Sidonie Squier
Gov.-elect Susana Martinez today nominated a former federal health and human services official, Sidonie Squier, to be the secretary of the state’s Human Services Department.
“Squier served as the director of the Office of Family Assistance at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from June 2005 through January 2009, where she oversaw the provision of help to needy families through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF),” a news release from Martinez’s transition team states. “She has worked at both the state and federal levels on various social assistance programs and areas, including TANF, Medicaid, nutrition and domestic violence.”
Martinez said Squier “has the experience and talent necessary to ensure the most efficient delivery of health care and other social services in New Mexico.”
“She provides a valuable and unique perspective, having served at both the state and federal level,” Martinez said. “We face a significant budget deficit, and both Sidonie and I are committed to ensuring that the safety net for needy families and children in New Mexico remains strong and in place.”
Squier has also served as an associate commissioner in the Office of Family Services with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, as well as the director of economic self-sufficiency and welfare reform administrator in the Florida Department of Children and Families.
She said Martinez has “charged me with protecting health care services for needy children and families in New Mexico, which I plan to deliver on.”