Mary Elizabeth Heffernan was appointed Secretary of Public Safety and Security by Governor Deval Patrick in January 2010.  As the Secretary, she is responsible for the policy development and budgetary oversight of secretariat agencies, independent programs and several boards which aid in crime prevention, homeland security preparedness and ensuring the safety of residents and visitors in the Commonwealth.

Prior to her appointment she served as the Undersecretary of Criminal Justice within the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (“EOPSS”).  In that role she supervised the functions and administration of the Department of Correction, Sex Offender Registry, Parole Board and served as the Liaison to the Massachusetts Sheriffs.

She has more than 20 years of criminal justice and governmental affairs experience.  Prior to joining the administration, Secretary Heffernan served as the Associate General Counsel and Director of Intergovernmental and Regulatory Affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.  She has also served as the Corporate Director of Government Relations for CareGroup Health Care Systems, the Executive Director for the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, an Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County, and in a wide array of other public and private sector legal and governmental positions.  Secretary Heffernan is a member of the Framingham State College Board of Trustees (her alma mater), and she is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School and Suffolk University School of Management, where she received her Masters in Public Administration.  She lives in West Roxbury with her two children.