Richard Whitley has been named administrator for the Nevada State Health Division, effective Jan. 28. Whitley will replace Alex Haartz, who is leaving DHHS to join the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
Whitley has been the Deputy Administrator of the Health Division since November 2004.
As Administrator, Whitley will have direct oversight of the day-to-day operations of the Health Division, which is responsible for promoting and protecting the health of all Nevadans and visitors to the state through leadership in public health initiatives, coupled with enforcement of the public health laws and regulations. The Health Division, guided by the State Board of Health, consists of six bureaus, more than 600 full-time and temporary state employees, and has an annual budget of $160 million.
Previous to becoming Deputy Administrator, Whitley served as the chief of the Bureau of Community Health where he was responsible for administering state and federal chronic, communicable, and vaccine preventable disease programs in the state.
Whitley began state service as the senior psychologist for the Nevada Women's Correctional Facility in 1986.
Whitley holds a baccalaureate degree from Willamette University in Oregon, and a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from Western Oregon State College.
"I appreciate the opportunity to serve Nevada's residents and visitors in this capacity, and look forward to continuing the efforts of the Health Division to provide the people of Nevada with the best health protection possible," he said.
Whitley will earn a salary of $112,529. However, he opted to take a 4.5 percent salary reduction to show his personal commitment to helping the division through the budget challenges now being faced by the state.
For information about the Nevada State Health Division, go to http://health.nv.gov.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment