Sonia Vance serves as the Director of Operations for the St. Mary County Health Department. In this role she oversees Vital Records, Inventory, Facilities, Medical Transportation/Fleet, Accreditation, Data and Information Systems, Human Resources, and Fiscal. She is also involved in the OSHA Safety Committee and the Co-Chair for the Employee Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Sonia was born and raised in Eastern Tennessee. She attended Pellissippi State Community College and graduated in 2010 with an Associate’s degree in Applied Science in Business Management. From there, she went to Tusculum College (now University), where she graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Operations Management with a Concentration in Finance. After that Sonia attended Strayer University where she graduated with a Master’s of Science in Human Resource Management.

Sonia spent over 20 years working in retail management, which heavily focused on human resource management and customer service. Sonia started her career with St. Mary’s County Health Department in November of 2020, working with the Preparedness and Readiness Team. From there, she moved to the Office of Human Resources to work as a Human Resource Specialist. Sonia worked her way up to the Director of Human Resources and then was promoted in early 2024 as the Assistant Director of Operations. In September of 2024, she was promoted to Director of Operations. Sonia currently lives in Piney Point, Maryland, with her Partner Geoff, and is the bonus mom to Geoff’s two daughters. They also have a beloved cat named Frodo.