Garcia resigns as Iowa HHS Director, will be replaced by current Iowa DIAL leader

DES MOINES — Kelly Garcia has resigned as director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office announced Monday.

Reynolds has appointed Larry Johnson, the current director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, to replace Garcia as HHS Director.

Garcia will leave the state agency next month, Reynolds’ office said. Her new employer will make an announcement “likely sometime later this week,” an Iowa HHS spokesman told The Gazette.

Garcia was appointed director of the Iowa Department of Human Services in November of 2019. She was the agency’s director through the COVID-19 pandemic and its consolidation with the formerly independent Iowa Department of Public Health into the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

“Serving as the inaugural Director of Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services has been a profound privilege,” Garcia said in a press release issued by the governor’s office. “I’m deeply proud of our work to support Iowa’s families, from strengthening child protective services to improving health care access, especially for Iowa’s most vulnerable. I’m thankful to Gov. Reynolds for this tremendous opportunity and to the incredible HHS team for their tireless dedication to our state.”

During Garcia’s tenure, the state also redesigned its mental and behavioral health care delivery system. Iowa HHS is the state agency responsible for operating Iowa’s Medicaid program, in which roughly 700,000 Iowans are enrolled.

“Since her arrival in Iowa, Director Garcia has led with vision and dedication, driving transformative progress within Iowa’s health and human services systems. Her leadership at HHS has delivered meaningful results for Iowans across our state,” Reynolds said in the press release. “From expanding child care opportunities to enhancing health care access in rural communities, her contributions will make a difference for years to come. I am forever grateful for Kelly’s service to the state, and I wish her and her family much success and happiness.”

Garcia was paid a salary of $265,000 in the 2024 state budget year, according to state records.

Johnson was paid a salary of $215,000 in the 2024 state budget year.

Garcia and Johnson will immediately begin a “weekslong transition plan,” Reynolds’ office said, including engaging with HHS leaders, staff and key stakeholders across the state.

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Johnson was appointed director of the then-Department of Inspections and Appeals. Through the reorganization of Iowa’s executive branch, spearheaded by Reynolds, licensing duties was added to the department and it became the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing.

“It has been an honor working with the dedicated team at DIAL to ensure the health and safety of Iowans and maximize efficiencies and effectiveness through alignment of the agency,” Johnson said in the press release from the governor’s office. “Through alignment, our goal at DIAL was to modernize, standardize and simplify government. We accomplished extraordinary results in a short period of time, and I look forward to seeing that work continue and grow. I am honored, humbled and excited to work with the talented team at HHS and grateful for the past six years at DIAL.”

Prior to serving as DIAL Director, Johnson was the State Public Defender and legal counsel to former Gov. Terry Branstad and then-Lt. Gov. Reynolds. Johnson will start as Iowa HHS Director in mid-October, Reynolds’ office said.

“Director Johnson’s successful leadership of Iowa’s largest regulatory agency has prepared him well for the responsibility of leading the Department of Health and Human Services,” Reynolds said in the press release. “A trusted leader known for achieving high performance, Larry will guide the HHS team through full implementation of the agency’s work in progress as we continue to elevate our service to Iowans.”

Aaron Baack, DIAL’s Deputy Director and Chief Operations Officer, will serve as the agency’s interim director, the governor’s office said.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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