Mayor Adams Announces Ahsia Badi as First-Ever Executive Director of New York City Children’s Cabinet

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the appointment of Ahsia Badi as the first-ever executive director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet. 

The Cabinet’s objective is to increase coordination and efficiency across city agencies, mayoral offices, nonprofits, and the private sector to drive a holistic, family-centered approach for the sustained health, safety, and well-being of children. 

“When we invest in our children, we invest in the future and the endless potential within our city,” said Mayor Adams. “The Children’s Cabinet plays a foundational role in ensuring that our city government works with each and every sector to ensure that our children have every possible resource needed to thrive. With a proven track record of success, Ahsia Badi has the compassion and career experience necessary to build a coalition worthy enough to build the best possible city for our children. We’re excited to have her serve as our first-ever executive director.”  

“I’m thrilled to welcome Ahsia Badi as the Adams administration’s first Children’s Cabinet executive director,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar. “Ahsia has a proven ability to work with and across multiple city agencies, as well as with key external stakeholders, to serve New Yorkers in need. Her experience and expertise in the fields of health, education, and social services will be invaluable to the Children’s Cabinet, as it continues to develop creative policy and program solutions for long-standing issues facing vulnerable youth and families.”   

“Since joining the deputy mayor for health and human services team, Ahsia worked to amplify the voices of advocates across issue areas, from youth homelessness to child welfare and our older adult community,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “She is deeply thoughtful in how she approaches tough issues, weighing equities of stakeholders, building relationships, and driving toward policies and practices that are inclusive and built by the community they will impact. I will miss her as part of our team but know that she will continue to make positive change in her new role.”   

“Ahsia Badi has been an outstanding partner to our agency, supporting our work around runaway and homeless youth, including the Opportunity Starts with a Home initiative to end youth homelessness,” said New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Commissioner Keith Howard. “As a member agency of the Children’s Cabinet, DYCD is thrilled Ahsia will oversee the coordination of government and community partners, and help us collectively carry out Mayor Adams’ forward vision for our youngest New Yorkers.” 

“I applaud Mayor Adams for appointing Ahsia Badi to serve as executive director of the Children’s Cabinet,” said New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Commissioner Jess Dannhauser. “Ahsia has been a valuable colleague and collaborator with us at ACS, our sister agencies, and our non-profit partners on a variety of issues related to children and families. ACS looks forward to continuing to work with Ahsia in her new role.” 

“This administration has made it clear: every child deserves a bright start and a bold future,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks. “The Children’s Cabinet’s holistic approach to supporting our city’s most vulnerable children helps ensure they receive compassionate, comprehensive, and coordinated care. Ahsia Badi’s wealth of experience and proven track record set her up to be the champion our children’s needs, and I look forward to working alongside her.” 

“Ahsia Badi has exhibited an exceptional commitment to empowering marginalized communities, cultivating relationships across agencies, and working collaboratively with external partners to deliver the best results for New Yorkers,” said New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park. “She is perfectly positioned to serve as the first executive director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet and advance this administration’s goal of bringing every agency, office, and organization together to provide New York City’s families and children with the compressive and holistic supports they need to flourish. We look forward to exploring new and innovative solutions to the issues impacting New York City’s children with Ahsia at the helm of the Children’s Cabinet.” 

The Children’s Cabinet is a multi-agency initiative focused on bolstering communication and coordination among city agencies that directly work with New York City’s most vulnerable children. Additionally, the cabinet supports cross-agency initiatives, creates policy priorities that can guide agencies’ short- and long-term planning, improves data integration, and develops analytic tools to allow for improved service delivery and strategic planning.  

The Adams administration has made historic investments towards delivering holistic support for New York City’s children. Last month, Mayor Adams released a balanced $112.4 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Executive Budget that invests in protecting educational programs with not only city, but also recurring state funds, as well as increasing access to early childhood education. To create a better future for New York City’s children, the Adams administration made the following investments: 

• Reducing waitlists for Special Education Pre-K seats by creating new, city-run seats for children when providers do not have room ($30 million). 
• Maximizing take-up of extended day seats available to eligible families by expanding the investments made in the last adopted budget ($25 million). 
• Supporting undocumented children and their families who are not eligible for federally subsidized extended day and yearly child care due to their immigration status by expanding “Promise NYC” ($25 million). 
• Identifying seats for more than 1,700 families who did not receive offers in the 2024-2025 school year for the Pre-K and 3-K application round ($20 million). 
• Providing sustainable funding for the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Education, which was previously funded with philanthropic dollars, to continue its work supporting the city’s early childhood sector ($485,000). 

In addition to investing over $600 million in new funding to protect critical programs that were funded with temporary COVID-19 stimulus dollars and protect schools with declining enrollment from budget reductions, the FY25 Adopted Budget builds on recently announced investments by: 

• Restoring Summer Rising extended day and Friday programming for middle school participants ($19.6 million). 
• Supporting community school programming ($14 million). 
• Providing free MetroCards to this summer’s Summer Youth Employment Program participants ($11 million). 
• Investing in teacher recruitment efforts that are critical to meeting state mandated class-size legislation standards ($10 million). 
• Continuing the DYCD Adult Literacy Education contracted programs ($10 million). 

