Moira Weir

Commissioners make director's promotion permanent

Oct. 23, 2007 -- Hamilton County Commissioners voted unanimously yesterday during their weekly staff meeting to permanently appoint Director Moira Weir to her position, following up on a decision they made in June. A formal resolution will be passed during Wednesday’s regular Commission meeting.

The permanent appointment was made at the request of County Administrator Patrick Thompson, who cited Weir’s work on several initiatives, including increasing background checks for foster parents, child care providers and others; implementing substations throughout the community; facilitating the department’s re-entry into the Protect Ohio program, initiating a Medicaid outreach program and helping to create a community-wide recruitment campaign for foster care and adoptive parents.

“Ms. Weir’s leadership and commitment to reform has our department on track to being one of the best in the state at dealing with tough issues such as child welfare, child support collection and public assistance programs,” Thompson said.

Weir was named director in June, following the retirement of Rick Roberts. Commissioner Todd Portune said at the time he would wait until the department had met some of the challenges facing it to make the appointment permanent. Still, he said Weir had the commissioner’s full support and the power to make all decisions concerning the department.

Weir is a 14-year veteran of the department. She served as assistant director of the Children’s Services Division before taking on her current role. Since joining the department in 1993 as a Children’s Services line worker, she’s served in a series of positions of increasing responsibility. Earlier in her career, she also played a key role in launching a strategic business unit that managed many of the department’s social service programs and focused on putting public assistance recipients to work. From 2004-2006, she was the assistant director over the Child Support division.

“I am a product of the input and hard work of so many people in this organization, I see this appointment as validation for the great work of all JFS employees,” Weir said. “I’m excited about the future of this organization and thankful of your support. We are going to do wonderful things together to make this community a better place to live.”

Prior to joining the Job and Family Services Department, she had a five-year real estate career in Philadelphia. Weir has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Boston’s Simmons College, a master’s degree in Social Work from Bryn Mawr College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Thomas More College.