Staff Spotlight: Scott Maloney

This year marks 25 years of service at Family Service Rochester (FSR) for Scott Maloney, our Executive Director.

Scott grew up in Meadow Park and graduated from Mayo High School in 1992. A lifelong Rochester resident, he’s proud to call this community home. “It’s a great place to raise a family,” he says. “I’ve never had a desire to live anywhere else.”

After high school, Scott attended Winona State University, initially pursuing criminal justice with hopes of becoming a law enforcement officer. “I wanted to help people,” he recalls, “but I realized the culture was more about ‘arresting the bad guys.’” That realization led him to switch his focus to corrections, aiming to become a juvenile probation officer — a role he still finds appealing today.

Scott is candid about his early years, sharing that he wasn’t particularly engaged in middle school and probably headed down the wrong path. Hockey became a turning point: “You couldn’t play without good grades,” he says. “It really saved me.” Those experiences shaped his belief that young people don’t choose to get into trouble — circumstances and environment play a major role. “I had support from my parents and from hockey. I wanted to help others who weren’t as fortunate.”

After college, Scott interned and later worked at the Olmsted County Juvenile Detention Center, where he quickly realized how complex young people’s lives could be. “I was naïve,” he admits. “There was a whole subculture of drug abuse, domestic violence, neglect.” Hearing parents say they’d tried for years to get help for their children without success pushed Scott toward social work.

That shift led him to Family Service Rochester, an organization he had never heard of, where he began facilitating family conference on what is now known as the Family Involvement Strategies Team Over six years, Scott worked closely with families and community partners before advancing to manage all child welfare programs. During this time he earned a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Minnesota and later a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of St. Thomas.

Scott’s career at FSR continued to evolve from overseeing child welfare to managing Dodge County’s Children’s Services for what began as a “90-day” assignment and turned into three years. Later, as FSR's Director of Child Welfare and Aging Services, he observed how well-supported child welfare was compared to the fragmented, underfunded aging services field - a challenge that remains today.

Now, as Executive Director, Scott leads FSR through a time of growth and change. “Rochester’s population and diversity have grown tremendously, and FSR has grown with it,” he says. “We’ve listened to what the community needs and tried to respond thoughtfully.”

While the his role as Excecutive Director has unique challenges (“It’s strange not having a boss,” he admits), Scott values collaboration and humility. “I don’t have all the answers. Good helping professionals and good leaders ask good questions.” Listening to staff helps shape a stronger, more responsive organization.

At the heart of FSR’s work, Scott emphasizes one core principle: respect. “We treat people with dignity and involve them in decisions that affect their lives. I never want to define someone by the worst moment they’ve had.”