Dr. Sherri Z. Heller received her Bachelor's Degree from Franklin and
Marshall College and her Doctorate from Harvard University.
In October 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Heller Commissioner
of the Federal Office
of Child Support Enforcement. In this position she is responsible
for the overall development of policies and priorities guiding the nation's
child support program, which, in FY 2002, provided services to 16 million
families and collected $20 billion in child support payments.
Dr. Heller was most recently the Deputy Secretary for Income Maintenance
with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. Appointed by Governor
Tom Ridge to lead welfare reform in Pennsylvania, she was responsible
for a wide range of public assistance programs, including Food Stamps,
Medical Assistance eligibility, Cash Assistance, Employment and Training
Programs, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and Child Support
Enforcement.
Dr. Heller managed the child support enforcement program Statewide through
cooperative agreements with 67 county domestic relations offices. Under
her leadership, the Commonwealth successfully automated enforcement, collection,
and disbursement functions across 67 county Courts of Common Pleas. She
was widely recognized for achieving results across executive and judicial
functions and across state and county governments. She was also known
for her responsiveness to concerns of both custodial and non-custodial
parents.
Dr. Heller's career in public service has included six years at the State
Department of Education, including three years as chief of the Division
of Fiscal Administration. During her tenure in this position, she was
presented with a Governor's Management Performance Award by Governor Dick
Thornburgh.
Dr. Heller's work in County government began with a two-year stint as
Executive Director of the Lancaster County Office of Mental Health/Mental
Retardation-Drug and Alcohol Abuse Programs. After a year working for
the leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate, Dr. Heller returned to Lancaster
County government in 1989 as County Administrator, managing $140 million
budget and two dozen County departments. In that position, she focused
on financial management innovations and improved personnel and contracting
procedures that saved County taxpayers millions of dollars. In recognition
of this performance, she received the 1991 Good Government Award from
the Lancaster Jaycees.
Dr. Heller has been a member of the Board of local United Way and American
Red Cross chapters and is also known as a dramatic actress and comedienne,
active in numerous community theater productions.
Dr. Heller has served as Vice-President of the Board of Directors of a
HMO and as Chairman of its Grievance Committee and member of its Quality
Improvement Committee.
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