![[photo, Alvin C. Collins, Governor's former Chief of Staff, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/18dhr/former/images/i12047c.jpg)
ALVIN C. COLLINSHuman Services Officer, Anne Arundel County, since October 15, 2002.
Director, Department of Human Services, New Haven, Connecticut, 1979-80. Chief Administrative Officer, Administrative and Support Services, Department of Social Services, Baltimore City, 1980-89. Chief, Administrative Services Division, Department of Human Services, Arlington County, Virginia, 1989-92. Director, Department of Social Services, Baltimore City, 1992-95.
Secretary of Human Resources, March 27, 1995 to December 11, 1998. Member, Governor's Subcabinet for Children, Youth, and Families, 1995-98; Governor's Council on Adolescent Pregnancy, 1995-98; Assisted Living Programs Board (formerly Domiciliary Care Facilities Board), 1995-98; State Commission on Infant Mortality Prevention, 1995-98; State Board of Victim Services, 1995-98; State Information Technology Board, 1995-98; Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs, 1995-98; Governor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism (formerly Governor's Commission on Service), 1995-98; Commission on Women's Health, 1995-98; Governor's Work Force Investment Board, 1995-98; Interagency Committee on Aging Services, 1995-98; Governor's Task Force on Children, Youth, and Families Systems Reform, 1996. Chair, Commission on Inadvertent Displacement, 1997-98. Chair, Adoption Oversight Team, Department of Human Resources, 1997-98. Member, Maryland Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families, 1998.
Director, Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1998-2001.
Born in Suffolk, Virginia, April 19, 1947. Southern Connecticut State College, New Haven, B.S. (political science), 1971; Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia, Liberal Arts Program Certificate, 1974; Harvard University, M.Ed., 1976; University of Maryland School of Social Work, graduate studies (social administration), 1985-86.
Alvin C. Collins was appointed Chief of Staff to the Governor in May 2001, and served in that position until his resignation on October 14, 2002. As Chief of Staff, Mr. Collins oversaw and managed the daily operations of State government. He also was responsible for implementing the Governor's priority policies and programs. Mr. Collins worked closely with the Deputy Chiefs of Staff and Department Secretaries to ensure that the Governor's mission was fulfilled and goals were met. Prior to this, Mr. Collins served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Governor. In that capacity, he was responsible for oversight of human services policies, including those of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Aging, the Office for Individuals with Disabilities, and the Maryland Insurance Administration.
From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Collins was Director of the Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He oversaw Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), a $16.8 billion program of federal block grants enabling states to design and operate programs that move families from welfare to work.
Mr. Collins served as Secretary of Maryland's Department of Human Resources from 1995 to 1998. During that time, he guided Maryland's successful welfare reform, moving 107,000 recipients from public assistance to work in two years. While parents prepared to enter the workforce, Mr. Collins further protected children by reforming the child support enforcement system, maintaining a registry of child abuse perpetrators, and establishing local single points of entry for services.
Mr. Collins also has served as both director and business manger for the department of social services in Baltimore. In these positions, he initiated citywide efforts to address the needs of target populations, developed accountability standards, and restructured the agency for more efficient and effective services. Mr. Collins also has guided social service in other states: as chief of administrative services, Department of Human Resources, Arlington County, Virginia; as director, Department of Human Services, New Haven, Connecticut; and as executive director, Dixwell Opposes Alcoholism, Inc., New Haven.
A resident of Baltimore, Mr. Collins completed post master's work in social administration at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He holds a master of science degree in education from Harvard University, and a bachelor of science degree in political science from Southern Connecticut State College.
© Copyright November 06, 2002 Maryland State Archives