HARTFORD — Gov.-elect Dan Malloy says Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Joette Katz is joining his administration as commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.

Malloy announced the appointment Tuesday.

He said Katz's work experience on the bench and as a public defender proves she can think innovatively and help DCF avoid unwieldly bureaucracy.

Katz, a Fairfield resident, has been a judge since 1989 and became a Supreme Court associate justice in 1992. She said few things are more important than DCF's mission and she is honored to become its commissioner.

That 3,600-person agency oversees children's welfare through abuse and neglect investigations, behavioral health services, family services and other programs. Its budget is almost $850 million this year.