• Funding restorative justice programming designed to reduce the reliance on suspensions or punitive discipline across city schools ($6 million). 
• Continuing the cross-agency Mental Health Continuum partnership to provide mental health support to all students ($5 million). 
• Supporting digital learning resources for students and teachers ($5 million). 
• Expanding arts education in schools ($4 million). 
• Supporting tutoring for kindergarten through second grade literacy and sixth through eighth grade math education at select schools across the city ($4 million). 
• Funding for immigrant family engagement to address potential communication gaps between schools and support parents who do not speak English fluently ($4 million). 
• Continuing support for incorporation of LGBTQ+ inclusive topics, history, and wellness into student curricula ($2.8 million). 
• Funding fee waivers for community organizations using New York City Public Schools’ space ($2 million). 
• Providing resources for parent and family engagement to support New York City Public Schools’ “Family and Community Engagement” initiative, which focuses on parent empowerment and engagement ($1 million). 

Ahsia Badi

Ahsia Badi brings over 15 years of experience across public health, child development, and supporting marginalized communities. Before this role, Badi served as a senior advisor to the deputy mayor for health and human services, providing support across multiple agencies including the ACS and DYCD’s Runaway and Homeless Youth program.  

Prior to joining city service, Badi held key positions in large-scale public health programs at institutions including the New York Academy of Medicine, Columbia University, and Stanford University. Additionally, she played integral roles in wide-reaching campaigns focused on Census 2020 with Emgage and the New York State Redistricting Commission. 

As a clinically trained occupational therapist, Badi possesses a deep understanding of child development and the unique needs of children and youth. With extensive experience in community-based early intervention and New York City’s public schools, she has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to empowering youth, parents, and teachers to navigate complex environments and classrooms that foster success and inclusion of all. 

Badi earned a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and International Studies from Ohio State University and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley.  

Badi will report to Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Almanzar. 

“I congratulate my friend Ahsia Badi on her historic appointment as executive director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “I have witnessed her extraordinary leadership and commitment to public service over the years. Ahsia brings to the office a distinguished career, spanning more than 20 years with accomplishments such as spearheading children’s health programs at Stanford and Columbia, Muslim American community outreach for the 2020 Census, and serving as a senior advisor to the deputy mayor of health and human services. She has a record of giving back to her community, serving for over a decade on Manhattan Community Board Six. Under her leadership, the cabinet will unite all city offices, nonprofits, and the private sector to advance the welfare and safety of our children better than ever before. As the first South Asian woman elected to New York State Office, I am especially proud that her appointment demonstrates our commitment to an administration that reflects the diversity of our ‘Gorgeous Mosaic.’”  

“I have had the pleasure of working alongside Ahsia Badi for years while she served on Community Board Six, president of a local democratic club. and liaison to the Bellevue Hospital’s Community Board,” said New York State Assemblymember Harvey Epstein. “Ahsia works tirelessly to uplift the voices of marginalized populations and is passionate about breaking down systemic barriers so that all children and families can thrive. She has been involved in local issues throughout her career. I am excited to see her grow professionally and serve our city in her new role as the executive director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet” 

“Ahsia Badi is a champion for New York families and a fierce advocate for public health and child wellness,” said New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera. “I congratulate her on the appointment as executive director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet and look forward to seeing the amazing work she will do to improve the lives of New Yorkers.”  

“I have known Ahsia Badi for years and she is a dedicated public servant who is an excellent choice to lead the Children’s Cabinet,” said New York City Councilmember Keith Powers. “Making sure our city government works effectively for families and children all over New York is important work and Ahsia will do it well.” 

“As executive director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet, Ahsia Badi brings broad experience and a deep commitment to community-focused solutions,” said Susan Stamler, executive director, United Neighborhood Houses. “Her leadership will be instrumental in ensuring our city’s children have the resources and support they need to thrive.”  

“Ahsia Badi’s appointment as executive director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet is a testament to her dedication to inclusive policies and diverse communities,” said Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition. “With hands-on experience in community-based initiatives and New York City’s public schools, Ahsia will bring a profound understanding of the needs of our youngest New Yorkers, ensuring that their health, safety, and well-being are at the forefront of policy and program development. We are confident that under her leadership, the Children’s Cabinet will continue strengthening partnerships, enhancing communications, and developing innovative strategies to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families while ensuring equitable opportunities and support.” 

“Congratulations to Ahsia Badi on her appointment as the new executive director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet,” said Marielys Divanne, executive director, Educators for Excellence New York. “Her dedication to equity and innovative solutions will undoubtedly advance the well-being and futures of our city’s youngest residents. We look forward to the impactful policies and programs that will support and empower children and families across New York City.” 

Photo credit: HWM.