Dallas County has hired one new department director and are on the verge of hiring a second.

At a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, one of the payroll change notices was regarding the new Public Health Director. Operations Director Rob Tietz, serving as Interim Human Resources Director, reported that the County Board of Health received 19 applications for the open position. They gave three candidates face-to-face interviews, and ultimately decided to offer the position to Suzanne Hegarty who accepted the job. Hegarty had previously served as the Public Health Office and Finance Administrator, and had been serving as Interim Director of the Department since the resignation of previous Director Kelli Vallinga. The Health Board, which functions independently of the Supervisors, approved the hire and submitted it to the County for receipt and file.

The other hiring is for the vacant HR Director position. Tietz said the hiring committee had offered the job to a candidate, and they had accepted. However, he stopped short of naming the individual, as the new hire is still pending a thorough review and background check, as well as approval by the Board of Supervisors. The job has been open since the resignation of former Director Erin Freeman, and over 20 applicants applied.