On Nov. 28, 2022, Gov. Greg Abbott announced new leadership appointments at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Effective Jan. 2, 2023, Stephanie Muth has assumed the role of Commissioner. Additionally, Anne Heiligenstein is returning to DFPS in a Senior Adviser role to lead a number of key projects at the agency.
Stephanie Muth specializes in health and human services policy, design, and operations. Prior to establishing her consulting practice in June 2020, she worked in Texas state government for 20 years, including working in the Texas legislature and executive branch and holding senior executive level positions at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) for more than 15 years. During her career, Stephanie has modernized the Texas eligibility system and successfully overseen a large-scale reorganization of health and human service programs. As State Medicaid Director, she managed the operational and policy aspects of a health care delivery system that provides services to more than 4 million Texans. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida and a Master’s of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.
Anne Heiligenstein is the current Texas Strategic Consultant for Casey Family Programs. She joined Casey after retiring from state service as the Commissioner of DFPS. Prior to leading DFPS, she was the Deputy Executive Commissioner for HHSC, where she managed the Medicaid/CHIP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, and Refugee Assistance eligibility programs. While working for Casey, she has been assisting with efforts to strengthen Texas’ child welfare system, including safely reducing the number of children in foster care and improving the lives of those in care. Anne has a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin, a Master’s of Science from Trinity University, and is a former Fellow of the Eli Broad Foundation Academy, which trains and develops education leaders throughout the country.