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WHEREAS, Marc Cherna, Director of Allegheny County Department of Human Services received the Casey Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Child Welfare Leadership from Casey Family Programs; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Cherna first came to Allegheny County in 1996 as a result of a national search to take charge of the county's child protective service agency and immediately implemented system-wide changes that have resulted in improved permanency outcomes for children, which has received national recognition; and,
WHEREAS, Marc Cherna was appointed Director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) in 1997, which currently serves more than 200,000 people a year in the areas of Aging, Behavioral Health, Children, Youth and Families, Community Services, and Intellectual Disability; and,
WHEREAS, under his leadership, DHS safely reduced the number of children in out of home care by 48 percent between 2005 and 2013 and in 2012, over 80 percent of all children who exited care in Allegheny County exited to permanency, including 72 percent who were reunited with their families; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Cherna's innovative practice and leadership has made DHS a model agency receiving several awards for Innovations in American Government given by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in addition to prestigious awards by numerous child welfare, humanitarian, and civic organization; and,
WHEREAS, in addition to serving as Director of DHS, he serves on numerous boards and committees is the father of three children and the grandfather of six; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend Mr. Marc Cherna for the outstanding leadership he has provided to the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and for the services DHS provides to the residents of the City of Pittsburgh; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESO...
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