Commissioners pick new JFS director
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) – A familiar face will soon be leading Tuscarawas County’s Job and Family Services office.
After a monthslong search for a new agency director, the county commissioners are awarding the job to Veronica Spidell, who’s best known for once heading up the Leadership Tusc program. Board President Kristen Zemis says they picked Spidell from a large pool of applicants because of her decades of experience in social services (which included time as a juvenile probation officer, clinical counselor, and deputy director of the Guernsey County Children’s Services Board).
“She’s been previously with the Tuscarawas County Juvenile Court as a probation officer. She’s been a counselor. She’s worked for the agency in the past. She worked at Guernsey County Children’s Service Board as the deputy director, and now she’ll be coming to us from the ADAMHS Board as manager of community services.”
Spidell replaces former JFS director David Haverfield, who was placed on paid administrative leave and later resigned following criticism for what Zemis describes as ‘a large fiscal problem that spiraled over the years.’ She expects some recommendations from the state once it wraps up its performance audit of the agency sometime in March or April.
“It’s not going to be an easy fix, so she has a challenge ahead of her. And we have the greatest confidence in her skills and her commitment to the agency that she’s going to rise to the occasion.”
Spidell’s first day on the job is January 29th. Another former director – Lynn Angelozzi – has been leading the agency on an interim basis.