Immediate Release
March 17, 2010
Batavia, Ohio. The Board of Clermont County Commissioners (BCC) today named Mike Pride as the new director of the county Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS). Pride has served as interim director of DJFS since January. “I am excited about this new opportunity to serve the citizens of Clermont County,” said Pride, who has worked in the fiscal divisions of DJFS in Clermont and Hamilton counties for the past 26 years. He also worked six years in the Ohio State Auditor’s Office where he audited DJFS offices across the state. “Clermont is a progressive county and a great place to work. I believe that my financial background will help the agency move forward as we face continuing economic restraints.”
“We undertook an extensive search for a new director and interviewed a number of good candidates; Mike exhibited an exceptional level of understanding of the programs, issues, and financial acumen that we are seeking. He has a steady, pleasant demeanor and a demonstrated ability to lead that makes him an exceptional choice,” said Clermont County Administrator Dave Spinney, who was part of the selection panel.
“We felt Mike was the top candidate with a world of experience,” said Clermont Commissioner Scott Croswell. “He is truly an expert in financial models that are used to obtain services. Given the difficult economic times we are in, a DJFS director must have the ability to deliver services and the expertise to ensure they are properly funded.” The Ohio DJFS has a complicated funding structure in place; there are 47 different sources that come into the local DJFS and most have stringent requirements that have to be followed to allow the disbursement of funds. Pride understands the numbers and the complex formulas; he leads a “Fiscal 101” course for other DJFS agencies in the state to share his expertise.
“Often commissioners must choose between someone with human services experience and someone with good managerial and people skills. Mike is the whole package,” said Ohio Job and Family Services Directors’ Association Executive Director Joel Potts, in a recommendation letter to the BCC.
“In my new position, I will continue to streamline processes to stretch the dollars available to help citizens in every way we can,” said Pride. He expects the next few years to be quite challenging. In 2009, Children’s Protective Services (a division of DJFS) saw a 26 percent increase in child abuse and neglect investigations. There has also been a 27 percent annual increase in the number of people needing food assistance. “All this is happening as our staff struggles under workloads, that in some cases are double what they were the previous year,” he said. Currently there are 217 employees of the Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services.
Pictured above: New Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services Director Mike Pride.
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For additional information about this or other county news, contact Clermont County Communications Director Kathryn Lehr at (513) 732-7597 or by e-mail, klehr@co.clermont.oh.us.