On Aug. 1, 2017 I officially stepped into my new role as Secretary of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. I can’t fully describe how excited, nervous, and hopeful I am about taking on this work.

The monumental task of creating a new agency is well underway, and I am eager to share with you our progress thus far. We’re trying to take a thoughtful and inclusive approach to this work, one that brings to bear the immense expertise from staff and the field as we make critical decisions for the new agency.

I am very excited to have submitted the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ very first budget request to the Governor’s office this week. Even though we’re working towards only a supplemental budget, it feels like a milestone in “realness” for the new agency.

Building a new agency — especially one as large and important as the Department of Children, Youth, and Families — is no easy task. Merging Children’s Administration, the Department of Early Learning and eventually the Juvenile Rehabilitation program, requires a considerable planning and oversight in order to be successful.

Up until now, merging into the Department of Children, Youth, and Families has seemed like a far-off prospect, something happening “next” year. Well, that year is now upon us. In six short months we will come together to form a new agency, an agency with a relentless focus on outcomes for children and fueled by deep respect for each other and the families we serve.

When Ross Hunter was appointed last year as secretary of the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), he made a commitment to visit every office to learn from employees who would eventually work for DCYF. He also committed to visit with community members and stakeholders across the state.

I am eager to share with you a brief update on our progress toward building an organizational structure for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. As with many of the tasks we face, there are relentless deadlines pushing us to make decisions.

I am pleased to announce that we’ve hired our Director of Human Resources for DCYF. Marcos Rodriguez comes to us from the Department of Corrections and will be starting his new position next Friday, Feb. 16. Having a strong leader in this position is critical as we move forward with the transition process, and I am very excited to have Marcos on board.

Our new agency’s work with the federally recognized tribes in Washington is some of the most important we do. Our relationship has both legal and moral structure and is based on the sovereignty of the tribal nations and our formal government to government relationship with each.

I’m excited to announce that Jody Becker will be joining us as Deputy Secretary of Programs for Children and Families. She’ll start on March 16th. She has a long work history and series of successes in supporting families and children, including receiving the Governor’s Award for Leadership and Management in 2015. I am particularly excited about this part of her official bio: