Department on Aging leader recommended
A Milwaukee County Board committee on Wednesday recommended confirmation of County Executive Chris Abele’s appointment of Holly Davis as director of the Department on Aging.
On a 5-0 vote, the Health and Human Needs Committee approved the appointment with no set term.
Her appointment as aging department director is subject to County Board approval at its Dec. 15 meeting. If confirmed, she will serve at the pleasure of the county executive.
Supervisor Steve Taylor, the board’s representative on the county Commission on Aging, told the committee that he supported her permanent appointment to the job.
Davis, 45, has served as interim director since September. She replaced Jonette Arms as interim director. Arms, the department’s former assistant director, stepped into the interim director job following the 2015 retirement of Stephanie Sue Stein.
In November, Abele appointed Davis as director. She will be paid an annual salary of $120,000.
Davis is the former director for the Milwaukee Early Care Administration in the state Department of Children and Families. The Early Care Administration office provides families with access to affordable child care.
The Department on Aging administers federal and state grants that fund a variety of programs for older adults, including specialized transportation, senior meals, adult protective services, social and recreational centers, support for people diagnosed with dementia, services for older adults who choose to remain independent in their homes, legal advice and employment training.
The department’s senior meal program operates 23 dining sites throughout the county and delivers meals to older adults in their homes. Five county-owned senior centers offer exercise and dance classes, art activities, computers for internet access and special events.
The department has a $18.8 million budget for 2017 and 81 employees.