Deputy Commissioner Adelita Orefice, Esq., MPM
Adelita (Lita) Orefice serves as the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Public Health (DPH). She oversees many programs:
- Healthcare Quality and Safety
- Infectious Disease
- State Public Health Laboratory
- Health Statistics and Surveillance
- Data Management and Governance
- Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives (which includes legislative and regulatory affairs)
- Legal Office
- Operational Support Services
Lita holds over two decades of experience working in federal and state government. She began her public service career in 1991 at the agency formerly known as the General Accounting Office (GAO). Later, Lita served seven years at the U.S. Department of Labor. She first served in the prestigious Presidential Management Fellows program, and later in budget, policy, regulatory, and management positions.
In 1999, Lita served as the Chief Financial Officer at the RI Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for the State of Rhode Island. She later worked as a cabinet appointee in Governor Carcieri’s administration. During her seven years with the Carcieri administration, Lita held three cabinet positions: Director of Elderly Affairs, Director of Labor and Training, and Acting Secretary for Health and Human Services.
Lita returned to state civil service in 2009 at the RI Department of Health. Here, she managed the vaccine response to H1N1 and served as the state's chief regulator. She oversaw many divisions, including drinking water, food protection, licensing, policy, and more.
Lita left RI state service in 2011 to attend law school full time and earned her JD in 2014. Before CT DPH, Lita was a partner at Barrett and Singal, a boutique health law firm located in Boston, MA. Here, Lita represented many clients, including nursing homes, assisted living, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations and providers. Lita is licensed to practice law in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
Lita is the first person in her family to attend college. She graduated with honors from Harvard University, earned a master’s degree in public management from the University of Maryland, and her law degree from Quinnipiac University.