PHOENIX – Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday announced her appointment of a former Department of Economic Security administrator as the state social-service agency’s new director.
Neal Young was most recently assistant housing director for the city of Phoenix. When he worked for the state, he held a variety of DES administrative jobs between 1991 and 2001, including assistant director of the Division of Children, Youth and Families.
His appointment as DES director is the latest senior-level personnel move made by Brewer since she became governor on Jan. 20 when Democrat Janet Napolitano resigned to become U.S. Homeland Security secretary.
Former DES Director Linda Blessing has overseen the department on an interim basis since the departure of Napolitano’s last DES director, Tracy Wareing.