The West Virginia Department of Human Services is located at One Davis Square in Charleston, West Virginia. (Photo by Leann Ray/West Virginia Watch)
Carl Ayers — who previously oversaw the commonwealth of Virginia’s social services program — is West Virginia’s new secretary for the Department of Human Services, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Monday.
“West Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens deserve a Department of Human Services that is effective, accountable, and focused on results,” Morrisey said in the news release. “Carl Ayers has spent his career improving services for children and families, strengthening accountability, and making government work better.
“I am confident he will build on our efforts to modernize the department while ensuring critical services are delivered efficiently, effectively and with compassion,” Morrisey said.
Ayers fills a vacancy left when South Dakota native Alex Mayer left earlier this year after more than a year in the role. DoHS deputy secretary Christina Mullins has served as acting secretary.
Much of Mayer’s focus was on attempting to build process and consistency into the state’s overwhelmed foster care system. He oversaw a statewide listening tour to better understand West Virginia’s foster care issues; a report following the tour reiterated many well-known issues, like the need for expanded access to child mental healthcare and improved communication with families and foster parents.
The state is being sued by foster children who sought to address pervasive issues, including a shortage of Child Protective Services workers and safe homes for children in and out of state.
Ayers was most recently the principal deputy commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services, an agency with a more than $2.5 billion budget and more than 1,700 employees, Morrisey said.
He also previously was Virginia’s Deputy Commissioner of Human Services, overseeing child welfare, Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, child care, and other major public assistance programs.
He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Radford University and currently serves as chair of the Child Welfare League of America, the release said.
According to the news release, the governor has charged Ayers with “continuing the administration’s efforts to improve efficiency, strengthen accountability, modernize department operations, and ensure critical human services are delivered effectively to the West Virginians who need them most.”
Ayers starts in the DHS role Monday, the governor said.
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Courtesy of West Virginia Watch
