As the Medical Director of The Foundling’s Home for Integrated Behavioral Health and Vice President of the Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection, Dr. Akeem Marsh oversees the medical operations and strategy of our pediatric mental health center, while also managing programs and initiatives including professional development training events, public tours, practice related research, and advocacy efforts to reduce child maltreatment. As a practitioner, researcher, and thought leader, Dr. Marsh brings his extensive experience and expertise in the mental health and child welfare fields to this dual role. Dr. Marsh is a published author and notable expert – in 2022, he released his book Not Just Bad Kids: The Adversity and Disruptive Behavior Link, a co-edited work that draws upon his clinical experience with systems-involved children and adolescents. Additionally, he has been published in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice, the Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, and in International Clinical Psychopharmacology. Dr. Marsh has presented locally, nationally, and internationally at numerous professional conference settings including the iHeart Radio/MWA Mental Wealth Expo and a Presidential Session at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting by invitation. Prior to joining The Foundling in 2020, Dr. Marsh served as a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Bellevue’s Juvenile Justice Mental Health Services, working closely with ACS’ secure detention centers. Dr. Marsh is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), serves as a member of the Board of Directors of both the New York Council on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (NYCCAP) and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), and was admitted to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AΩA ) chapter at CUNY School of Medicine. He maintains a faculty appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Last year, he was appointed by Mayor Adams to serve on the city’s first-ever Juvenile Justice Advisory Board.
As Senior Vice President for External Affairs & Public Policy, Yolanda McBride oversees The Foundling’s governmental affairs portfolio and marketing and communication division. In her role, she develops and leads a wide range of strategies focused on building the profile of The Foundling, including our policy and advocacy agenda, budgetary and legislative priorities, as well as our marketing and communications campaigns. Yolanda most recently served as the Director of Public Policy at Children’s Aid, where she spearheaded the agency’s policy, legislative, and advocacy strategy and efforts at the city, state, and federal levels. In her role, she also led the development and operations of the Fostering Youth Succes Alliance and was instrumental in formulating the agency’s community engagement goals for their strategic plan. Prior to her work at Children’s Aid, Yolanda spent nearly eight years in city government as a Senior Policy Analyst for the New York City Council and then as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Mayor’s Office. At New York University’s Institute for Education and Social Policy, she conducted and managed local and national longitudinal education research projects and evaluations. Yolanda received her Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Lafayette College and her Master of Public Administration degree from New York University.
As The Foundling’s Senior Vice President of Medical Services, Delaney Gracy, M.D., MPH, oversees and provides strategic direction for the provision of medical services to all children in the care of each of our regional medical clinics. Dr. Gracy brings over 20 years of experience as a physician and in leadership roles dedicated to the strategic development, implementation, and sustainability of multi-site, multi-disciplinary health services in the non-profit sector. In her most recent role, Dr. Gracy served as the Director of Clinical Services at the Montefiore School Health Program, where she oversaw multidisciplinary clinical services at 33 school-based health centers including federally qualified health centers, Article 28 medical clinics, and Article 31 mental health clinics. Prior to that role, Dr. Gracy served as the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at the Children’s Health Fund and as the Director of Clinical Initiatives and Coordinator of Residents/Students at the New York Children’s Health Project. Dr. Gracy graduated from Baylor College of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at the University of California San Diego. She was a general academic pediatrics and urban community health fellow at Columbia University Medical Center and earned a Master of Public Health, Epidemiology from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Gracy has been invited to participate in various professional committees, she has co-authored numerous publications and health education materials, and she has frequently appeared as an expert in the press and media.
As Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate Management, Hayden Blades is responsible for ensuring that The Foundling’s commercial and residential locations are continually maintained and optimized, and leads the acquisition process for real estate and the development of new sites as needed. Hayden works collaboratively with organizational and regional leadership to ensure that all ongoing facilities and maintenance needs are addressed, all aspects of capital projects are managed, and that safety, compliance, and regulatory measures are met. Hayden comes to us with decades of relevant nonprofit and governmental facilities management experience, most recently serving as Vice President of Facilities and Property Management at SCO Family of Services. During his 10 years at SCO, he managed day-to-day operations of over 130 sites, oversaw the $10 million gut renovation of a 30,000 square foot facility in Jamaica, Queens, and directed the sale and relocation of the organization’s headquarters. Prior to this position, Hayden served as the Assistant Commissioner of Facilities at NYC Administration for Children’s Services, and held auditing and facilities management roles at Legal Aid Society and NYC Housing Preservation and Development. Hayden holds a BBA in Public Accounting from Pace University.
In her role as Chief Program Officer, Molly oversees and provides strategic direction for the following services areas: Developmental Disabilities, Child Welfare and Behavioral Health, Head Start and Early Head Start in Puerto Rico, and Camp Felix.
She brings over 25 years of experience in roles dedicated to public health equity – as well as specific expertise in overseeing social service programs at large non-profit organizations. She is an innovative leader with a strong passion for working with children and families, providing client-centered and trauma-informed care, and creating a co-creative leadership culture.
In her most recent role, Molly served as the Interim Chief Clinical Operations Officer at the Trevor Project, where she implemented services linked to the federal 988 mental health phone line, and worked to vastly improve the reach and quality of suicide prevention and crisis intervention services. Prior to that role, Molly served for 12 years at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. As Vice President of Patient Experience & Employee Engagement, she implemented a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program and led the design and implementation of a national professional development program to create Trauma-Informed leaders.
Earlier in her career, Molly held positions overseeing operations at Columbia University Medical Center and the American Red Cross’ September 11th Recovery Program, and has served in additional non-profit grants management and health care operations roles in New York City. Molly has supervised teams from 10 to more than 500 with budget oversight from $3M to nearly $1B.
Molly holds a Master of Public Health, Master of Public Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Russian Studies, all from Columbia University.
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