Taylor N. Hatch
Title Secretary
Position Vice Chair
Taylor N. Hatch was appointed as the Secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in March 2025.
Prior to joining DCF, Ms. Hatch served as the Director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). APD serves more than 60,000 Floridians with seven types of developmental disabilities and works with local organizations and private providers to support people who have developmental disabilities and their families in living, learning, and working in their communities.
Before her appointment at APD, Ms. Hatch served as the Deputy Secretary at the Department of Children and Families, where she focused on shaping and aligning the strategic direction of the Department while overseeing policy and operations for child and family well-being, substance abuse and mental health, economic self-sufficiency and quality and innovation. Prior to the Deputy Secretary role, Ms. Hatch served as the Assistant Secretary of Economic Self-Sufficiency where she led the direction of Florida’s public assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Homelessness and more. In this role, she brought her experience of workforce policy to reimagine the services provided through public benefits to support individuals in achieving self-sufficiency.
Before joining DCF, Ms. Hatch served as the Director of Workforce Services at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) where she was responsible for the management and oversight of the state’s Reemployment Assistance program, Labor Market Statistics, and One-Stop and Program Support of workforce programs, including the partnership with the local CareerSource Florida network boards across the state.
Prior to her tenure at DEO, Ms. Hatch served as Senior Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs Director at the Department of Management Services, Deputy Legislative Affairs Director for DEO, and also gained experience in private sector consulting. Serving in these capacities, she was integral in advancing legislative and strategic priorities, streamlining operational functions, and building collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
A Florida native, Ms. Hatch lives in Tallahassee with her husband Eddie and three children.
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