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 Rep. 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 & Data, 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 data science 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 data analysis.