A former state lawmaker from mid-Missouri’s Morgan County has resigned as Missouri’s Children’s Division director, after about three months on the job.
Former State Rep. David Wood, R-Versailles, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 15, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)
Former State Rep. David Wood, R-Versailles, was named the Children’s Division director in June. He told Missourinet on Tuesday that he is no longer the Children’s Division Director, adding that he appreciates the “opportunity that the governor gave me, and I wish the Children’s Division the best as they are very good people doing a very difficult job.”
The Children’s Division is part of the state Department of Social Services (DSS), and is responsible for the administration of child welfare services. Its responsibilities also include foster care and adoption.
The division works with families, communities and the courts toward ensuring the safety and well-bring of Missouri children.
There have now been six Children’s Division directors in the past seven years.
Wood, who served almost eight years in the Missouri House, resigned his seat in June, after being named the new Children’s Division director. Wood could not seek re-election, because of term limits.
He told Missourinet Versailles affiliate KTKS in May that he planned to stay for at least four years and that the division needed stability. Wood, who served as the House Budget Committee’s vice chairman, also told KTKS that he hoped his experience would help in funding the Children’s Division.
“I know it’s going to be a tough budget cycle because the revenues aren’t coming in, we’re going to have to look at cuts,” Wood said in May. “And with my experience on the budget and knowing how to deal with that and how to defend certain pieces, I think I’m going to be a good advocate for the department.”
The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reports Joanie Rogers is now serving as interim director.
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