Sarah Azevedo, DFS Deputy Director

Sarah began her career with the Division of Family Services (DFS) in 1999, working in the Adolescent Unit at Elwyn as a dual-function worker, handling both investigation and treatment cases. Eventually, her work transitioned solely to adolescent investigation cases. She spent a brief time working for the Adolescent Treatment Unit, before moving back to the Adolescent Investigation Unit at Beech Street, becoming supervisor of that unit in 2011.

As supervisor, Sarah was part of developing the Family Assessment Intervention and Response (FAIR) program, and she piloted an internal component of FAIR in her unit. In 2019, Sarah began her work as the Intake and Investigation Program Manager. As the DFS Multi-Disciplinary Team lead, she has represented DFS among our stakeholders and partners; in this role, she has been able to advocate for system improvements, legislative and policy enhancements, and funding and programmatic opportunities to better serve Delaware’s children and families.

She has also been responsible for the ongoing development of the contracted FAIR program, as well as the launch of the Pathway 1 program, a DFS prevention service aimed at helping at-risk families avoid system involvement. Sarah has completed the state’s Continuous Improvement Practitioner (CIP) Certificate Program, which positions her with a strong skillset that focuses on change management and creating systems that work for our children and families. 

Sarah was appointed to the position of Deputy Director of DFS in October 2025.

Jerrica Boyer, DFS Deputy Director

Jerrica started her career in Northeast Pennsylvania, where she spent several years as a case worker supporting individuals through her work at a crisis hotline and residential treatment facility. She joined DSCYF in 2013 as a care coordinator with the Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services (PBH), providing case management for youth before progressing to the Provider Administration Unit in 2017, where she focused on building strong provider partnerships, monitoring contracts, and making sure services were delivered with quality and care.

In 2019, Jerrica transitioned to the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services (YRS) as their Quality Assurance Manager, where she had the opportunity to manage grants and various initiatives, explore best practices in juvenile justice, and helped strengthen the division’s continuous quality improvement efforts. Two years later, she became Manager of the Office of Case Management within the Division of Management Support Services (DMSS). In this role, she has led several key departmental efforts and teams, including the Continuous Quality Improvement Team, Liaison Services Team, and Family Informed Resource Support Team (FIRST), all designed to support staff, engage families, and improve services across the department.

Jerrica’s leadership style is rooted in collaboration and innovation, with a steadfast commitment to keeping youth and families at the center of our work. Her approach has been reinforced through completion of the state’s Continuous Improvement Practitioner (CIP) Certificate Program and the Project and Process Leadership (PPL) Program. Her cross-divisional experience and perspective position her well. Jerrica was appointed to the position of Deputy Director of the Division of Family Services (DFS) in October 2025.