DCFS Leadership

 

Marla McDade Williams serves as the Administrator of the Division and was appointed in September 2023. She was formerly the Deputy Director of Programs, Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), providing oversight to the five Divisions’ programs. Marla has a long history with public policy and health and human services policy. She served as Senior Director for Northern Nevada for Strategies 360 and worked for DHHS for 10 years, including serving as Deputy Administrator for the Division of Public and Behavioral Health and as a Bureau Chief over the regulation of health facilities. Prior to working at DHHS, Marla worked for the Research Division of the Legislative Counsel Bureau as a principal policy analyst for health and human services and was primary staff to the Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services and what was formerly the Legislative Committee on Health Care. Her more than 30 years of experience has enabled her to maintain an extensive network of community stakeholders and key policymakers throughout the State of Nevada.

Marla has served as a member of the Nevada Indian Commission, represents the Commission as a member of the Statewide Land Use Planning Advisory Council, and serves on the Executive Board of the Nevada Open Government Coalition. Marla earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington State University and her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Dr. Jacqueline Wade joined the Division of Child and Family Services in 2006 and currently serves as the Deputy Administrator over Children's Mental Health. In this role, she is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of Nevada’s Residential and Community Services: The Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities, Desert Willow Treatment Center, Mobile Crisis Response Teams, Outpatient Medication Clinic, Intensive Case Management Wraparound In Nevada, Early Childhood and Children’s Mental Health. Prior to joining DCFS, Dr. Jacqueline Wade served as the Coordinator of School Based Services at the University of Nevada School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry where on campus mental health services were provided to Clark County School District students and their families and adjunct faculty at University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Social Work.

Dr. Wade has extensive clinical experience in the following settings: psychiatric hospitals, community-based services, adolescent group homes, convalescent hospitals, juvenile justice mental health departments, and clinical consultant to mental health agencies. Dr. Jacqueline Wade has experience in providing holistic client-centered therapeutic services to individuals across the life span i.e., children, adolescents, and couples. Additionally, she is a Board approved Clinical Social Work supervisor responsible for supervising students and Clinical Social Work interns.

Her professional interests are resiliency across the life span, challenges of families with limited English proficiency and access to mental health and healthcare services, people centric leadership, diversity and equity in the workplace, prevention services, and continued training and development of mental health professionals.

Sharon Anderson joined the Division of Child and Family Services in 2005 and currently serves as the Deputy Administrator for Juvenile Justice Services. In this role, she is responsible for the leadership, operations, and oversight of the statewide Juvenile Justice Programs Office, Youth Parole Bureau, and three state-operated residential juvenile justice facilities: Caliente Youth Center, Nevada Youth Training Center, and Summit View Youth Center. She joined the department in July 2005 as a Youth Parole Counselor, for the Nevada Youth Parole Bureau, where she specialized in gender-specific programming. She subsequently served at the same agency as a Senior Youth Parole Counselor and Unit Manager. She also served as the Committee Chairperson for the implementation of Juvenile Justice Reform Bills that passed during the 2017 Legislative sessions.

Prior to joining the Division of Child and Family Services, Sharon Anderson began her career in Human Services as a Residential Counselor for The Devereux Foundation, a residential facility for developmentally disabled individuals. She subsequently served as a Guidance Counselor/Group Worker at Rancho San Antonio, Boys Town of the West, a Corrections Officer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for several years, and before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, she worked as a Juvenile Probation Officer for the San Diego County Probation Department for 10 years.

She holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a master’s in social work administration from San Diego State University, and she is a Certified Public Manager.

The System Advocate oversees constituent services and serves as the Division’s public information officer, hearing officer, which includes listening to the public about their experience and concerns with Nevada’s child welfare, children’s mental health, juvenile justice, and victim services programs. The System's Advocate reviews the information and determine the best way to move forward for a reasonable outcome. The Systems Advocate also responds to media requests for records, interviews, and agency statements.

Email: systems.advocate@dcfs.nv.gov