An accomplished prosecutor and advocate for Delaware’s children, Josette DelleDonne Manning became Cabinet Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (DSCYF) in January 2017. She currently leads a dedicated staff of 1,400 professionals tasked with coordinating a wide array of services for children and families including child welfare investigations and treatment, behavioral health services, community prevention programming and juvenile justice rehabilitative services.

Secretary Manning has dedicated her career to helping the children and families of Delaware. As Cabinet Secretary, she prioritizes collaboration and coordination with other state agencies and stakeholders to ensure that our communities are safe, healthy and thriving, and have access to creative, holistic programming. She is an active member of Governor John Carney’s Family Services Cabinet Council and as a member of the Council, she has championed Delaware's efforts to become a trauma-informed state. An advocate for youth touched by our juvenile justice system, Secretary Manning serves on Delaware’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, an organization dedicated to examining ways to provide community-based alternatives to juvenile detention facilities.

Prior to her confirmation, Secretary Manning was a prosecutor for the Delaware Department of Justice for 16 years, serving in various leadership roles, but always focusing primarily on crimes against children.  As the first Director of the Special Victims Unit, created by Attorney General Beau Biden, she oversaw all serious child abuse and child death investigations.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University in 1994 and her Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law (Delaware Law School) in 2000.

Secretary Manning resides in Wilmington with her husband, Bradley, and their three children, Claire, Conner and Charlotte.