San Diego County HHS Director Named

Effective Feb. 12, Rodger Lum, a clinical psychologist and head of Alameda County's Social Services Agency, will succeed Dr. Robert Ross as director of San Diego County's Health and Human Services Agency, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Ross left last July to assume the position of president and CEO of the California Endowment. Following an interview process, every member on two panels recommended Lum, who was one of eight finalists, as his or her top choice, the Union-Tribune reports. Lum received both a doctorate in clinical psychology and a bachelor's degree from the University of California-Berkeley. As the county's "top public health official," Lum will oversee the agency's nearly 6,000 employees and its $1.2 billion annual budget. He said, "What I hope to bring to the job is my excitement and passion for looking at things in an integrated way. When we talk about very complex problems, like drug use or poverty, we cannot look at them from a singular perspective or discipline. We have to look at things broadly" (Millican, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/9).