On Monday, Sept. 22 Governor Kim Reynolds announced that Kelly Garcia, director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, will resign next month after nearly six years of service.
Garcia was appointed in 2019 to lead the Iowa Department of Human Services, later taking on leadership of the Department of Public Health before the two were merged into HHS. She helped steer the state’s public health response during the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw reforms in behavioral health and child protective services.
Governor Reynolds praised Garcia for “driving transformative progress” in health and human services. Garcia called the role a privilege, saying she was proud of efforts to strengthen child protective services and improve access to health care for vulnerable Iowans.
Reynolds has appointed Larry Johnson, director of the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, to succeed Garcia. Johnson will begin as HHS director in mid-October. He has worked in state government for more than a decade, including as state public defender and as legal counsel to former Governor Terry Branstad and then-Lt. Governor Reynolds.
Johnson said he is honored to take on the new role and looks forward to continuing work to modernize and improve services. Aaron Baack, deputy director at DIAL, will serve as interim director there during the transition.
