Deborah Holt-Knight

Sloan Public Service Awards • 2016

Title and Organization Deputy Commissioner, Adult Protective Services, NYC Human Resources Administration

Bio

Among New York’s most vulnerable residents are adults with mental and/or physical impairments who are in need of assistance and are often victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Each year, APS provides skilled case management to and coordinates with many nonprofit and City agencies for the benefit of approximately 10,000 vulnerable adults in their care. Deborah Holt-Knight started her 31 year career as a front-line caseworker and, with each promotion, has demonstrated that she is a change agent who is motivated by deep compassion for those APS serves. A former colleague describes her as “…an individual of unquestionable integrity, with a keen intelligence and possessing great insight into human nature. Even after 30 years, she takes an extremely complex program and with a committed APS team moves it forward despite the challenges.”