Molly Tierney is a Managing Director at Accenture, where she leads the firm’s Child Welfare practice. Prior to joining the firm, she spent 25 years in the field of human services, taking great strides in improving the results our country achieves for vulnerable families and their children.
She spent 10 years as the Director for the Baltimore City Department of Human Services where she managed the City’s child welfare and public assistance programs. Her tenure there represented a powerful blend of pragmatic systems change and visionary thinking—dramatically altering Baltimore’s child welfare landscape and influencing ideas nationally. Her leadership underscores that through strategic data use, innovative partnerships, and commitment to family-centered outcomes, meaningful and scalable transformation is possible.
Major Accomplishments
Dramatic Reduction in Foster Care Population
During her leadership, the number of children in foster care dropped by approximately 70–71%, a striking achievement that significantly reshaped the agency’s impact in Baltimore.
A National Model for Modern Social Services
Tierney implemented reforms that transformed the agency’s operations into a business model now considered a national exemplar for effective, modern delivery of social services.
Earlier Family Reunification
The reformed approach emphasized quicker return to families: 40% of children entering foster care were reunified within 90 days, an outcome reflecting both efficiency and child-centered strategy.
Innovative Neighborhood-Based Placement Strategy
Through the “Place Matters” initiative, Tierney’s agency partnered with Baltimore City Schools to locate familiar, community-based placements for foster children. Social workers were embedded in schools to enable fast connections with relatives or trusted adults, reducing trauma and improving placement stability. This innovative practice earned the agency a Bright Idea in Government Award from Harvard’s Ash Center.
Data-Driven Turnaround & System Rebuilding
When Tierney arrived in 2008, the agency faced systemic dysfunction—cases went untracked, children stayed in group homes for prolonged periods, and tragedies occurred even while under state care. Through disciplined, data-informed reform, she spearheaded a 72% reduction in foster care placements within a seven-year period. This success was grounded in clearer mission focus, strategic use of data, and consistent task completion.
Catalyst for Thought Leadership
Tierney’s ideas resonated beyond the local level. Her 2014 TED Talk, “Rethinking Foster Care,” critically examined the foster care system as a self-perpetuating ecosystem and challenged fundamental assumptions—sparking national conversation about child welfare reform.