Swartzlander appointed interim ADAMHS director

FINDLAY — The Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services appointed Jennifer Swartzlander as interim executive director on Tuesday. Precia Stuby, who has been executive director since 1997, announced last fall that she would retire effective March 6. Swartzlander, of Bluffton, joined ADAMHS in September 2018 as deputy director, providing strategic leadership across several core system initiatives. She leads and supports ADAMHS and community committees focused on the Recovery-Oriented System of Care, Trauma-Informed Care, suicide prevention, faith-based engagement and maternal mental health. Her responsibilities include monitoring and auditing the implementation of standards, procedures and quality‑improvement efforts for contracted agencies to ensure accountability and service excellence. In a joint statement, ADAMHS Board Chairman Jim Darrach and Vice Chair Mary Beth Dillon said that in her eight years as deputy director, Swartzlander has gained vast institutional knowledge and has "cultivated regional connections that will keep us engaged and active with our community partners until we complete the search for a new director." "It is my honor to serve in this interim role leading the Hancock ADAMHS Board during this important time of transition," Swartzlander said. She added that it would not be a solo effort as "we have a great staff." Swartzlander's social work career spans more than 30 years. She was previously employed as a nonprofit consultant and assistant director at Findlay Hope House for the Homeless and had served as the executive director of the Children's Mentoring Connection. Tuesday's board meeting was followed by a farewell reception for Stuby. At the meeting, she was presented with a proclamation of well wishes by a representative from Gov. Mike DeWine's office. Darrach also shared a letter from U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio. John Bindas, president and CEO of Family Resource Center, said at the meeting that he was grateful for Stuby's support for his organization, himself, and "most of all the support for the community and those we impact every day." Retired Hancock County Common Pleas Court Judge Joseph Niemeyer is chair of the search committee for the next ADAMHS board director. Friday is the application deadline. The search committee will next meet on March 6 to review the resumes received. Niemeyer said that, given the nature of the job, the process might take some time as he anticipates "fairly extensive interviews" of candidates. Near the end of the meeting, her voice emotional, Stuby herself simply thanked everyone she had worked with and said it had meant a great deal to her. She received a standing ovation from the board at the end of the meeting.