Biography

 Marie Morilus-Black, CEO of MBIHS, has an impressive array of clinical, administrative, leadership, and human services skills gained over more than two plus decades in the mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice arenas. Marie earned her MSW at the State University of New York, Buffalo, and she is also a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW-R).

She was recently the Deputy Director of the Office of Well-being at the District of Columbia Child and Family Services Administration (CFSA). Marie was responsible for all health and related services for children and their families temporarily placed in foster care  and for adults, children and their families receiving prevention services at CFSA. These services includes educational, health (responsible for a 24 hr clinic and nursing care management), behavioral health (mental and substance use), domestic violence, day care and wellbeing of the staff as it relates to secondary trauma. Previously, Marie serves as the Director of Child and Youth Services for the District of Columbia, During her six years as the Children Director of Department of Behavioral Health, Marie re-energized the children public mental health provider network to focus on improving the quality of care in the service delivery system, with an emphasis on family and youth voice and using System of Care Principles when serving children and families in the community.  She has also re-engaged the superior court of the District of Columbia, child and family advocates and other child serving agencies to partner with the children mental health division to bring a cadre of Evidence Based Practices into the District continuum of care.  Since her arrival in DC, she has centralized the process by which youth enter Psychiatric Residential facilities across the District. She has also provided funding for the Family Organizations to provide support to families with children experiencing serious behavioral health issues. Under her leadership, the children mental health system has improved significantly, enough progress thereby contributing to the exit the 37 year old class action Dixon law suit. Under Marie’s tenure, DC’s Behavioral Health System has become a national model in engaging the community and cross system involvement within public agencies as well as a model for successful evidence based practice implementation. DBH Children System went from 49 in the country to 16 under her tenure.