Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday that he is planning to appoint Andrea Barton Reeves as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) and Dr. Deidre Gifford as executive director of the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) when he begins his second term in office early next year.
Gifford is currently the commissioner of DSS and Barton Reeves is CEO of the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority.
Gifford will fill the role of OHS executive director that was most recently held by Victoria Veltri, who stepped down in June. Barton Reeves will fill the position at DSS that is being vacated by Gifford in her transition to OHS.
In addition to serving as OHS executive director, Lamont said he will continue to task Gifford with the added role of serving as senior advisor to the governor for health and human services.
Prior to leading the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority, Barton Reeves served from 2013 to 2020 as president and CEO of Harc Inc., a large nonprofit in Hartford that provides services for people with intellectual and related disabilities and families.
