West Virginia

Department of
Health & Human Resources

Leadership

House Bill 2006​, passed during the 2023 Legislative Session, reorganizes the current West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources into three separate departments, each overseen by its own cabinet-level secretary, effective January 1, 2024. On May 24, 2023, Gov. Jim Justice appointed three cabinet secretaries: Sherri A. Young, D.O., MBA, FAAFP - Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health; Cynthia Persily, Ph.D. - Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services; and Michael Caruso - Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health Facilities. All three new secretaries will begin working with their respective departments in the coming months in preparation for the January 1, 2024, official transition. The three cabinet secretaries will develop a memorandum of understanding to establish the Office of Shared Administration, which will provide shared services from centralized units such as finance, human resources management, management information services, and constituent services.

Sherri A. Young, D.O., MBA, FAAFP

Interim Cabinet Secretary

304-558-0684 | DHHRSecretary@wv.gov

Dr. Sherri Young is currently serving as the Interim Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and was appointed Incoming Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health by Governor Jim Justice on May 24, 2023. She previously served as the Associate Chief Medical Officer to the Vandalia Health Network and Executive Director and Health Officer of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. The health command team worked through the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department (KCHD), in collaboration with the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority (KCEAA), Kanawha County Commission, West Virginia National Guard, City of Charleston, Charleston Fire Department and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department. 

In 2019 – 2020, Dr. Young served as President of the West Virginia State Medical Association, the State’s largest medical society. She is also the Past President of the West Virginia Academy of Family Physicians and the Kanawha Medical Association. Currently, she serves as a Board member for the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) Foundation, the YWCA of the Kanawha Valley, the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority (KCEAA), West Virginia Health Right and the Regional Board for the American Cancer Society, for WV, Ohio, and Kentucky. 

She is the proud mother to her 15 year-old daughter Gabi. Dr. Young has authored many peer-reviewed and opinion articles on issues of note to public health and medicine. She has extensive experience with hundreds of professional education presentations, providing CME for her peers at the local, state, national, and international levels. She has had numerous articles published in peer-reviewed medical journals and publications and served as an Associate Editor for the West Virginia Medical Journal for nearly 10 years. 

Dr. Young received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2003. She then completed her Residency in Family Medicine at Charleston Area Medical Center. Dr. Young graduated Summa Cum Laude from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology. In 2022, Dr. Young completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA), from Brandeis University, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sherri Young 

Sherri A. Young, D.O., MBA, FAAFP

Incoming Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health

(effective January 1, 2024)

304-558-0684 | DHHRSecretary@wv.gov
Sherri Young 

Cynthia A. Persily, Ph.D.

​​Incoming Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services 

(effective January 1, 2024)

304-558-0684 | DHHRSecretary@wv.gov
Cynthia Persily 

Michael Caruso

Incoming Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health Facilities

​(effective January 1, 2024)​

304-558-0684 | DHHRSecretary@wv.gov
Mike Caruso 

Cammie Chapman

Deputy Secretary of Children and Adult Services

304-558-0684 | Cammie.L.Chapman@wv.gov
Cammie Chapman 

​​​Christina Mullins

Deputy Secretary of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders/Co-Interim Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy

304-558-0627 | Christina.R.Mullins@wv.gov
Christina Mullins 

​​​Russell Crane

Deputy Secretary

304-558-0684 | Russell.Crane@wv.gov
Russell Crane 

​​​Rae Bates

Chief of Staff

304-558-0684 | Rae.J.Bates@wv.gov
Rae Bates 

Bureau and Office Directors

Dawn Cottingham-Frohna

Commissioner of the Bureau for Behavioral Health (BBH)

304-558-0627 | Dawn.P.Frohna@wv.gov
Dawn Cottingham-Frohna 

​​​Garrett Jacobs

Commissioner of the Bureau for Child Support Enforcement (BCSE)

304-558-0909 | Garrett.M.Jacobs@wv.gov
Garrett Jacobs 

​​​Rachel Thaxton

Co-Interim Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP)

304-558-0684 | Rachel.M.Thaxton@wv.gov​​​
Rachel Thaxton 

​​​Janie Cole

Commissioner of the Bureau for Family Assistance (BFA)

304-352-4468 | Janie.M.Cole@wv.gov
JanieCole 

​​​Cynthia Beane

Commissioner of the Bureau for Medical Services (BMS)

304-558-1700 | Cynthia.E.Beane@wv.gov
Cynthia Beane 

Matthew Christiansen

Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health (BPH) and State Health Officer

304-558-2971 | Matthew.Q.Christiansen@wv.gov
Matt Christiansen 

​​​Jeffrey Pack

Commissioner of the Bureau for Social Services (BSS)

304-558-0628 | Jeffrey.M.Pack@wv.gov
Jeffrey Pack 

​​​Stacy Pridemore

Health Care Authority Executive Director

304-558-0684 | Stacy.L.Pridemore@wv.gov
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​​​John Lopez

Director of the Office of Constituent Services

304-558-0684 | John.V.Lopez@wv.gov
John Lopez 

​​​Shevona Lusk

Chief Operating Officer, Office of Health Facilities (OHF)

304-558-0684 | Shevona.R.Lusk@wv.gov
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​​​Chris Nelson

Interim Inspector General (OIG)

304-558-2278 | Christopher.G.Nelson@wv.gov​
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Administration

​​​Timothy Priddy

Director of the Center for Threat Preparedness

304-352-6124 | Timothy.J.Priddy@wv.gov
Timothy Priddy 

Jessica Holstein

Interim Director of the Office of Communications

304-558-0684 | Jessica.N.Holstein@wv.gov
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​​​Tara Buckner

Chief Financial Officer

304-558-9138 | Tara.L.Buckner@wv.gov
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​​​Shaun Charles

Chief Information Officer

304-558-0684 | Shaun.L.Charles@wv.gov
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​​​April Robertson

General Counsel

304-558-4972 | April.L.Robertson@wv.gov
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​​​Angie Jacobs-Ferris​

Chief Human Resources Officer

304-558-3347 | Angela.L.Ferris@wv.gov​​​
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