OLYMPIA – Today, May 31, Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) Director, David Bayne, submitted his letter of resignation to County Manager, Leonard Hernandez. After serving as director for the past 17 months, Bayne announced he is moving on to pursue a new opportunity outside of Thurston County.

“While we are disappointed to see David leave the county,” said Hernandez, “we appreciate his leadership and contributions to our county, especially as we continue to work through the recovery phase of the COVID pandemic.”

Bayne was selected to serve as director after a nationwide search was conducted. The search also produced a capable assistant director and the county offered the assistant director position to Dr. Jennifer Freiheit. Dr. Freiheit and Mr. Bayne began in their roles around the same time and, together, have been working on many initiatives in PHSS.

While the county assesses the department’s next steps, Assistant Director, Dr. Jennifer Freiheit has agreed to step in to provide leadership as the interim director. “The leadership team looks forward to supporting Dr. Freiheit and all the hardworking employees of PHSS through this transition,” Hernandez said. “The work they do is vital to our community.”

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