Lamont taps DCF's first African-American commissioner

Photo | Twitter via Maribel La Luz Gov.-elect Ned Lamont on Monday nominated Vannessa Dorantes as commissioner of the state Department of Children and Families (DCF).

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By Joe Cooper

Two days from inauguration, Gov.-elect Ned Lamont on Monday tapped a regional administrator at the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) to lead the agency.

Lamont, who will be sworn into office Wednesday at Hartford’s State Armory, on Monday afternoon nominated Vannessa Dorantes to oversee the agency that provides programs for children, families and communities throughout Connecticut.

She begins work Wednesday as commissioner-designate as her nomination must be approved by the state’s General Assembly.

Dorantes, a Bristol resident, will become DCF’s first African-American commissioner.

She will earn the same salary as outgoing DCF Commissioner Joette Katz, a spokesman for Lamont’s transition team said Monday. Katz’s annual salary is $172,291, according to the state comptroller’s office.

Dorantes began at DCF in 1992 working in direct case management, investigating incidents and managing cases. She has served as regional administrator since 2014, leading DCF’s 475-member staff in a 43-town area in Northwest Connecticut.

She currently chairs DCF’s Statewide Racial Justice Workgroup (SRJW) and is an adjunct professor of social work at Central Connecticut State University, where she has taught for more than 14 years.

Lamont last week also nominated state Sen. Beth Bye to lead the Office of Early Childhood.