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Education News
Kyra Miles
St. Paul

Walz taps assistant commissioner to lead new child-focused department

Kids are playing in the classroom
Children play in the classroom at AGAPE Head Start day care in St. Paul in September 2023. Gov. Tim Walz on Monday announced his choice to lead the state's new Department of Children, Youth and Families, set to open in July.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News

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Gov. Tim Walz on Monday tapped an assistant commissioner in the Department of Human Services to be the first commissioner of Minnesota’s new Department of Children, Youth and Families.

tikki brown commissioner minnesota children youth families
Tikki Brown was tapped Monday to serve as the first commissioner of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families when it opens in July.
Office of Gov. Tim Walz

Tikki Brown, 46, has been part of the team planning for the new department since it was announced in 2023. She started at the Human Services Department as an intern and spent the next two decades moving up the ranks in roles promoting equity and inclusion.

“I have a deep commitment to working with communities working with folks with lived experience, working across different agencies and divisions,” Brown told MPR News. “I have a firm belief we can’t do this work alone. We have to work in partnership. And I think that will carry me well into this new role.”

The new department is set to open July 1 with a leadership team that will oversee the transition of programs for caregivers and young children that are currently part of four state agencies — Human Services, Education, Public Safety and Health. Brown expects this to take a year.