Mike Faust, DCS Director
Mike Faust is the Director of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
Mike began his state career in September 2015 at the Arizona Department of Administration’s Government Transformation Office. During this assignment he worked closely with the DCS leadership team to build the agency’s management system, supported development and implemented the Department’s strategic objectives and improvement priorities. Mike found working in child welfare to be extraordinarily rewarding. He officially joined the Child Safety team in December 2016 as Deputy Director where he continued to support strategic planning, projects and management system definition across state agencies.
Before joining the state, Mike spent over 15 years in the aerospace manufacturing industry in various capacities including general management, value stream management, manufacturing engineering and continuous improvement. Mike's hands-on approach and ability to practically apply lean manufacturing concepts to human services delivery has made a lasting impact on Arizona's child welfare system. Key contributions include the elimination of the 16,000 inactive case backlog, safe reduction of Arizona's out-of-home care population by 25 percent, integration of behavioral and physical healthcare for children in care, increased financial supports for kinship, and replacement of the child welfare data management system.
