Letitia Passarella is the research director with the Family Welfare Research Department at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Letitia manages a research agenda that addresses trends and outcomes of families who are a part of the public child support program or families who receive benefits from two social safety net programs in Maryland: Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA, Maryland’s TANF program) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). As research director since 2012, Letitia aims to demonstrate the organization’s commitment to providing policymakers and stakeholders with information that can improve the lives of Maryland’s low-income families.
Letitia was the program chair for the Maryland Joint Child Support Council’s 2016 Training Conference and the program co-chair for the 2019 National Association of Welfare Research & Statistics (NAWRS) Conference. She participates in several committees including the National Child Support Enforcement Association Research Committee, Maryland A.L.I.C.E Research Advisory Committee, Maryland Benefits Cliff Steering Committee, and the Maryland Child Support Guidelines Advisory Committee as well as other committees to support the Family Investment Administration of the Maryland Department of Human Services. Letitia Passarella earned her Master of Public Policy from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Letitia focused on education policy and research by examining indicators of success among low-income children.