Karen Rybicki has been appointed as the permanent Commissioner of the Erie County Department of Social Services.
Social Services is the largest department in county government, with more than 1,600 employees. Rybicki had previously served as the First Deputy Commissioner within ECDSS since 2018; with 25 years total experience in Social Services, 12 in an Executive capacity. She started her career in the department in 1999 as a social welfare examiner, reviewing eligibility for Social Services benefits.
Rybicki obtained her bachelor's degree in social work and her Master of Science degree in human service administration and multidisciplinary studies from the University at Buffalo.
When she came before the Erie County Legislature recently, Karen emphasized her desire to focus on more training opportunities for staff.
"One of the things I definitely want to focus on is developing our staff, having appropriate training and opportunities for individuals, like myself, who had good mentors and leaders to be able to grow within the organization," Rybicki said.
Rybicki had been named Interim Commissioner of ECDSS effective June 20, 2024, taking over the post vacated by the departure of Dr. Marie Cannon, who was named President and Chief Economic Officer of the Community Action Organization of Western New York.