The County Board's Open Appointments Policy and MN Statutes Section 383B.102 require that appointments to the unclassified service have confirmation by the Board of County Commissioners. 

Following an extensive national recruitment process, the County Administrator is recommending Ms. Jodi Wentland be confirmed for appointment to the unclassified position of Human Services Director. Ms. Wentland brings 25 years of human services experience and most recently served as Associate Director at Olmsted County where she gained attention statewide for her efforts in leading their Child and Family Services system to one of top status in Minnesota. Prior to that, Ms. Wentland was at Otter Tail County where she had extensive experience with oversight of programming for many areas across adult and children’s services.

Ms. Wentland is well respected as a leader in Minnesota with a proven ability for building strong teams, empowering leadership at all levels, and driving system innovations through team work and data. She has demonstrated her capacity to positively lead others, to develop and implement strategies for better outcomes, and to establish system accountabilities. Ms. Wentland brings a leadership model that reflects integrity, promotes diversity, leverages skills and expertise and maximizes community partnerships. With her Masters in Business Administration, in tandem with her Masters in Management and Bachelors in Social Work, Ms. Wentland is well positioned to lead our Human Services into the future programmatically and fiscally.

As required by the Open Appointments Policy, a list of final applicants who interviewed for this position is on file with the Clerk of the County Board.