Executive Leadership
Shevaun Harris
Secretary
Shevaun Harris has served as Secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) since February 2021. She brought with her an innovative vision and a commitment to improving Florida’s approach in supporting vulnerable children and families. Her leadership is marked by a belief in empowering Floridians to thrive independently and harnessing the power of partnership to support strong and resilient families.
Secretary Harris began her career as a social worker, which led to her true passion - policy and administration in the field of health and human services. She spent nearly two decades at the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), where she excelled and served in key roles, including Acting Secretary. The majority of her tenure at AHCA was focused on the administration of the multi-billion dollar Florida Medicaid program, impacting millions of Floridians through implementation of sound policy and quality improvement efforts.
Her pursuit of excellence continued at DCF. She immediately began seeking opportunities for improvement, asking hard questions, and challenging the status quo, with a specific focus on programmatic and cross-agency integration. The result has been significant people-focused changes that have elevated DCF’s work and improved outcomes for Florida’s children and families.
Under her leadership, DCF has sought to capitalize on each encounter to ensure that families’ needs are addressed holistically and to create pathways for success rooted in prevention and integrating systems. Crowning achievements include the launch of Hope Florida – A Pathway to Prosperity, spearheaded by First Lady Casey DeSantis, which supports individuals in becoming economically self-sufficient; the launch of Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE), a vital tool in Florida’s fight against the opioid epidemic; and the establishment of the child welfare accountability system, created to drive performance improvement.
She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in social work from the Florida State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Quinnipiac University.
Casey Penn
Chief of Staff
Casey Penn currently serves as the Chief of Staff for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Previous to this role, he served as the Deputy Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Economic Self Sufficiency where he oversaw the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid determinations, Refugee Services, and the Office of Homelessness. Prior to joining the Department, Casey worked in workforce development, overseeing the administration of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Casey holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics from Florida State University and currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife and two children. After graduating from college, Casey worked in the private sector for 10 years before returning to the public sector in 2017.
Kathryn Williams
Deputy Secretary
Kathryn “Kate” Williams is the Deputy Secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Kate began her career with the Department as a Child Protective Investigator, and she still maintains her CPI Certification today. With almost two decades of experience, Kate brings frontline experience, a vast expertise in child welfare, and innovation to the role. She previously served as the Assistant Secretary and Deputy Secretary for the Office of Child and Family Well-Being where she oversaw operations. During her time with the Department, Kate has lent her knowledge and insight to several statewide initiatives that are transforming our system of care including her role in spearheading an effort on frontline-focused initiatives through best practice identification, standardization, and implementation.
Kate has a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of North Florida. She now resides in Tallahassee with her husband and two children.
Erica Floyd Thomas
Assistant Secretary for Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Erica Floyd Thomas joined the Department of Children and Families in April 2021 after 20 years of serving the State of Florida at the Agency for Health Care Administration in various leadership roles. As the Assistant Secretary for Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Mrs. Thomas is responsible for bridging the gap between individuals with behavioral health challenges and the services they need to thrive in their communities. Under Mrs. Thomas’ leadership, the Department has secured $126 million in recurring state general revenue to increase access to essential community-based services such as Mobile Response Teams, Care Coordination, and Florida Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) teams, implemented the Office of Opioid Recovery, and Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, expanded bed capacity in state mental health treatment facilities by 34 percent, enhanced prevention and early intervention mental health services to support first responders and their families, and transformed a 20-year Baker Act data collection and reporting process to enhance data transparency and visibility. Additionally, Ms. Thomas has championed the expansion of the Department’s Overdose Prevention Program in order meet community needs and reach more individuals at risk of an opioid overdose. Within Ms. Thomas’ first two years, there was a 206 percent increase in the number of free naloxone kits distributed throughout the state and 108 percent increase in the number of times a life was saved through this statewide naloxone distribution program.
In her previous roles, Mrs. Thomas directed the implementation of the Medicaid Housing Assistance Pilot program. This program was established to provide evidence-based community supports and services for Medicaid-eligible individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have serious mental illnesses or a substance use disorder. Additionally, she aided in the implementation of a multidisciplinary team approach for applied behavioral analysis services for children to ensure access to care and managed the deployment of open access for medication assisted treatment to sustain recovery and aid in the prevention of overdoses. During her tenure with the Agency for Health Care Administration, she and her team promoted and optimized the use of telemedicine in various health care settings, including those with a primary behavioral health focus.
Mrs. Thomas holds two degrees from Florida State University; a Bachelor of Science in Family and Child Science and Master of Social Work.
Martha Harbin
Assistant Secretary for the Office of Quality and Innovation
Martha Harbin joined the Department of Children and Families in June 2024 after leading organizational change communications for a major business transformation of a large publicly traded company. She also has served in a senior external relations position for a large healthcare provider. Prior to embarking on her corporate career, Martha owned a sought-after consulting practice, which she launched after successful stints at two of the world’s largest public relations consultancies. Martha is a change agent with vast experience successfully building and sustaining communities around a host of issues in areas as diverse as developmental disabilities, corporate responsibility, and public health policy.
A Florida native and life-long resident, Martha graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, followed by early career experience as a writer and newspaper reporter.