Dear Colleagues, Partners and Collaborators,
I wanted to write to share some news about some temporary changes here at DAIL.
Martha Maksym, as the Acting AHS Secretary, has asked me to step into an interim role as the Deputy Secretary for the Agency. This is a temporary assignment, designed to fill the gap between now and when a permanent AHS Secretary is named. With that said, it’s not clear what the timeline is for that decision and it’s critical that the Agency run at full strength and with a full cadre of staff. It’s also critical to me that DAIL continues to run at full strength and I feel very fortunate that we have a strong leadership team here at DAIL that I can count on to continue to carry the work, our mission, vision and values forward.
In the interim period, Camille George, our current Deputy, will assume the Commissioner role and Megan Tierney-Ward, our current Adult Services Director, will step into the Deputy Commissioner role. Angela Smith-Dieng will step into the Adult Services Division Director position. I am confident that this interim team has the skills and passion we need to keep things running smoothly.
This shift is scheduled to happen on Monday, August 5th. We will be working over the next week to get everything in order, shift responsibilities and make sure that nothing gets dropped. I ask that each of you help with that- be patient with this team, let us know if we’re missing something, ask questions if you’re not sure who’s doing what and lend a hand as we all carry both old and new responsibilities forward.
I have said it many times, I feel extremely fortunate to work at the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, and to partner with all of you on behalf of Older Vermonters and Vermonters with disabilities. I feel very honored that the collective strength at DAIL gives me the opportunity to support and serve the larger Agency for a period of time. Please feel free to share this information with any colleagues that you think need to know and don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Monica Caserta Hutt, Commissioner