Gov. Reynolds announces Kelly Garcia will step down as Iowa HHS Director, Larry Johnson appointed to succeed her

Today, Governor Kim Reynolds announced that Kelly Garcia, Director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has resigned and will leave the agency next month after nearly six years of service. Governor Reynolds has appointed Larry Johnson, currently Director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL), to succeed Garcia at HHS.

"Since her arrival in Iowa, Director Garcia has led with vision and dedication, driving transformative progress within Iowa's health and human services systems. Her leadership at HHS has delivered meaningful results for Iowans across our state," Gov. Reynolds said. "From expanding child care opportunities to enhancing health care access in rural communities, her contributions will make a difference for years to come. I am forever grateful for Kelly's service to the state, and I wish her and her family much success and happiness."

"Serving as the inaugural Director of Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services has been a profound privilege," Garcia said. "I'm deeply proud of our work to support Iowa's families, from strengthening child protective services to improving health care access, especially for Iowa's most vulnerable. I'm thankful to Governor Reynolds for this tremendous opportunity and to the incredible HHS team for their tireless dedication to our state."

Garcia joined the state in November 2019 after the governor appointed her to lead what was then the Iowa Department of Human Services. The following June, she was additionally appointed interim director of the Iowa Department of Public Health before assuming leadership of both agencies and, eventually, aligning them into one at the governor's direction.

Under Garcia's leadership, the agency was instrumental in managing Iowa's public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, aligning agency operations to improve service to Iowans, and redesigning the state's behavioral health system. Through her commitment to alignment and innovation, Garcia created foundational capacity within the agency and instilled a focus on measurable performance, leaving a blueprint for the next leader's success. Emphasizing transparency and communication, Garcia built trust by openly engaging with Iowans to inform systems improvements.

Directors Garcia and Johnson will immediately begin a weeks-long transition plan, which will include engaging with HHS division leaders, staff, and key stakeholders across the state.

"Director Johnson's successful leadership of Iowa's largest regulatory agency has prepared him well for the responsibility of leading the Department of Health and Human Services," Gov. Reynolds said. "A trusted leader known for achieving high performance, Larry will guide the HHS team through full implementation of the agency's work in progress as we continue to elevate our service to Iowans."

"It has been an honor working with the dedicated team at DIAL to ensure the health and safety of Iowans and maximize efficiencies and effectiveness through alignment of the agency," Johnson said. "Through alignment, our goal at DIAL was to modernize, standardize and simplify government. We accomplished extraordinary results in a short period of time, and I look forward to seeing that work continue and grow. I am honored, humbled and excited to work with the talented team at HHS and grateful for the past six years at DIAL."

Director Johnson was critical to the successful alignment of DIAL. Under his leadership, 16 professional licensing boards, previously located across state agencies, were centralized into DIAL. Staff were cross trained to resolve a years-long backlog of cases across several boards and establish new workflows to better manage ongoing case volume. As a result, between October 2024 and August 2025, the team reduced a backlog of 503 pending investigations to 37. Similar results were achieved in the agency's administrative hearings division and other areas.

Johnson's 14-year career in state government also includes serving as State Public Defender, and Legal Counsel to Governor Terry Branstad and then Lt. Governor Reynolds. He practiced law in the private sector before joining the state. Johnson's tenure as Director of HHS will begin in mid-October. Aaron Baack, Deputy Director and Chief Operations Officer at DIAL, will serve as the agency's interim director.