OLYMPIA, WA – Gov. Bob Ferguson on Thursday announced the hiring of a Biden administration executive to lead the state Department of Social and Health Services whose programs serve nearly a quarter of Washington’s population.
Ferguson chose Angela Ramirez, chief of staff to former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, to guide the department that oversees vocational rehabilitation, long-term care, behavioral health treatment and developmental disabilities services.
Ferguson said Ramirez’s “deep experience in delivering essential human services, and focus on collaboration makes her exceptionally well-suited for this role. She will provide the direction and strategic vision needed to effectively deliver critical services across Washington.”
Ramirez, a California native, will start Sept. 22 and earn an annual salary of $258,744.
She will oversee an agency with about 18,000 full-time employees and a $25 billion two-year budget. Its multiple programs, including the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, serve about 2 million people. The agency also oversees court-ordered behavioral health treatment at state hospitals, the Special Commitment Center and other facilities.
Under Ferguson, there’s been an organizational restructuring to streamline access to services and supports.
In a statement, Ramirez said she understood the importance of supportive public services, noting her parents were farmworkers who experienced homelessness.
“Whether someone needs housing, a job, mental health care, or simply the dignity of choice — I believe in the power of government to help individuals shape their own lives,” she said.
Following the 2020 election, Ramirez was a senior staff member on President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team. She served a year as a special assistant to the president in the Office of Legislative Affairs, becoming Becerra’s deputy chief of staff in 2022. She was chief of staff until Jan. 20 when Donald Trump was sworn in as president.
Prior to joining the Biden administration, Ramirez spent nearly two decades working in congressional roles including a stint as executive director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and more than a decade as chief of staff to then-U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico. Lujan now serves in the U.S. Senate.
Ramirez is the second Biden administration official on Ferguson’s team. In January, the governor tapped Casey Sixkiller, then a regional administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, to lead the Department of Ecology.
Her hiring ends the governor’s monthslong search to fill the critical post.
Ferguson asked Cheryl Strange, then secretary of corrections, to delay a planned retirement and serve as acting DSHS secretary as he conducted a nationwide search. Strange led the agency from 2017 to 2021.
Strange did retire in May at which time Bea Rector was named acting secretary.
This story first appeared on Washington State Standard.
