A health executive placed on leave last week after making comments about police needing training to "not shoot black children first" will keep her $1 million-a-year position, RWJBarnabas's leadership announced Wednesday.

The company's president and chief executive officer Barry Ostrowsky said in a statement that RWJBarnabas had taken close to a week to review its social media policy, studying the line between the expression of personal views on unrelated pages, and the messages and tone sent from the company's own social channels.

Michellene Davis. (Margaret Schmidt | The Jersey Journal)

"I am confident that Ms. [Michellene] Davis remains the proper executive to lead the Social Impact and Community Investment practice for RWJBarnabas Health," he said.

Davis came under fire last week after she commented on a NorthJersey.com article her friend shared on Facebook. It detailed plans to install armed police officers at schools in Fair Lawn.

"Who is going to train them not to shoot black children first?!?" she said in the comment, which did not appear on a public post, but was circulated via screenshots.

She posted an apology to her Facebook page Thursday morning, before removing the page later that afternoon.

"I want to publicly apologize for an extremely insensitive and offensive comment posted on Facebook," she wrote. "My concern for the safety of schoolchildren and gun violence led me to react to a headline without thinking. Having a late sister and other family in law enforcement I deeply respect the law enforcement community and appreciate their service and admire their sacrifice."

Davis has a history of serving in leadership positions in the state, and was the first African-American chief policy counsel under former Gov. Jon Corzine, as well as acting state treasurer.

She was also the the first woman and person of color "to be named to the senior-most level of the State of New Jersey's largest healthcare system," according to her website.

According to IRS records, Davis received a $1,061,866 salary in 2017.

RWJ Barnabas employees, local community leaders, members of law enforcement, physicians, educators, elected officials and other citizens from around the state all reached out to the company in the wake of the comments, Ostrowsky said in his statement.

The statement mostly addressed issues of leadership on social issues, rather than Davis's statement directly, but Ostrowsky did say he believed her apology for the statement was sincere, and that her statement touched on valid concerns.

"The issue of violence in our community is real and the toll that has been taken - particularly in our urban communities - is reflective of a true public health crisis," he said. "I believe this, Ms. Davis believes this, and members of law enforcement with whom I have spoken believe this. It is from this position of commonality that we should and must start, if we are to move forward as a state and health system."

Davis could not be reached for immediate comment Wednesday afternoon.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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