Welcome to Human Services

COUNTY OF WALLA WALLA

STATE OF WASHINGTON
OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER COURT

 

March 3, 2010 

 

NEWS RELEASE

 

Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners

County Public Health and Legislative Building

314 West Main/P. O. Box 1506

Walla Walla, WA  99362

509/524-2505 

 

WALLA WALLA COUNTY ANNOUNCES SELECTION OF DARYL DAUGS AS DIRECTOR OF THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

Subsequent to an extensive search and interview process, the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners is pleased to announce the hiring of Daryl Daugs of Bremerton, WA as the new director of the Department of Human Services. 

Mr. Daugs has an extensive background of experience in managing both non-profit and for-profit organizations, as well as in the securing and oversight of multiple public and private grants and contracts, and all aspects of human services and personnel development.  For the past fifteen years he has been focusing on advocating for children and families in need.  He holds a B.A. in Organizational Management from Northwest College in Kirkland, WA.  His most recent position was as executive director for the Community for Youth in Seattle, where he oversaw all operational (human resources, financial administration, training, and development) aspects of a dropout and violence prevention program in Seattle public schools.  He was Lead Organizer for the WA Federation of State Employees in Olympia for a special two year child welfare reform legislative project, with responsibilities of drafting legislation and enlisting community partnerships and bi-partisan support.   

As part of his employment in the community services arena he served as director with oversight of a statewide social service program providing training and a support system to the WA State Department of Social and Health Services on foster home recruitment.  He monitored subcontracts, developed multi-media training and recruitment programs, and served as authorized representative on state and federal initiatives and projects.  He was a licensed foster parent for at-risk teens in Washington state for nine years.

Daugs said "I am honored to be chosen to serve the citizens of Walla Walla County. With continued state, federal and local budget constraints the challenges in providing appropriate and helpful human services are huge. I am encouraged by the level of attention and support from the community that is currently focused on county services. In tough economic times, communities that band together are able to find new approaches to the challenges at hand. I look forward to joining the dedicated people who work for the county in human services and strengthening the collaborative bridges with community partners and the citizens we serve.

On a personal note: While I have lived most of my life on the west side of the state, the family roots of both my parents run deep in Walla Walla. My mother’s family helped settle the area in the 1800’s. My father is a Wa-Hi Blue Devil class of ‘55. We very much look forward to becoming an integral part of community."

 “With the breadth of knowledge and experience Daryl Daugs brings to the county we feel he will be able to meet the immediate challenges facing the department and fulfill our direction to him to continue to work closely with stakeholders and providers to meet the needs of the department’s clientele.  He will be faced with budgetary constraints due to reductions in funding for services at the state and federal levels.  Daryl understands the county’s and this board’s commitment to providing complete transparency regarding the operations of the department and addressing past concerns.  For more information on the department, we would invite interested parties to visit the Human Services Department section of the county’s website www.co.walla-walla.wa.us.”

 

Daugs is preparing for the move to Walla Walla and will begin in his new position on March 15, 2010.   Compensation was set at $78,000/year.

Dave Hopper, who has been serving as interim director of the department, will be returning to his former position as assistant director of the department.  Hopper was appointed to the interim position by the Board of County Commissioners following the resignation of former department director Sharon Saffer.

Upon Saffer’s resignation, the County evaluated the needs of the department and its clientele and updated the position description before opening the process to seek a new director.  A determination was made that it was important to focus on management, communication, and organizational skills.  Finalists for the position underwent several screenings by panels made up of representatives of the cities, human resources directors, social services organizations and providers, and from other pertinent fields, as well as other tools utilized in the final selection process.  Participants and finalists complimented the county on the comprehensive, multi-faceted process utilized.

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