Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, will soon lead the Department of Children, Youth and Families after Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson selected the lawmaker as the new director of the agency.
“Supporting kids and families has been a longstanding priority of mine,” Senn said in a statement released Dec. 18. “After more than a decade of shaping policy in this critical space, I am honored to be asked to serve as Secretary of the Department of Children, Youth and Families and look forward to creating direct, meaningful impact for our most vulnerable communities.”
Senn, a lawmaker for the 41st Legislative District which includes Mercer Island and parts of Bellevue, Issaquah and Sammamish, has been a House representative since 2013.
Currently Senn serves as the chair for the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee. She is also a committee member of the Joint Oversight Board for Children, Youth and Families, and Joint School Safety Summit Committee. Additionally, she sits on the House Technology, Economic Development and Veterans Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the Joint Legislative and Executive Committee on Behavioral Health.
During her time in the statehouse, Senn sponsored legislation to enact the Fair Start for Kids Act, a program that invested in making child care and early learning more affordable for Washingtonians.
Senn will succeed current director Ross Hunter, who said in October that he would not seek reappointment to the position. Hunter has led DCYF since 2017.
