exclusively to ensuring the safety, well-being, and success of children and families. With more than 6,600 staff and a network of community partners, DCF delivers evidence-based, family-centered services that strengthen families, support youth, and promote safe, stable, and connected communities.
Ribsam will succeed Christine Norbut Beyer, who has been serving as Interim Commissioner during the transition and will depart after serving 8 years as Commissioner of DCF.
“I am thrilled to nominate Joseph Ribsam to lead the Department of Children and Families. Joe brings deep leadership experience shaping systems and policy to improve outcomes for children and families. With nearly a decade of prior service at the department, including as Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner, we are excited to welcome him back and have him at the helm at this pivotal time,” said Governor Sherrill. “I also want to thank Interim Commissioner Beyer for her service and leadership during this transition, and for her tenure, which has helped transform the agency’s work by centering safety, well-being, and connection through a prevention-focused approach.”
“I am honored to be nominated to serve as New Jersey’s next Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, and I thank Governor Sherrill for her trust and confidence,” said Joseph Ribsam. “I look forward to working with the Governor, our state partners, and the dedicated professionals at DCF to build a responsive, effective system centered on the well-being of all New Jersey’s children and families.”
“It has been the honor of a lifetime serving as Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families for the last eight and a half years, and I’m grateful to Governor Sherrill for allowing me to be a part of the transition for our Department,” said NJ DCF Interim Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. “The work of DCF is so necessary, and the workforce so special and dear to my heart. I’m thrilled that the torch is being passed to someone familiar with the Department’s reform and transformation journey. I have no doubt that Joe will continue our progress as a system and make his own mark leading the Department. I am confident that DCF will be in good hands moving forward.”
Ribsam serves as Director of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Policy at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a leading national charitable foundation that advances evidence-based solutions and shapes policy to expand opportunity for children and families. There he led the Foundation’s policy efforts related to youth and family serving systems. In his three years at the Foundation, he helped establish a national children’s behavioral health collaborative and a leadership development program to help state system leaders improve children’s behavioral health outcomes.
Prior to his time at the Foundation, Ribsam served as Director of New Hampshire’s Division for Children, Youth and Families. Under his leadership, New Hampshire expanded voluntary services for at-risk families, launched statewide initiatives to connect youth to community-based resources, and established a comprehensive system of care for behavioral health.
Ribsam’s extensive background includes nearly a decade of leadership at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, where he served as Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner for Legal, Regulatory, and Legislative Affairs.
Ribsam earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Secondary Education from The College of New Jersey in 2000 and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law–Newark in 2005.
