Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Kara Walker announced the appointment of Marie Nonnenmacher, a former deputy director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services, to lead the division beginning Feb. 5.
Nonnenmacher served as deputy director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services from November 2012 until her retirement in August 2017. During her tenure, her accomplishments included producing the 2014-19 renewal of the DDDS federal Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver that received federal approval in less than 90 days. She also amended the DDDS HCBS Medicaid waiver to double the number of recipients and individuals living in the family home enrolled for waiver benefits. Working with colleagues across DHSS, she developed a cross-disability employment program for young people ages 14 to 25 called Pathways to Employment, funded by Medicaid.
Nonnenmacher formerly served as chief of financial management for the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance at DHSS. She worked as cost recovery administrator for the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families; senior fiscal and policy analyst with the Delaware State Budget Office; and management analyst with the Department of Labor.
Nonnenmacher has a Master of Public Administration from the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Delaware in public financial management, program evaluation and policy analysis. She has a Bachelor of Arts from UD in political science and economics.
Previously, Walker had announced the appointment of Damaris Piliro to lead DDDS, but she had to withdraw for personal reasons.