As Pennsylvania begins another legislative session Governor Tom Wolf will be nominating cabinet members to serve as departmental leaders within his administration for the next four years. Robert Torres will be nominated as Secretary of the Department of Aging on to replace Teresa Osborne’s vacancy as she is nominated for the state’s civil service commission.

The Secretary of the Department of Aging is responsible for the administration of all aging programs in Pennsylvania, as well as to promote the protection for residents of the Commonwealth. This position is important to BAYADA as they oversee many of the waivers that we utilize for the large population of seniors that we serve in one of the top “graying” states in the country.

Robert Torres most recently served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth, a position he has held since 2017. Prior to that, Torres served in the State Department as Executive Deputy Secretary and as Deputy Secretary of Administration for the State Department of Health. In the private sector, Robert Torres was the Vice President of health information technology at Capital Blue Cross and at General Dynamics Information Technology.

Pennsylvania Government Affairs Director Laura Ness recently asked ambassadors to send welcome letters to the new Secretary of Aging. Join us in welcoming Robert Torres to this important position. GAO is excited to work with Secretary Torres and his team to help older adults living in Pennsylvania access the care they need.