Maryland Department of Human Services Leadership

Rafael López, Secretary

Rafael López is a national leader in human services and leading complex organizations across sectors to improve the lives of children, families, and communities. Appointed by Governor Wes Moore and confirmed by the Maryland Senate, López serves as the Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Human Services. He joined the Moore-Miler Administration from the United States Department of Health and Human Services where he most recently served as a Senior Advisor to the Administration for Children and Families. In the Biden-Harris Administration, López helped reunite more than 170,000 unaccompanied children with their families or other vetted sponsors at the height of the largest surge of unaccompanied children in U.S. history.

Previously, López was the Principal and Founder of López Consulting where he collaborated with nonprofit, philanthropy, government, and private sector organizations to catalyze results for the people they serve. From 2017- 2019 immediately following the Obama-Biden Administration, López was a Managing Director and the Human Services Industry Lead for Accenture’s Health & Public Service practice in North America where he partnered with decision makers in government, education, and nonprofit organizations to leverage technology to improve services and mission effectiveness.

López previously served in the United States Department of Health and Human Services as the Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, a role to which he was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate. As Commissioner, he also served as the Acting Associate Commissioner of the United States Children’s Bureau and Acting Associate Commissioner for the Family and Youth Services Bureau. Immediately prior to his confirmation, López served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and with the Domestic Policy Council.

López has dedicated his career to improving the lives of children, families, and communities through a variety of leadership roles at the city, county, and state level. Prior to serving in the White House, López was an Associate Director at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private, national philanthropy devoted to developing a brighter future for millions of children at risk of poor educational, economic, social and health outcomes. López also led The Family League of Baltimore City, Inc. where he was the President and CEO and served as a member of the Baltimore City Mayor’s Cabinet. From 2006-2009, López was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to serve on his Cabinet as the Executive Director of the City of Los Angeles Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families. López previously served as the Deputy Director of the City and County of San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families and as Senior Deputy for Health and Human Services for Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina. From 1999-2004, López served as the Founding Executive Director of First 5 Santa Cruz County where he launched the countywide implementation of the California Children and Families First Act-Proposition 10 and led innovative efforts to expand and create programs and services in health, early care and education, and family strengthening, including the creation of one of California’s first comprehensive health coverage programs for all Santa Cruz County children.

In 1999, López launched his public service career by becoming the youngest person in the City’s history to serve on the Watsonville City Council where he led neighborhood-based efforts to civically engage youth and immigrant families in the development of city services. He has worked closely with community-based organizations as a volunteer, manager, executive, founder, and board member. Sponsored by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, he served as a fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovation at the Graduate School of Business Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders. López was awarded a 2007-2008 Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family National Fellowship and a 2018 Ambassador for Health Equity Fellowship with PolicyLink.

López is an alumnus of Vassar College and a graduate of the University of California Santa Cruz where he earned his Bachelor of Arts with honors. He is a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School where he earned a Master in Public Administration and was named a Lucius N. Littauer Fellow. López and his wife are the proud parents of two children.

Carnitra White, Principal Deputy Secretary

Overseeing our agency’s Social Services, Family Investment, and Child Support Administrations, Carnitra also serves as the primary contact for our local Departments of Social Services. A lifelong public servant and Casey Fellow, Carnitra began her career as a purchase-of-care worker at the Baltimore City DSS. She has served the State of Maryland and the Department of Human Services in a variety of significant leadership roles including as Anne Arundel DSS Director, former Acting Deputy Secretary, and former Executive Director of our Social Services Administration, she is a proud product of Baltimore City public schools and a hall of fame graduate of Baltimore City College. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Carnitra went on to earn her Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore, School of Social Work.

Daniel Wait, Deputy Secretary for Talent and Customer Service

Daniel has served at DHS since 2009. He most recently led as Deputy Secretary of Operations and prior to that, Director of Human Resources Training & Development (HRDT). His portfolio encompasses multiple facets of managerial oversight ranging from HRDT, the DHS Learning Office, Constituent Services, and Department-wide oversight of the customer service experience. Daniel’s capacity for learning and improving programs within DHS makes his transition an excellent choice for the Department. Daniel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany.

Gloria Brown Burnett, Deputy Secretary of Operations

At DHS, Gloria is responsible for a portfolio that includes information technology, contracting and procurement, and general administrative services. She previously served for more than 14 years as the director of the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services. Gloria was born and raised in Mount Clemens, Michigan and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Fisk University, a Master of Science in Management from the University of Maryland University College and an Executive Education Certificate for Senior Managers in Government from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. She is also a member of both the 2011 Cohort of Leadership Greater Washington and The Prince George’s Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Heather Zenone, Assistant Secretary for Policy

Heather Zenone brings more than 20 years of national, state, and tribal experience leading efforts to advance reforms in child well-being, juvenile justice, anti-trafficking, migrant child and family welfare, behavioral health, and Medicaid. She served in the Indian Child Welfare Program of Casey Family Programs on special assignment as a Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and as Senior Advisor to Representative Karen Bass in the U.S. House of Representatives leading child welfare legislation for systemic transformation. A champion of equity, diversity, and inclusion, Heather aged out of foster care and is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley and the University of California Berkeley School of Law. As Assistant Secretary for Policy, Heather guides the vision and strategy for the Department’s policy at the direction of the Secretary. She leads a team that includes policy, government affairs, and grants expertise taking a holistic approach to achieving the Department’s goals. The team works collaboratively with the operational and programmatic units of the Department to identify the best ways to achieve better results for Marylanders using a combination of legislation, regulation, policy research and analysis, and external grant funding.

Webster Ye, Chief of Staff

Webster Ye most recently served as Assistant Secretary for Health Policy at the Maryland Department of Health, where he developed and led health policy across 40 departmental units for federal, state, and local legislative and governmental affairs. Webster has extensive experience managing a myriad of public health services and leading organizations in a way that reflects the urgency and responsiveness we will model. Webster holds a Juris Doctorate from George Mason University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College.

Scheduling Requests for the Secretary of the Department of Human Services

The Department of Human Services Office of the Secretary and the DHS Executive Leadership Team values community engagement and strives to accommodate requests to meet or attend events in support of new and established partners, service providers and businesses across the state.

Please complete this form to request the DHS Secretary or a member of the department’s executive leadership team attend your upcoming event or meeting. A member of the Secretary’s office will review your request and contact you within 2 business days. Submitting a request does not guarantee that it will be fulfilled.