Carmel Roques, Secretary
Carmel Roques, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging, is a visionary leader who has dedicated her life to enhancing the lives of older people and creating a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future for all Maryland residents.
Throughout her remarkable 40-year career, Roques has consistently been a trailblazer, with an ability to foresee emerging trends and implement cutting-edge solutions. From developing compassionate and humane dementia care programs early on in her career to opening the Wise and Well Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to support the holistic well-being of older adults, Roques has found innovative ways to enhance the lives of older people.
Guided by a clear vision that all Marylanders can lead long lives that are healthy, financially secure, socially connected, and purposeful, Roques has set a new precedent for aging policies and programs in Maryland by incorporating a longevity lens into planning, advocacy, policy, and legislative work.
Her approach, centered on the concept of longevity, emphasizes not only extending lifespan but also enhancing the quality of life at every stage, shifting the focus from merely managing the challenges of aging to promoting overall well-being.
Under her guidance, the Maryland Department of Aging has developed Longevity Ready Maryland, a ten-year multisector plan for aging that brings together stakeholders from public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including healthcare, housing, transportation, and community services, to address the diverse needs of older adults comprehensively. Unlike traditional aging plans that primarily focus on managing age-related challenges, Longevity Ready Maryland emphasizes enhancing the quality of life throughout the entire aging process across all sectors.
This approach creates a cohesive and inclusive strategy that ensures older adults have access to the resources and support they need to thrive today, while also anticipating future challenges and promoting sustainable and adaptable solutions.
Roques has also challenged traditional perceptions of aging by emphasizing the strengths, capabilities, and contributions of older adults, with a belief that aging should be celebrated as a stage of life filled with potential and opportunity, rather than a period of decline. She has been instrumental in training and educating hundreds of leaders, communicators, policymakers, and other professionals across the state to improve the way we communicate about aging and positively impact the development of policies and programs that support all of us as we age.
Roques has proudly served on many community boards including The Village Learning Place, The Maryland American Diabetes Association, Friends and Foundation of Howard County Library, and currently Maryland Humanities. She has also served older people and their families on the Maryland Commission on Aging, the Maryland Medicare/Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Maryland Coalition on Mental Health and Aging, and the Maryland CARE Transformation Steering Committee. Roques served as past Chair of both the Maryland Philanthropy Network and LifeSpan Network and has been recognized by the Daily Record among Maryland Top 100 Women, Top CEOs, and Influential Leaders in Health Care.
Roques has a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Mills College in Oakland, California. She lives 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.
