Policy & Practice | October 2021

association news

Maricopa County Human Services Director Retires

A fter nearly 50 years of dedicated work leading human services in both the public and private sectors, Maricopa County Human Services Director Bruce Liggett is retiring on October 1, 2021. His commitment to developing and maintaining a strong human services system in Arizona, while always focused on the individ uals and families being served, shows through his career accomplishments. In addition, at the national level, APHSA is proud to have worked with Bruce through our Local Council membership group for many years, and thank him for his dedicated service to the field. Originally from Chicago, IL, Bruce stayed in Arizona after obtaining his Masters in Social Work from Arizona State University. He began his career with the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) working in develop mental disabilities, first developing a comprehensive community network of services, thenmanaging the statewide system for deinstitutionalization and expansion of community services for persons with developmental disabilities. While at DES, Bruce was sought after to analyze, develop, and implement major initiatives and new programs for the State of Arizona. He established the first DES Director’s Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, where he managed the national services inte gration demonstration project and implemented Title XIX Long Term Care for the elderly and persons with dis abilities. He was also Arizona’s first Child Care Administrator. In this role, he completed the first comprehensive analysis of the state child care policy and service delivery and managed expansion of funds from $20 M to $100 M, doubling the number of families served. Bruce was also respon sible for developing and implementing

his established Partnership Principles of respect and cooperation, he dra matically expanded government, nonprofit, and private partnerships to ensure a responsive, efficient, and effective human services system. Under his leadership, HSD received 31

reforms for social programs (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act). Bruce also successfully implemented Arizona Proposition 204, which was the largest operational project since the for mation of the DES. This project involved the transfer of responsibility for health care eligibility from all 15 counties. The four month transition involved 650 county employees; more than 100 office sites, including 50 based in hospitals; and fixed assets. As DES Deputy Director, he managed public assistance and employment programs. He was responsible for more than $1.7 billion in federal and state funds andmore than 6,000 employees across four divi sions, which included such programs as TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, Unemployment Insurance, theWorkforce Investment Act, Rehabilitation Services, Child Care, and Child Support Enforcement. In each programBruce led, recognition for a best practice followed. Bruce took his passion for helping children and families and combined three trade associations into a single state-wide professional and advocacy organization—the Arizona Child Care Association (ACCA). For 10 years, Bruce led ACCA as the Executive Director and he successfully advocated for public investment in early child hood care and education. Bruce became the Director of the Maricopa County Human Services Department (HSD) in 2013, leading all aspects of programs and opera tions for the fourth largest county in the nation, including Head Start, Community Action, Senior Services, Workforce Development, Community Development, and programs for those experiencing homelessness. Based on

best practice awards from the National Association of Counties, including for such programs as linking the county’s criminal justice system to HSD’s Workforce Development services and braiding funds for veterans’ home repair and rehabilita tion projects. Recognizing the importance of families

receiving the support they need to achieve their goals, Bruce was a leader on implementing 2Gen approaches across department programs. With the onset of COVID-19, Bruce led the human services response to the pandemic for Maricopa County. This included providing more than 3,000 individuals experiencing homeless ness with a connection to medical care and a safe place to stay, which included standing up multiple hotels as housing. To help prevent family housing disrup tions, Bruce led the implementation and provision of $73 million in rental and utility assistance to more than 14,000 households across Maricopa County. He also ensured that Head Start families received remote support and early childhood education, job seekers could access services virtually, and invest ments were made into senior service programs to protect and support this at-risk population during COVID. Throughout his extensive career, Bruce Liggett was a visionary for human services delivery—impacting not only the families and individuals, but also the staff he guided and mentored under his undaunted leadership.

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