Mónica Morales is the Health Services Agency Director for Santa Cruz County. In her current post, Ms. Morales directs programs focused on environmental health, public health, behavioral health, and clinical services. Prior to joining HSA, Mónica was the Deputy Director for the Center for Healthy Communities at the California Department of Public Health overseeing programs that address environmental health, occupational health, injury and violence prevention, oral health, chronic disease prevention, and COVID. Ms. Morales was also the Child, Family, and Community Wellness Deputy Bureau Chief at the State of Nevada’s Division of Public & Behavioral Health, where she supported programs focusing on Women Infant, and Children, Chronic Disease Prevention & Promotion, and the Office of Food Security. Mónica was raised and Watsonville California and holds a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz and a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University in New York.