Commissioner
Governor Doug Burgum appointed Wayne Salter as Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on January 22, 2024.
Salter served as deputy executive commissioner of access and eligibility services for Texas Health and Human Services from September 2017 to June 2023, providing executive leadership to a workforce of more than 9,000 team members responsible for the administration of public assistance and community-based services and support programs.
He previously served three years as associate commissioner for Texas HHS Access and Eligibility Services and 17 years with the Florida Department of Children and Families, including as deputy director of the Public Assistance Division.
Salter earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Phoenix and is a graduate of the Florida Center for Public Management at Florida State University.
The Department of Health and Human Services is the state’s largest agency in terms of both budget and employees, operating eight regional human service centers, as well as the Life Skills and Transition Center in Grafton and the State Hospital in Jamestown.
Services provided by DHHS include aging services, behavioral health services, children and family services, developmental disability services, child support, economic assistance, medical services and vocational rehabilitation.