Natasha Merz is assistant commissioner of Aging and Disability Services at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. In her role as assistant commissioner, Merz oversees programs and policies that serve people with disabilities and older adults.
Before her appointment in 2023, Merz helped create the Aging and Disability Services Administration and served as interim assistant commissioner. Since joining the department in 2007, she has also been a regional resource specialist and manager for the Disability Services Division, eventually leading the division as its director.
Merz previously spent 10 years in the Office of the Ombudsman for Long-Term Care, as regional ombudsman and deputy ombudsman, providing advocacy and dispute resolution services to nursing home residents and people who live in assisted living settings. She began her career as an attorney, practicing elder law and teaching at the University of St. Thomas Legal Services Clinic.
Merz is a graduate of Creighton University with bachelor’s degrees in political science and Spanish and a co-major in Justice and Peace studies. She received her law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law.
