Mary Ann Higgins is the Regional Administrator for Region I for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Region I includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Higgins provides leadership, direction, and coordination to States, local governments, and other non-profit agencies that administer ACF programs. ACF programs include the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, Child Care, Child Support Enforcement, Head Start, Early Head Start, Foster Care, Child Welfare, Adoption Assistance, Developmental Disabilities, and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program.

Previously, Higgins was the Director of the JOBS Program for ACF from its inception until 1994. The JOBS program was the predecessor to the current TANF program. As JOBS Director, she led the team that wrote regulations, provided technical assistance, and provided general oversight to the program. Her responsibilities also included implementation of three new child care programs-JOBS child care, transitional child care and at-risk child care-that were subsequently incorporated into the Child Care Development Fund. For this work she received both the Secretary's Award for Exceptional Achievement and the Assistant Secretary's Leadership Award.

Before joining HHS, she was a VISTA volunteer providing legal services to the Hispanic community in the Boston area.

Higgins is a graduate of Boston College Law School and has a BA from the University of Massachusetts in Sociology.