Mariaelena Salazar - Interim Director

Mrs. Mariaelena Salazar was appointed Interim Director of Miami-Dade County’s People and Internal Operations Department in November 2025. A seasoned and highly respected government executive, she brings more than three decades of senior leadership experience navigating the evolving demands of a large public workforce and community. Throughout her career, she has worked collaboratively and transparently across all departments and external agencies to enhance service delivery for more than 2.7 million residents and a workforce of nearly 30,000 public servants. 

Since 2020, Mrs. Salazar has served as Assistant Director of Administration, Customer and Strategic Management within Miami-Dade County’s Communications, Information and Technology Department, following more than 17 years in director-level roles and other senior management positions. 

Mrs. Salazar has led diverse organizational functions, such as transformational technology, strategic financial and budget management, process improvement, procurement, human resources, business relationship management, and service and project management. Her leadership consistently emphasizes cost-effective innovation, disciplined investment and responsible stewardship of public resources, grounded in the highest standards of integrity. She has a proven record of delivering customer service excellence through collaboration, transparency and ethical leadership, driving enterprise consistency and standardization across business, technology and administrative operations. 

She is recognized as a trusted operational and strategic bridge for executive leadership, translating vision into action through practical analysis, planning, risk assessment and successful results. In December 2024, Mrs. Salazar received the Global Business Relationship Management (BRM) Community Excellence Award from the Business Relationship Management Institute, a prestigious international recognition honoring her leadership, stewardship and contributions to advancing Miami-Dade County’s business relationship management and cross-organizational collaboration in public service.  

In January 2023, Mrs. Salazar was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Miami by Women We Admire. The honor reflects her commitment to fostering a culture of creativity, continuous improvement and operational efficiency, as well as her dedication to mentorship and professional development. Throughout her career, she has emphasized building confidence and opportunity for future tech leaders, aligning the County’s mission with a long-standing belief in the value of growth, learning and service. 

Throughout her career, Mrs. Salazar has enabled capable, engaged and ethical organizations by aligning people and policy with mission, balancing governance and compliance with empathy and fairness, and adapting to change while maintaining stability, a strong reliable work ethic that has earned the trust and respect of her colleagues, peers and leadership.  

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Florida International University (FIU) and has completed advanced supervisory leadership and management programs through Cornell University, the University of Colorado and FIU.