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Department of Aging

Office of the Secretary

Carmel Roques, Secretary 

Carmel Roques has been actively engaged in improving the lives of older Marylanders, their families, and care providers for over 40 years. Appointed by Governor Wes Moore in 2023, her tenure as Cabinet Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging (MDOA) is notable for the transformative 2025 launch of the state’s first multisector plan for aging, Longevity Ready Maryland (LRM), and the subsequent passage of the LRM Act in 2026—landmark legislation that addresses the impact of living longer as individuals and as a rapidly aging state.

Under Secretary Roques’ leadership, MDOA has begun implementing the Longevity Ready framework through an all-of-government, multisector, multi-generational approach: repositioning the Department to lead the state’s efforts to be prepared for longer lives and to represent the interests of older people by advocating for policy, systems, and institutional changes across all levels of government and the private sector.

A recognized expert in dementia, palliative care, and community health, Secretary Roques’ distinguished career includes leadership roles in the nonprofit aging services sector and philanthropy. She is deeply committed to community service and has served on the boards of Maryland Humanities, The Village Learning Place, and the Friends and Foundation of Howard County Library. She currently serves on the Visioning Committee for the National Bureau of Economic Research Coordinating Center on the Economics of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. 

Secretary Roques’ contributions have earned consistent acclaim from The Daily Record, which has recognized her as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, a Top CEO, and an Influential Leader in Health Care. Secretary Roques holds a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and a Bachelor of Arts from Mills College in Oakland, California. She resides in Columbia, Maryland.

Jennifer Crawley, Deputy Secretary  

Jennifer Crawley, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Aging, brings to the department 25 years of combined experience in local government and the private healthcare industry, including program administration, population health, patient advocacy, building and facilitating collaborations, stakeholder engagement, care coordination, and leading cross-functional teams.

Prior to joining the Department as the Director of Multisector Planning for Aging, Jenna served as the Area Agency on Aging Administrator for Howard County, where she oversaw programs and services for older adults, caregivers, and individuals living with disabilities, including establishing and directing pandemic response services and initiating Howard County Age-Friendly.

Before serving in Howard County, Crawley oversaw daily operations of Medicaid home and community-based long-term care services for the District of Columbia Department of Healthcare Finance and was the Chief Social Worker for a home-based primary medical care team. Crawley earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and her Bachelor of Science in Family Studies from UMD, College Park.