Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced that Teresa Casados, Secretary of the Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD), is retiring from state government after years of service. Casados’ last day as secretary was Friday. Valerie Sandoval, CYFD Deputy Secretary, will serve as acting secretary.
Casados took on the role of interim CYFD secretary in May 2023 before being confirmed by the New Mexico Senate in January 2024. She previously worked as chief operating officer in the Governor’s Office from January 2019 to November 2023.
“Teresa has been a trusted partner and valued leader since the start of my administration,” Governor Lujan Grisham said. “She stepped up to help manage our pandemic response and helped create the Early Childhood Education and Care Department. It’s fitting that she took on one of the toughest jobs in state government at CYFD in the last phase of her career in public service. I am forever grateful to Teresa for hard work and dedication to the people of New Mexico. I wish her all the best in her retirement.”
In a statement about her departure, Casados said: “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work alongside families across New Mexico during my tenure at CYFD. The dedicated employees at CYFD do their challenging and important work with compassion and heart, and I hope they are given every opportunity to show what they are capable of accomplishing in the months and years ahead. While there is always more work to do, I am confident that the foundation we have built will continue to serve New Mexico’s children and families well into the future.”
During her time as secretary, Casados led several changes at CYFD such as reorganizing it around four core areas: Family Services, Juvenile Justice, Behavioral Health, and Protective Services. She established a new Family Services Division focused on preventive resources for families; ended use of Social Security benefits belonging to children in state care; organized hiring events that added over 280 employees; launched digital initiatives including a public transparency dashboard (TogetherwethriveNM.org) and an updated website (cyfd.nm.gov); implemented recruitment strategies using advertising; developed Foster Care+ for youth with high needs; and set up an Office of Advocacy.
As chief operating officer under Governor Lujan Grisham, Casados helped implement New Mexico’s COVID-19 response efforts—regarded among the nation’s most effective—and coordinated disaster relief for wildfires statewide. She also played a key role in establishing New Mexico's Early Childhood Education and Care Department.
Earlier in her career, Casados served as deputy secretary at the Department of Workforce Solutions under former Governor Bill Richardson where she managed workforce services and economic research functions. She was also Richardson’s deputy chief of staff from 2008 to 2009.
