Organizational structure and leadership

Anne-Marie Braga is the deputy executive director of Community Partnerships. Braga came to CDHS in 2019 with 25 years of experience in the health and human services field. She is responsible for operational oversight of the external entities and agencies with whom the department contracts and partners. Braga provides supervision for the Office of Children, Youth and Families; Office of Economic Security; Office of Early Childhood; Aging and Adult Services; Office of Behavioral Health Community Programs; County Services; and Client Services/Controlled Correspondence.

Jeremy Hill is the deputy executive director of Administrative Solutions. Administrative Solutions is responsible for the management of the administrative functions of CDHS and comprises Human Resources, Facilities Management, Performance and Strategic Outcomes, Business Technology, Emergency Management, Legal and Communications. Hill joined CDHS in 2014 as the director of the Contracts and Procurement Unit. Previously, he represented CDHS as an assistant attorney general.

Perry May is the deputy executive director of health facilities. Joining CDHS in 2019, May provides supervision to the chief medical officer; the Office of Adult, Aging and Disability Services; the Office of Children, Youth and Families; and the Office of Behavioral Health. This supervision includes oversight of the 10 facilities within the Division of Youth Services, the three Regional Centers, the two Mental Health Institutes, and the three Veterans Community Living Centers. May was previously the executive director of Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health-Colorado.

Clint Woodruff is the deputy executive director of Financial Services and chief financial officer. Financial Services is responsible for the oversight of the department's $2 billion+ budget and includes the Budget, Accounting, and Contracts and Procurement divisions. Woodruff joined CDHS in 2012 as the controller. He is a certified public accountant with more than 25 years' experience in finance and accounting and previously held executive finance roles with Champps Entertainment, U.S. Nursing, and Spicy Pickle.

Kevin Neimond is the director of policy and legislative affairs. Neimond develops the department's policy and legislative agenda in coordination with the executive director, deputy executive directors, executive management team and legislative liaisons. He is responsible for the coordination of relationships with the legislative branch, community stakeholders and counties. Neimond was previously a staffer for the Colorado General Assembly's Joint Budget Committee, from 2009-19, and served as the Colorado House of Representatives' reading clerk, from 2007-09.

Robert Werthwein is the director of the Office of Behavioral Health. Werthwein directs the operations and administrative oversight of the public behavioral health system, including programs consisting of mental health and substance use community programs, as well as operation of the Colorado Mental Health Institutes at Fort Logan and Pueblo. Werthwein, who joined CDHS in 2013, also leads in providing policy, performance management, fiscal and administrative tools, and oversight to a large group of mental health facilities, treatment centers and clinics statewide.

Katie McLoughlin is the chief legal director. McLoughlin is responsible for overseeing the legal functioning of the department and partnering with the Attorney General's Office on legal strategy. She advises on legislation and compliance issues, and oversees the Office of Appeals and disputes between employees and the State Personnel Board. McLoughlin was previously Gov. John Hickenlooper's deputy legal counsel from 2015-18.

Mary Alice Cohen is the director of the Office of Early Childhood. She joined CDHS in 2015, and oversees the administration of child-care licensing and subsidy programs, quality initiatives, early intervention, child maltreatment prevention, home visitation, mental health programs, and Head Start. The Office of Early Childhood provides service for families of young children, striving to improve kindergarten readiness, increase early literacy, prevent child abuse and neglect, and treat early‐identified developmental needs.

Yolanda Webb is the director of the Office of Adult, Aging and Disability Services. Webb takes the lead in providing policy, performance management, fiscal and administrative tools, and instruction to 64 county social services departments, five state veterans' homes, and three Regional Centers. Joining CDHS in 2019, she has more than 25 years of experience working with adults with disabilities, the adult and aging population, and services to veterans and their caregivers.

Minna Castillo Cohen is the director of the Office of Children, Youth and Families. Since 2017, Castillo Cohen has directed the operations of programs and facilities that improve the safety, independence and well-being of Colorado's children, youth and families. She oversees Child Welfare, Youth Services and the Domestic Violence Program — as well as the Colorado Juvenile Parole Board, the Colorado Sexual Health Initiative (CoSHI) and the Medical Oversight Unit. She has served for 20 years in the nonprofit sector, with all of her work focused on serving children, youth and families.

Ki'i Powell is the director of the Office of Economic Security. Powell directs the operations of programs that provide income, nutritional and support services to those in need, including Child Support Services; Colorado Works (Colorado’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program), Food and Nutrition Services (including Colorado’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and Refugee Services. Powell has worked with CDHS since 2010. Her previous roles were as research and evaluation manager and Performance Management director in the Division of Child Welfare, where she built and managed the CDHS performance management approach known as C-Stat. 

Francesca Galarraga is the director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She is a diversity practitioner with 20 years of experience helping organizations foster workplace environments where employees feel respected, appreciated, and valued. She started her EDI career at The Walt Disney World Resort. Since then she has led EDI efforts at Rockwell Collins, Iowa State University, Virginia Tech, University of the Rockies, and the University of California Office of the President. She served on the Iowa State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, as Region VII Director for the American Association of Affirmative Action, and as an executive coach and leadership consultant. Galarraga graduated valedictorian from Nova University, received a master’s degree from Michigan State University, and a doctorate in organizational development and leadership from University of the Rockies.

Renée Marquardt, M.D., is the chief medical officer. Marquardt serves as the internal consultant to CDHS regarding medical and psychiatric oversight and planning. She has more than 20 years of medical experience, including extensive work with child welfare, developmentally disabled and juvenile justice populations. She also has a background in child development and neuroscience research and clinical program development and oversight. Marquardt is board certified in child adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry.

Lili Tran is the director of Human Resources. Tran came to CDHS in August 2021, having previously served in the public, private and non-public sectors. Her career spans a multitude of industries including city and county government, public health, public safety, healthcare, behavioral health, community corrections, technology and media. She holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration and an MBA, both from the University of Colorado. She was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and raised in Colorado Springs.

Mark Techmeyer is the director of communications. Techmeyer is responsible for CDHS's overall communications strategy, media relations, issues and crisis management, and all external and internal communications. He joined CDHS in 2018 after 12 years as the public information officer and director of public affairs for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Techmeyer has extensive experience in crisis communications as well as brand protection and promotion.