ADAMHS Board Appoints Interim Director
(From Hancock County ADAMHS)
Jennifer Swartzlander, of Bluffton, has been named the interim director of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board of Hancock County.
The Board announced Swartzlander’s appointment during its Tuesday board meeting. She will serve until the Board hires a permanent successor to Director Precia Stuby, who is retiring after serving as director for almost 30 years.
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 the eight years serving 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.”
They said the Board is fortunate to have a skilled and caring staff that Stuby has assembled.
“All members of our Board are confident our agency will continue to provide services at a high level during this transition,” Darrach said.
Swartzlander’s social work career spans more than 30 years.
“It is my honor to serve in this interim role leading the Hancock ADAMHS Board during this important time of transition,” Swartzlander said. “I look forward to continuing to steward a comprehensive and collaborative behavioral health system that has long been regarded across Ohio as an exemplary model shaped by Precia Stuby’s vision.”
Swartzlander has worked alongside Stuby at ADAMHS since September 2018.
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.
Swartzlander earned her social work degree at Bowling Green State University and her master’s degree from Ohio State University.
Her social work career began in 1992 as a caseworker/investigator at the Putnam County Department of Human Services. She also served as a Family Service group facilitator for teens who had been sexually abused.
Swartzlander is a licensed independent social worker with a supervision designation.
The ADAMHS Board is accepting applications for the director’s position through Feb. 27. Former Judge Joseph Niemeyer is serving as chair of the search committee. No deadline has been set for selecting the next director.
Stuby’s last day as director is March 6.