Pence appoints head of Department of Child Services

Gov. Mike Pence continued his transition into office Wednesday when he named Mary Beth Bonaventura as the head of the Department of Child Services, adding to his growing administration.

Most recently, Bonaventura served as the senior judge of the Lake Superior Court, Juvenile Division. Then-Gov. Evan Bayh appointed Bonaventura as senior judge in 1993. This appointment followed Bonaventura’s time as a magistrate in the Juvenile Court, where she served for more than a decade.

In 2008, then-Gov. Mitch Daniels appointed Bonaventura as a member of the Indiana Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services. One year later, she was named chair of the Civil Rights of Children Committee for the Indiana State Bar Association. The Chief Justice appointed Bonaventura as chair of the Child Welfare Improvement Committee.

“Judge Bonaventura is uniquely qualified to lead the state’s Department of Child Services and help to protect Hoosier children from abuse and neglect,” Pence said in a press release. “She is a strong leader who has an impeccable reputation of integrity and compassion for children.”

Bonaventura received her undergraduate degree from Marian University in Indianapolis and received her Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University.

— Bridget Ameche