“St. Joe’s has always been an iconic place in this community, but the legacy that Grace leaves behind, will serve St. Joe’s for years to come.”
One of Kentucky’s most successful childcare advocates, Grace Akers, Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph Children’s Home, announced today that she will retire after more than 34 years of helping protect and serve some of Kentucky’s most abused and neglected children. Akers plans to stay on through the end of the year to help find an exceptional successor to build on her many achievements and lead St. Joe’s into the future. “This is a bittersweet moment not only for St. Joseph Children’s Home, but for the child welfare community in which Grace has been such a tireless and selfless member,” said Cheryl Fischer, chairman of the St. Joseph Children’s Home board. “We will certainly miss Grace’s amazing leadership, her training and development of professional staff, and, above all else, her love for the children. During her tenure, St. Joe’s has evolved into a multi-faceted, child caring nonprofit licensed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky that provides inclusive and compassionate care to ensure a safe home and a bright future for every child in our diverse community. Grace and her team have provided our community’s most vulnerable children with safe spaces to prosper through therapeutic recovery and placement in forever homes,” Fischer said. “St. Joe’s has always been an iconic place in this community, but the legacy that Grace leaves behind, will serve St. Joe’s for years to come.” Akers began her 24-year career with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Jefferson County in 1990 as a Child Protection Agency front-line investigator. She went on to work for nearly a decade as the Regional Administrator where she led the Southern Bluegrass 10-county region that administered Foster Care, Adoptions, Family Support, and Child and Adult Protection programs. While at the cabinet she helped improve federal outcomes from “below standard” in most outcomes in 2007 to “meet” or “exceed” most outcomes in 2013. But it was at St. Joe’s where she made the greatest impact. Following her retirement from the Cabinet, Akers joined St. Joe’s in 2014 and through her leadership, St. Joe’s has continued to adapt to the needs of the community and now serves children and families across four core programs: Residential Treatment Program, Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption Program, Child Development Center and Behavioral Health Services.
Last year alone, St. Joe’s had the privilege of serving more than 1,000 children, foster parents, and family members. St. Joe’s helped children heal from their traumas, connected them to their forever families through foster care and adoption, as well as provided high-quality childcare. Under Akers’ guidance, St. Joseph Children’s Home has made significant advancements culminating in a $19 million capital campaign to renovate the 19th century Landmark Building, giving St. Joe’s the ability to double the number of children it serves. A years-long process began with the sale of 222 acres to help fund the improvements on the Landmark Building and create additional economic development in eastern Jefferson County. During her tenure, she also oversaw the completion of the cottages for residential treatment of up to 48 children; increased the annual budget from $5 million in 2014 to $13 million today; helped care for 120 children through to adoption into their forever families; oversaw the expansion of the Child Development Center which boasts some of the highest levels of kindergarten readiness in Kentucky; celebrated a Council of Accreditation’s (COA) expedited report with outstanding marks and zero deficiencies across all programs and departments; and set her replacement up for success with the approval of a new three-year strategic plan that, along with a new capital campaign, will empower St. Joe’s to provide even more quality services in the future. “I have loved child welfare since I began my career, but these last 10 years at St. Joe’s have been so meaningful,” said Akers. “I’m proud of what my team and I have accomplished and I’m fortunate to have worked with a board that empowered us to prosper and grow. In the end, we all have worked together to positively transform the lives of so many children, and that is what matters most to me.” The search for Akers’ replacement is being led by a carefully selected succession team which includes board, staff, and community representation. St. Joe’s is a nationally accredited organization that remains a top tier agency in outcomes centered on finding families for vulnerable children. It facilitates the largest number of adoptions by any private childcare facility in Kentucky and, since its founding more than 175 years ago, St. Joe’s has provided a safe and loving home to over 75,000 children, regardless of nationality, sexual orientation, race, or creed.