Commissioner Tikki Brown
Tikki Brown serves as the commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. She is responsible for services and policies that facilitate adoption, foster care, child protection, child support, child care, cash and food support, and early learning. She will focus on supporting Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan’s stand to make Minnesota the best place for children to grow up while advancing equity and inclusion for the children and families we serve.
Brown was appointed assistant Children and Family Services Administration commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Human Services in 2021. She previously served as the administration's Economic Opportunity and Nutrition Assistance director. She led programs that supported housing and shelter, food shelves, nutrition education, outreach, employment and training, community action and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and worked with her team to deliver programs and strategies designed for Tribal Nations, counties and partner agencies to serve hundreds of thousands of individuals and families with low incomes.
Brown is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, the Senior Leadership Institute at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Enterprise Learning and Development, and a fellow of the Equity Leaders in Action Network Fellowship, BUILD Initiative. She has volunteered for numerous organizations, including the American Swedish Institute, where she is vice chairperson on the board of directors. At the Department of Human Services, she sponsors the Black Women Employee Resource Group.
