Robin Reese protected Lucas County’s children for 38 years.
TOLEDO, July 22, 2022: After 38 years of protecting Lucas County children from abuse and neglect, Lucas County Children Services (LCCS) executive director Robin Reese today announced her plans to retire at the end of October 2022.
Mrs. Reese first joined LCCS in 1984, rising from caseworker to manager of the Placement Department in 1988. After being named executive director in 2016, Mrs. Reese guided the agency through state and federal changes in child protection practice and funding; stabilized the agency’s finances by passing several tax levies; and maintained child protection standards during the COVID-19 pandemic, She cultivated relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders, including board members, elected officials, and community leaders, and most recently began a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative, with the long-term goal of reducing the disproportionate number of Black children in the child protection system.
Beyond her work in Lucas County, Mrs. Reese sat on many statewide panels, and frequently advised Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and his staff on child welfare matters. She worked closely with other national organizations to influence social work practice on a national level. Under her leadership, LCCS achieved reaccreditation by the independent Council on Accreditation.
Kathy Vasquez, chair of the LCCS Board of Trustees, had high praise for Mrs. Reese. “Robin has been dedicated to protecting Lucas County’s children day and night for the past 38 years. She has led the agency with unwavering integrity and forthrightness and has built a team that will continue to follow her example going forward through this transition and beyond, she stated.”
To maintain a continuity of leadership, Mrs. Reese appointed agency social services director Donna Seed to the position of interim deputy director. Ms. Seed will help to lead the agency and ensure a smooth transition in the weeks before Mrs. Reese’s official retirement. Ms. Seed has spent the past 28 years ascending through several positions at LCCS before being named social services director in 2018.
She has well over 30 years of experience in child protection and mental health.