Wolf taps top aide Meg Snead to lead Human Services Department following Sec.Teresa Miller’s resignation

The same day that the Wolf administration announced that Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller would vacate the post effective April 30, Gov. Tom Wolf named  her replacement.

In a statement, Wolf said he’d nominated administration Policy & Planning Secretary Meg Snead to fill the looming vacancy at one the state’s largest agencies. 

“Meg Snead is an exceptional public servant whose background includes extensive experience in policy development for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens,” Wolf said in the statement. “She has dedicated her career to ensuring individuals have necessary social determinants of health, like adequate access to housing and health care. Meg began her career in Pennsylvania with DHS where she was integral in managing strategic policy initiatives for the commonwealth’s medical assistance programs for both physical and behavioral health services. I look forward to the successes of the department to better the lives of Pennsylvanians with her leading the charge.”

Snead has helped the Wolf administration coordinate its COVID-19 response over the last year and brings a decade of nonprofit experience to DHS. Snead holds a bachelor’s in government from the University of South Carolina and a master’s in political science from the University of Colorado.

If confirmed by the state Senate, Snead will replace Miller, who first joined the Wolf administration in 2015 as Pennsylvania’s Insurance Commissioner. Miller was tapped to lead the Department of Human Services in 2017. 

In her tenure, Miller oversaw the implementation of Community HealthChoices, a program that coordinates long-term services for individuals with disabilities and senior citizens.

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Wolf thanked Sec. Miller for her service to the commonwealth: 

“I want to thank Teresa for devoting her career in the commonwealth to its people,” said Gov. Wolf. “During her tenure, she was instrumental in ensuring Pennsylvanians had access to health care, designing programs to break generational poverty, and redesigned Pennsylvania’s employment and training programs for people who use public assistance. I wish Teresa and her family well as she makes this transition and during future endeavors.”