A Maine native is poised to become the next head of the state government’s largest department.

Gov. Janet Mills said she will nominate Sara Gagné-Holmes to become the next commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.  

Gagné-Holmes would replace Jeanne Lambrew, who left in May  to take a job at a Washington D.C. think tank and to teach at Harvard. Gagné-Holmes, who has served as deputy commissioner for the past five years, has been acting commissioner since June1.

In a news release Thursday, Mills said Gagné-Holmes “cares deeply about the health, safety and welfare of Maine people, and she has dedicated nearly her entire professional career to improving the lives of people across this state.”

Mills continued: “Her deep policy and managerial experience, her intimate knowledge of the department – including both its strengths and its challenges – along with the respect she has earned from her colleagues, lawmakers and others, and her collaborative approach to solving problems make her the right person at the right time to take on this important role.”

DHHS oversees a host of health, child and family, welfare and behavioral services. It also oversees state licensing and certification and disease control and prevention. The department has more than 3,000 employees across eight offices and two psychiatric hospitals. 

In recent years, the department has been under fire for its Office of Child and Family Services division following the high-profile deaths of young children who had received services from the department.

In November, the head of that office, Todd Landry, resigned from the post following increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and others.

Gagné-Holmes’ nomination is subject to a hearing before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee and confirmation by the state Senate. 

“The department has made great strides in advancing our mission of ensuring health, safety, resilience, and opportunity for Maine people,” Sara Gagné-Holmes said. “We have more work to do to fully implement our progress, better meet the needs of the Maine people we serve, and continue building trust through listening, transparency, and accountability. I look forward to discussing how we will achieve those goals with the Legislature, our many partners, and the public.”

Gagné-Holmes grew up in Sanford, has an undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College and a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law. 

She practiced law with a focus on health care at a Maine law firm before serving as a Health Policy and Legal Advisor under then-Gov. John Baldacci. She also led work in non-profit legal services and advocacy at Maine Equal Justice Partners and philanthropy at the John T. Gorman Foundation. She joined the Maine Department of Health and Human Services in March 2019.