Prince George’s County Department of Social Services Announces Jennifer Amaya Thompson as Agency Director

LANDOVER, MD – On January 7, 2026, the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services (PGCDSS) welcomed Jennifer Amaya Thompson, MSW as the new agency Director. In this role, Director Amaya Thompson leads the quasi-State agency with a 500+ member staff and manages a $70M+ combined agency budget, providing crucial services and resources to families and individuals living in Prince George’s County, Maryland. PGCDSS is a local agency of the Maryland Department of Human Services, administering State services across Prince George’s County at 5 service buildings in Landover (3), Hyattsville (1), and Temple Hills (1). 

In the Director’s first 100 days, she has hit the ground running. In less than 90 days, Director Amaya Thompson created a Community Affairs Latino Liaison position in the Office of the Director, teamed up with Governor Wes Moore and the Comptroller of Maryland Brooke Lierman to promote the Maryland Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), navigated major winter storms with the Prince George’s County Office of Emergency Management, and hosted a collaborative tabletop exercise on immigration activity preparedness with the Governor’s Office, the Maryland Department of Human Services, Howard County Department of Social Services, and Prince George’s County Department of Social Services. She has begun supporting families that have been impacted by deportation by working with faith-based and community-based organizations to coordinate resources, services, and next-of-kin placement for children. Within this time, the Director has participated already in over 330 meetings to connect and collaborate with partners and elevate the work and outcomes of the agency.  

“I am honored to be leading the County’s top social services provider with such a knowledgeable team within the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services,” said Jennifer Amaya Thompson, Director of the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services. “As the second-largest jurisdiction in Maryland, Prince George’s County is home to nearly 1 million residents and PGCDSS is responsible for being there for each of them should they ever need our support. I look forward to working with County Executive Aisha Braveboy in elevating Prince George’s County and working with our State agency partners to better serve and positively impact more Prince George’s County families with data-informed and culturally competent strategies.” 

Additionally, Director Amaya Thompson sprang into action on the Safer Stronger Together (SST) initiative, a cross-agency, place-based collaboration between the Maryland Department of Human Services, Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, and Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. SST has recently provided grant funding to eight Prince George’s County based community partners to support County families who touch all three of the state agencies to improve outcomes with personalized support from family navigators. 

Internally, Director Amaya Thompson has completed listening sessions across every PGCDSS building to hear directly from staff about solutions to bring improved customer experiences, update systems, and streamline services to ultimately better serve Prince Georgians seeking support from the department. In honor of Women’s History Month, we have also hosted the 9th Annual P.A.V.E.R. Awards, an internal celebration of women staff members going above and beyond in their roles, leaving a lasting impact on staff and customers. 

Laser-focused on data-driven and trauma-informed solutions, Director Amaya Thompson is leading the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services team in developing an agency strategic plan that reflects the current state of human services in the County. Under her leadership, PGCDSS is building career pathways for residents seeking to serve others by expanding partnerships with higher education institutions in the County. We are also building on our internal capacity by providing professional development for staff to grow in the field of social work. 

Director Amaya Thompson has a strategic vision for PGCDSS that involves building and enhancing the culture of the department internally and externally, enhancing infrastructure across each division as well as internal and external communication systems. This vision positions PGCDSS as a data-informed agency to build public trust and shift public perception toward the agency being a resource to our community, supporting youth development, and investing in family wellbeing. 

Director Amaya Thompson joined the Department with over 25 years of leadership in public service, national human services policy, and changemaking within large organizations. As a seasoned public service executive, equity strategist, and systems innovator. Across her career, Director Amaya Thompson has consistently developed and implemented equity-related strategic plans that enhanced organizational capacity, strengthened compliance, and improved access and outcomes for diverse and underserved populations. Her career reflects a consistent dedication to transforming health, human services, education, and workforce systems, enabling underserved populations to access greater opportunities and achieve lasting outcomes. Read more about Director Amaya Thompson’s background on the agency website at: socialservices.mypgc.us. 

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Prince George’s County Department of Social Services   

The Prince George’s County Department of Social Services is in the business of providing opportunities for residents of the County to become independent, responsible and stable members of the community. We do this by providing intervention services that strengthen and protect families, children and adults through encouraging self-sufficiency, and promoting personal responsibility. 

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