Libby Traynor, LCSW
CEO
Libby Traynor, LCSW, is the Chief Executive Officer of AABR, Inc. a Queens, NY based Non-Profit whose mission is to empower individuals with developmental disabilities through various programs including group home residences, day habilitation, and a school for children with autism. Having commenced her current role in January 2020 nearly her entire tenure at AABR, Inc. has been spent on the front lines battling the Coronavirus and, laying a roadmap for other organizations to follow. She has been a leader not just for AABR, but for Developmental Disability providers across the city, state, and country.
Libby has had a distinguished career serving in senior management capacities in mental health and related fields leading the administration, operational and fiscal performance of the outpatient Behavioral Health Services as the Assistant Vice President of Behavioral Health Services of Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) located on Staten Island, NY. Libby worked for over 20 years as Chief Clinical Officer at Staten Island Mental Health Society (SIMHS) and led the staff in Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse licensed programs delivering 165,000 services to 5,000 children and adults annually. She is an accomplished clinician and clinical program innovator bringing in over $30 million dollars in city, state and federal grants to support clinical programs.
Under Ms. Traynor’ s leadership, SIMHS merged with RUMC creating one of the largest outpatient mental health services divisions in the state of New York. SIMHS is considered a leader and pioneer throughout New York City, State and the nation in providing diverse mental health, substance use, and related services for children and families. The SIMHS programs served more than one-in-ten Staten Island families at 21 sites throughout the borough. RUMC Outpatient Behavioral Health provided 37,000 visits to clients. The merged RUMC Outpatient Behavioral Health department, serves children, adolescents and adults in specialized programs for dually diagnosed, developmental disabilities and substance abuse disorders in the Center for Integrative Behavioral Medicine, Evaluation and Referral, Psychiatric Disorder and Substance/Alcohol Abuse Programs, Developmental Disability Program, Partial Hospitalization Program, Children’s Mental Health Clinics, School Based Mental Health Clinics, Adolescent MAT and Substance Abuse Programs, OPWDD Developmental Disability Clinics, Health Homes Serving Children and, Head Start preschool programs. She has leveraged her considerable expertise and experience in health and mental health fields by working with community groups to improve the health and wellbeing of the children and families on Staten Island.
Ms. Traynor is an acknowledged leader in the development of pediatric integrated behavioral health care and has successfully integrated children’s behavioral health services at RUMC’s outpatient pediatric clinics. Under Ms. Traynor’ s leadership SIMHS was awarded two multi-year, multi-million-dollar SAMHSA grants to address childhood trauma from the National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network, and Project LAUNCH focusing on childhood trauma and the integration of medical and behavioral health services for children under age 8. She has implemented universal screening for trauma, depression, and developmental disabilities for each patient entering children’s services, and trained each clinician in evidence-based treatment models for trauma.
In November 2014, Ms. Traynor was honored with the National Association of Social Workers- NY Chapter award for Exemplary Mid-Career Social Work Leadership. In April 2019 Ms. Traynor was honored by the Stapleton UAME Church for her dedication to service with their Celebrating the Dream Award. In September 2022, Ms. Traynor was named a Power Women of Queens, by Schneps Media for her work advocating for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities during the COVID crisis.
