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"West Virginia's most vulnerable citizens deserve a Department of Human Services that is effective, accountable, and focused on results."
Gov. Patrick Morrisey could not have been more correct, as he introduced the person he appears to believe will implement that change at the agency.
Carl Ayers, the new cabinet secretary of the DoHS comes from a career's worth of experience in Virginia, where he most recently served as deputy commissioner of that state's Department of Social Services. He got his start as a social worker in Floyd County, in our neighbor's southern Blue Ridge region. He should be well-acquainted with the struggles of Appalachian families.
Morrisey touted Ayers' experience -- managing a more than $2.5 billion social services budget with approximately 1,700 employees, and managing multiple programs, including Medicaid, child welfare programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, child care and other public assistance efforts.
His office said in a press release that 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' most important credential will be that he understands the word "continuing" should have been scratched from that line and replaced with "overhauling and dramatically strengthening;" and that he has a pressing sense of urgency to do something about it.
Surely Ayers already knows the great weight of responsibility he has gained; though if it has been undersold to him, he is no doubt discovering the reality very quickly.
If his experience is any indicator, Ayers appears to be up to the challenge of making his agency the support system West Virginia's most vulnerable citizens deserve. He must be.