Albuquerque – Today, Governor-elect Susana Martinez nominated Sidonie Squier to serve as her secretary of the 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). She has worked at both the state and Federal levels on various social assistance programs and areas, including TANF, Medicaid, nutrition and domestic violence.
In nominating Squier, Governor-elect Susana Martinez stated, “Sidonie 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. 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 is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach, with B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communications.
In addition to directing the New Mexico Medicaid program, the Human Services Department oversees the enforcement of child support payments, the administration of substance abuse and mental health programs, and the provision of food, financial assistance and health care to those who qualify.
In response to her nomination as the secretary of the Human Services Department, Squier said, “I’m honored to have been selected as a cabinet secretary in Governor-elect Martinez’s Administration. She has charged me with protecting health care services for needy children and families in New Mexico, which I plan to deliver on.”