Glastonbury Resident Is Named Commissioner of CT Department of Developmental Services

Glastonbury resident Morna Murray, the president and CEO of the Connecticut Community Providers Association (CCPA) was named Commissioner of the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday.

As CEO of Connecticut Community Providers Association, a trade association for community-based health and human service providers, Murray has been a leading advocate for children, adults, and families in the areas of developmental disabilities, health care, behavioral health, early childhood, and child and family well-being.

“For many years now, I’ve strongly advocated for state government to become a better partner with community providers in order to more effectively connect the clients they serve with the resources they need. That is why I am particularly excited to name Morna Murray as the Commissioner of DDS,” Malloy said in a statement.

Murray’s appointment is effective Feb. 9.

Malloy added, “Morna has extensive experience advocating on behalf of community providers and those they serve, and as the current President of CCPA she is intimately familiar with the needs of this community in our state.” He also said, “ I look forward to having her continue her advocacy with DDS in order to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities receive the support and tools they need to help make Connecticut a great place to work and live.”

In her statement, Murray said, “I am very honored and grateful to be appointed by Governor Malloy to lead the Department of Developmental Services.”

Murray continued, “This is a critical position at a critical time, and I hold this trust with the utmost humility and determination to find effective solutions to the complex challenges we face. I look forward to working and collaborating with all staff and stakeholders – particularly individuals with disabilities, their loved ones, and all those who serve them — in doing the hard and painstaking work that leads to progress. Together, we can make Connecticut a state in which individuals with disabilities enjoy lives of productivity, inclusion and dignity.”

Murray is an attorney and public policy specialist, with extensive background in state and federal public policy. She previously served as Senior Counsel to Pennsylvania Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr.; as vice president of First Focus, a national children’s policy organization in Washington, DC; and as Director of Youth Development for the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, DC.

DDS serves more than 19,000 individuals with intellectual disabilities, including more than 4,000 infants and toddlers.

Murray will succeed Terrence Macy, who left from the position in January.

Contributed photo: Gov. Dannel Malloy with Morna Murrary of Glastonbury.

Other Glastonbury stories:

• The Best of the Connecticut Wow Houses
• Heavy Snow Continues; Icy Conditions Lasting Throughout Monday Night
• Kathryn ‘Kay’ O’Connor, 94; Glastonbury Resident Who Loved to Knit Sweaters, Make Quilts for Her Family, Friends