Dr. James McGuirk

Executive Vice President

Dr. McGuirk, Executive Vice President, earned his PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Albany and provides consultation with nonprofit organizations to achieve strategic goals related to efficiency and effectiveness. He has extensive experience providing coaching to senior executives and middle management as well. Dr. McGuirk began his career as a direct care worker and despite the low pay, realized how much he enjoyed the work. He is licensed to practice in New York and Florida.

Dr McGuirk was the President of Astor Services for Children & Families in Rhinebeck, New York from 2002 to 2019 and served as President of the Children’s Foundation of Astor in 2020. Throughout his decades of service at Astor, he never forgot the lessons learned when he provided direct services. Dr. McGuirk has 33 years of management experience with 17 years as CEO at Astor. The organization is recognized nationally for its commitment to providing high-quality programs for children and their families. Dr. McGuirk is well-respected in his field, serving on many local, state, and national committees. While at Astor, he grew the organization from a budget of $30 Million in revenue to $65 Million. During his tenure, Astor implemented many innovative programs and concepts much early than competitors, including School-Based Mental Health Services, Telehealth, Evidence-Based Practices, Outcome Measures, Medicaid Compliance and Continuous Quality Improvement, Consumer Satisfaction Surveys, and Lean Six Sigma.

Dr. McGuirk is most proud of his commitment to Family Driven Care and Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. Under Dr. McGuirk’s leadership, the agency participating in a number of awareness activities including, Undoing Racism by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, Race Matters By The Annie E Casey Foundation as well as numerous workshops for staff on understanding difference.

After retiring as a CEO, Dr McGuirk returned to direct service, providing virtual counseling and consulting services. He enthusiastically brings lessons learned from his experience to organizations both large and small. Dr. McGuirk has been married for 45 years, a father of one son, and author with his wife For Want of a Child: A Psychologist and His Wife Explore the Emotional Effects and Challenges of Infertility. He is the recipient of numerous national and state awards for his decades of excellent service in his field.