Womazetta Robinson-Jones (born April 24, 1969) is an American social services executive currently serving as the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) of the State of Rhode Island. Jones was appointed by Governor Gina N. Raimondo and confirmed by the Rhode Island Senate.

Early life and education

Jones was born and raised in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In 1991, she graduated from

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. History Western Illin ...

with a bachelor's degree in law enforcement administration and political science followed by a master's degree in psychology, counseling, and guidance earned from Chicago State University.

Career

Jones began her career in 1991 as a social worker at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Throughout her career with DCFS, she served as a front line social worker, child welfare specialist, child protection investigator, supervisor for investigation teams, regional manager for investigation teams and training manager. Jones ultimately remained with the agency for over 15 years and became Deputy Chief for Child Protection and the Illinois Child Protection Statewide Training Manager. Jones also worked as an overseer of child protection for the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

. As director of the Safe Environment Office from 2007 to 2009, she was responsible for reforming the Archdiocese and protecting children after a priest abuse scandal. Jones was responsible for an archdiocese-wide launch of new policies and practices to ensure the safety of children. This included enhanced background screening for all archdiocesan employees, clergy, educators, and ministers and implementing programs and initiatives that worked to keep children safe. She also spent time working for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Foundation. Jones joined the Social Services Department of

Ramsey County, Minnesota Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 552,352, making it the second-most populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat and largest city is Saint Paul, the state capital and ...

, the state's second-largest county, as Division Director for Children and Family Services in June 2013 and was promoted to director of social services for Ramsey County in 2016. In her role as director, Jones was responsible for overseeing protection for children and adults and providing support and treatment for disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse disorders along with services such as child protection, foster care, child care licensing, and adoptions.

Nomination to Rhode Island EOHHS Secretary

After a national search, Jones was introduced in May 2019 as

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Governor Gina Raimondo's selection for the cabinet-level position of Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. She started in her role on July 22, 2019 after she was confirmed by the Senate. Jones replaced Lisa Vura-Weis who served as acting Secretary following the departure of former EOHHS Secretary Eric Beane. Secretary Jones is responsible for administering state agencies that provide services worth billions of dollars to over 300,000 residents, one third of the population of the state. Her role oversees Rhode Island

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

, the Rhode Island Department of Health; the

Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) is a state agency of Rhode Island, headquartered in Downtown Providence. The agency provides services for children and families. Juvenile corrections The agency is responsible for th ...

; the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals; and the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, including the Office of Veterans Affairs and Office of Healthy Aging. Secretary Jones left her position as Rhode Island EOHHS Secretary on May 1,2022.

References

Rhode Island Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Womazetta Living people 1969 births Western Illinois University alumni Chicago State University alumni State cabinet secretaries of Rhode Island