Jan. 17—CLOQUET — During Dave Lee’s tenure as director of Carlton County Public Health and Human Services, he was more of a mentor than a boss for Annie Napoli, who served alongside Lee as his deputy director for the past eight years. Now, as Lee prepares to retire from his 25-year career at the department, Napoli plans to implement lessons learned working under Lee as she prepares to become the department’s new director.
“I love public service, and I think that’s it. I really feel like I’ve been in training and I’m ready for this,” Napoli said. “I’m confident, and feel really good about it.”
As the next director, Napoli will oversee 150 staff and 13 different teams charged with providing the county’s human services, social services and public health.
“It’s a wide variety of work, but the focus on the community is where it’s at,” Napoli said.
Since being named as the next director by the Carlton County Board of Commissioners in December, Napoli is spending her time shadowing and attending meetings with Lee. She will assume the new role on Feb. 1. Lee retires at the end of the month.
On her first day as deputy director, Napoli recalls Lee told her to start building relationships. Those relationships will now prove crucial for the department, as Napoli serves as the point person between her department and the Minnesota Legislature, as well at the state’s Department of Human Services, Department of Health and the newly formed Department of Children, Youth and Families.
“(Lee) said, collaborate and build relationships, and that’s what I’ve worked really hard on for — well during my career, but especially the past eight years — and I want to continue with that, just with the other departments, the community, private providers, the state, regional counterparts.”
Napoli started her career with the county working as a social worker, following a career in the private sector working with seniors and people with disabilities.
As director, Napoli said her priorities will include expanding respite services (which provide short-term care for people with dementia when the primary caregiver is absent or needs relief) and expanding transportation services.
Napoli hopes to grow the county’s volunteer services working with longterm care units and community providers to provide more options for respite and adult day cares, lessening the burden of caregivers of seniors. She hopes the expanded volunteer base will allow more seniors and people with disabilities to live in their homes.
The county is also struggling to provide adequate transportation. Though people enrolled in certain health plans receive transportation for medical appointments, the county relies on volunteers to shuttle people from hospital discharges and non-medical services. Napoli hopes to expand transportation services to correct the issue.
Napoli commended Carlton County for being particularly good at interdepartmental communication. She noted the county’s child protective services team, which works with the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, Carlton County Attorney’s Office and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s Law Enforcement and Human Services Division.
Lee, who was not available to provide comment for this article, spent his time as a director integrating Carlton County Public Health and Human Services through the creation of the Carlton County Community Services Building in Cloquet, which brought public health and human services programs that previously operated out of four buildings into one, according to a release announcing Lee’s retirement.
“I love that we’re together. It reduces silos,” Napoli said.
Lee also worked to streamline communication between the county and the Fond du Lac Band, where he helped to establish the first health and human services operational agreement between the band and the county in 2002, according to the release.
“He’s a leader who can inspire, and he’s a leader that can see things years down the road,” Napoli said.