Kimberly Ricketts

Last updated

Kimberly Ricketts
Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families
In office
July 1, 2008 –January 19, 2010
Governor Jon Corzine
Preceded byKevin Ryan

Kimberly Ricketts is a New Jersey politician. She served as New Jersey's Commissioner of Families and Children under Governor Jon Corzine.

Contents

Early life and education

Ricketts majored in human services at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also minored in child and family development. Later, Ricketts earned her masters of education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. [1]

University of North Carolina at Charlotte public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 23 doctoral, 64 master's, and 140 bachelor's degree programs through nine colleges: the College of Arts + Architecture, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the Belk College of Business, the College of Computing and Informatics, the Cato College of Education, the William States Lee College of Engineering, the College of Health and Human Services, the Honors College, and the University College.

Ricckets spent her early career working on children and family focused organizations in North Carolina, Florida and New Jersey. [1]

New Jersey government

Governor Richard Codey appointed Ricketts as executive director of his 2004 Task Force on Mental Health. [2] In 2005, Ricketts served as Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. [3] In August 2006, Ricketts became the Administrator of New Jersey's Department of Law and Public Safety. [1] The position included oversight of the budgets of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. [1]

Richard Codey Member of the New Jersey Senate and Former Governor of New Jersey

Richard James Codey is an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 53rd Governor of New Jersey from 2004 to 2006. He has served in the New Jersey Senate since 1982 and served as the President of the Senate from 2002 to 2010. He represents the 27th Legislative District, which covers the western portions of Essex County and the southeastern portion of Morris County. Codey is the longest-serving state legislator in New Jersey history, having served in the New Jersey Legislature continuously since January 8, 1974.

New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs

The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for protecting the public "from fraud, deceit and misrepresentation in the sale of goods and services." The DCA operates within the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety in the office of the New Jersey Attorney General.

New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety

The New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that focuses on protection of the lives and property of New Jersey residents and visitors. The department operates under the supervision of the New Jersey Attorney General. The department is responsible for safeguarding "civil and consumer rights, promoting highway traffic safety, maintaining public confidence in the alcoholic beverage, gaming and racing industries and providing legal services and counsel to other state agencies."

In June 2008, Governor Jon Corzine nominated Ricketts, then a resident of Highland Park, New Jersey, to serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families ("DCF"). [1] Corzine had created the DCF only two years prior as part of a settlement with the advocacy group Children's Rights which had sued the state of New Jersey. [4] She was sworn in as Acting Commissioner on July 1, 2008, replacing outgoing Commissioner Kevin Ryan. [1] [4] Under Rickett's leadership, the Department of Children and Families partnered with Casey Family Programs to launch the "Raise Me Up" campaign to bring awareness to the state foster care system. [5] Children's Rights expressed its approval of Ricketts' performance as Commissioner, noting the progress the state made in increasing adoptions out of foster care and establishing children's medical units in each Division of Youth and Family Services office. [2]

Jon Corzine 54th Governor of New Jersey

Jon Stevens Corzine is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously worked at Goldman Sachs; after leaving politics, he was CEO of MF Global from 2010 to 2011.

Highland Park, New Jersey Borough in New Jersey, United States

Highland Park is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 13,982, reflecting a decline of 17 (−0.1%) from the 13,999 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 720 (+5.4%) from the 13,279 counted in the 1990 Census.

Children's rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors. The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) defines a child as "any human being below the age of eighteen years, unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier." Children's rights includes their right to association with both parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for physical protection, food, universal state-paid education, health care, and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development of the child, equal protection of the child's civil rights, and freedom from discrimination on the basis of the child's race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability, color, ethnicity, or other characteristics. Interpretations of children's rights range from allowing children the capacity for autonomous action to the enforcement of children being physically, mentally and emotionally free from abuse, though what constitutes "abuse" is a matter of debate. Other definitions include the rights to care and nurturing. There are no definitions of other terms used to describe young people such as "adolescents", "teenagers", or "youth" in international law, but the children's rights movement is considered distinct from the youth rights movement. The field of children's rights spans the fields of law, politics, religion, and morality.

Shortly before taking office, incoming Governor Chris Christie dismissed Ricketts, along with two other Corzine appointed Commissioners, effective January 19, 2010. [6] In 2011, Ricketts testified in the lawsuit of a former employee of the Division of Consumer Affairs who claimed Ricketts terminated him in violation of the state whistle blowing statute. [7] The employee was awarded damages and reinstated following trial. [8]

Chris Christie 55th Governor of New Jersey, former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey

Christopher James Christie is an American politician, former federal prosecutor, and political commentator who served as the 55th Governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.

Post-government career

In June 2010, the Casey Family Programs hired Ricketts as Managing Director for Strategic Consulting. [9]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "State of New Jersey | Department of Children and Families | Meet the Acting Commissioner". nj.gov. July 9, 2008. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  2. 1 2 LIVIO, SUSAN K. "Child welfare chief shines in Corzine Cabinet". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ "NJ Office of the Attorney General – Department of Law & Public Safety – News Release". www.nj.gov. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Corzine to name new head of Department of Children and Families". NJ.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ Rispoli, Michael (September 15, 2009). "N.J. launches campaign aimed at stabilizing lives of foster children". NJ.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Three N.J. Gov. Corzine cabinet members to be dismissed by Gov.-elect Christie". NJ.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Ex-N.J. consumer affairs official was dismissed for wrongdoing, former boss testifies". NJ.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Court: N.J. whistle-blower is entitled to reclaim job as consumer protection official". NJ.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  9. ↑ Programs, Casey Family. "Casey Family Programs Hires Former New Jersey Child Welfare Leader as Managing Director for Strategic Consulting". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
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