The newly hired director of a newly created division for aging services at the Department of Economic Security resigned after less than two months on the job.
Robert York was hired Nov. 6 to head up the Division for Aging and Adult Services and stepped down just after New Year, said DES spokeswoman Liz Barker Alvarez.
“It was not a good fit for him,” Alvarez said.
She said there was no conflict between York and DES Director Tracy Wareing. But she offered no other explanation for Mr. York’s resignation, other than he stepped down for professional reasons.
“When he left he had nothing but great things to say for the staff, the division,” she said.
The Aging and Adult Services Division was created last year when it was split off from the Aging and Community Services.
The agency provides assistance to seniors, including legal services, a long-term care ombudsman and benefits counseling.
“We just felt it needed its own focus,” Barker Alvarez said.
York was to be the first permanent assistant director for the division. DES has begun a search for a replacement. For now, Rex Critchfield will step in as acting director, a position he also held before York was brought in.
York, with 30 years experience in social services, had headed Lutheran Social Services in Wisconsin. There was no word on his current situation. York was not available for comment.
Community Services, which helps families in crisis, has been folded into the Director’s Office of Community Partnerships and Innovative Practices.