Missouri Alliance for Children and Families Is Under New Leadership

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. – New leadership is at the helm of Missouri Alliance for Children and Families (MACF) and excited to continue working to develop and provide innovative services to better serve the needs of our state’s most vulnerable children and families.

Carrie Bolm is the new president and chief executive officer of MACF, while Julie Lester is new chief program officer. The two, who were appointed in January, are longtime advocates for children with severe emotional and behavioral needs.

Bolm will lead the organization’s overall strategic direction through MACF’s partnership of agencies to assure quality programs are provided while maintaining fiscal accountability. Bolm’s extensive history in the field of child welfare makes her uniquely qualified for this position. She most recently served as senior vice president of Community Behavioral Health at Great Circle. Bolm has prior experience with Missouri Children’s Division and Missouri Alliance for Children and Families. She holds a master’s in Social Work from University of Missouri-Columbia.

MACF partners are Cornerstones of Care; Every Child’s Hope; Great Circle; Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Child and Families Ministries; and Presbyterian Children’s Home and Services of Texas, Missouri and Louisiana;.

The partner agencies and MACF staff work together to serve over 1,600 children, youth and their families, throughout the state of Missouri. Its goal is to ensure the safety, permanency and wellbeing of every child served. MACF is based in Jefferson City with offices in Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Sedalia.   

“The children and families we work with are learning to live healthier lives, free of abuse and neglect. We are committed to ensuring they have access to the resources and skills that they need to thrive,” Bolm says.

Lester recently retired from the Missouri Children’s Division after 28 years of service. She began her career in child welfare as a front line practitioner in 1990 serving in several management positions prior to her appointment in 2005 as Regional Director for the Southern Region and Deputy Director in 2013. Lester holds a master’s degree in Social Work from the George Warren Brown School at Washington University and is certified as a High Performance Transformational Coaching trainer and facilitator.

Missouri Alliance for Children and Families Background:

The Missouri Alliance for Children and Families was founded in 1997 as a Limited Liability Company when a group of non-profit agencies partnered together to better serve the needs of Missouri’s most vulnerable children and families. Soon after MACF’s inception, it was awarded a contract with Missouri Department of Social Services to provide care management and many other vital services to children with severe mental and behavioral care needs