The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families is planning to retire, a department spokesman confirmed Wednesday morning.
Jodi Hill-Lilly has led the department since January 2024, when she was appointed to the commissioner role by Gov. Ned Lamont. She started her career as a social worker more than 35 years ago and has worked in both statewide and national child welfare roles during her career.
Her retirement will be effective Sept. 1. She has accepted a position as the director of the Child Well-Being Program at the Doris Duke Foundation, a nationwide group that advocates for children’s healthy development and protection from abuse and neglect, Gov. Ned Lamont said in a news release.
“I am so appreciative of her dedication to strengthening and improving the lives of Connecticut’s children and families,” Lamont said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “Jodi is one of the hardest working and most compassionate people I know, and her service to our state has absolutely made a positive impact on the lives of our youngest and most vulnerable residents.”
DCF has a staff of about 3,200 and Hill-Lilly has overseen two children’s psychiatric facilities, 14 field offices, a central office and a clinical-support Wilderness School, according to her official bio. Hill-Lilly also co-chairs the state’s alcohol & drug policy council and is a member of the governor’s council on women and girls.
Hill-Lilly has risen through the ranks at DCF over the last 37 years and “stands as an example of what it means to serve the public,” Lamont said.
The goal of DCF is to protect Connecticut children and help prevent abuse and neglect via training, communication and oversight. The department also provides mental health, behavioral and substance abuse services and oversees a foster care system.
“When I began my journey as a frontline social worker in DCF’s New Haven office, I would have never imagined the path my life’s journey has taken,” Hill-Lilly said in a news release. “It was with great humility that I accepted the nomination to become commissioner, and I am grateful for the trust and support Governor Lamont and his entire team had in me in leading what almost everyone refers to as the hardest job in state government.”
The department often faces scrutiny and criticism.
A recent audit of the department highlighted the risk of children in foster care, and the risk of children in foster care running away.
The department has also been pressured to provide information about its handling of a case in Waterbury, where a man was found to have been locked up in his home for more than 20 years. Officials recently met with some lawmakers behind closed doors to discuss those findings and what has changed in state laws and policies in the past 20 years.
“After a long career dedicated to helping people across Connecticut, I wish Commissioner Hill-Lilly the best, with gratitude for all she has accomplished protecting and aiding vulnerable communities and families,” said state Sen. Ceci Maher, D-Wilton. “Her national recognition for her detailed, meaningful approach to this work reflects the care and compassion she has shown throughout her time at DCF.”
State Sen. Jason Perillo, R-Shelton, also said Hill-Lilly has dedicated herself to helping and protecting Connecticut’s most vulnerable children for decades.
“This is often thankless work, but I know I speak for many across our state when I say ‘thank you’ for those many years of service in a variety of challenging roles at DCF while serving as a mentor to fellow DCF staff,” Perillo said.
Both Maher and Perillo serve on the legislative Committee on Children.