Martin D. Brown is the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), and has over 20 years leadership experience in human services and government relations.

Appointed by Governor Bob McDonnell in May 2010 as head of one of the Commonwealth's largest agencies, Commissioner Brown previously worked in state government, serving two former Virginia Governors in several capacities.

He was named Assistant Secretary within the Secretariat of Health and Human Services during the administration of Governor James Gilmore, and also served Governor Gilmore in the separate capacity of Policy Advisor. His knowledge and expertise were also utilized as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources under Governor George Allen.

Commissioner Brown is the former Director of Communications with VDSS and Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Resources, where he was responsible for the successful promotion of Virginia's historic welfare reform initiative, the Virginia Independence Program. His guidance during sweeping changes to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program and the implementation of the Virginia Independence Program resulted in the Commonwealth's mantle as a national model of welfare reform.

Under Commissioner Brown's leadership at the VDSS, the agency has engaged in several key initiatives that improved internal processes, personnel and the delivery of quality benefits and services to Virginia families. The agency has also embarked upon an enterprise delivery system (customer portal) that allows for a fuller integration of the agency's public assistance benefits to over 1 million Virginians. Finally, the agency has embarked upon a Strengthening Families Initiative that will produce outcomes for its clients (reduction of non-marital births, connecting and re-connecting fathers with their children; and encouraging the formation and maintenance of safe, stable, intact, two-parent families). Each of these initiatives, individually and collectively, are intended to place the VDSS as "Best In Class" social services agency, strengthening families at every client contact.

Commissioner Brown is a graduate of Howard University's School of Business Administration. He and his wife have two children and reside in the Metro-Richmond area.