WILMINGTON — Clinton County Job and Family Services (JFS) Director Kathi Spirk will retire following 33 years with the public service agency, the last seven as director, serving as deputy director for three years prior.
In her announcement to the Clinton County Board of Commissioners, Spirk said, “I cannot possibly begin to convey in words the pride I feel in our dedicated staff who assure that all citizens we work with are treated with the utmost kindness, dignity, and respect as well as consistently being good stewards of the public trust.
“I especially want to thank you, our county commissioners, for your support and confidence in our agency as we continue to carry on with a mighty responsibility to the most vulnerable citizens of Clinton County. This work and this community have been my career focus and passion since 1987,” said Spirk, who graduated that year from Wilmington College.
“Thank you to this board for the opportunity to serve in this role as both the director of CCJFS and as a public servant. I am proud to have been a part of the team who has made Clinton County Job and Family Services the best it has ever been, and the team who will lead the agency to even greater future success,” she added.
Nicole Rodman currently serves as the deputy director of Clinton County Job and Family Services. With a bachelor’s degree in Family Studies from Miami University, she brings more than 10 years of experience with JFS as a caseworker and as the supervisor of the Child Support Unit.
Rodman will assume the responsibilities of the director of Job and Family Services on Aug. 1.
“I am honored and humbled for the opportunity the board has given me to serve the families and children of Clinton County. We have a great team and I look forward to leading and supporting them while we continue to provide services and stability to families in our community,” said Rodman.
The board, in its selection of Rodman, stated that they are exceptionally confident in her abilities and in her commitment to Clinton County and the agency.
Over 100 local, state, and federal programs are provided through JFS which serve a fourth of the Clinton County population.
Clinton County Job and Family Services is a quadruple combined agency, consisting of four departments which serve the community under the Job and Family Services umbrella — Child Protection, Family Services, Child Support, and Ohio Means Jobs.
The agency is responsible for administering public assistance programs. Programs address child and senior citizen safety and stability, and ensure the receipt of child support.
Local programs include cash assistance, food assistance, childcare, Medicaid, adoption, adult protective services, child protective services, foster care, and local workforce initiatives.
Strong partnerships include working closely with law enforcement and the courts.
More than 3,000 children are served as part of the Child Support Enforcement efforts. Approximately 2,000 in-person customers are served in the CCJFS building on South South Street in Wilmington each month.
Approximately 76 children are in the temporary custody of the agency. Child abuse and neglect cases average between 400 to 500 cases per year. There are 33 locally licensed foster homes.
