Daily Journal file photo
Health Director Tommy Jarrell addresses COVID-19 publicly for the first time on March 6, 2020 at a meeting of the Richmond County Board of Education.
ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County government announced Tuesday that three staffing changes have been made involving the Richmond County Department of Social Services and Health Department due to the retirement of Health Director Tommy Jarrell, who is set to retire on May 27.
Stepping into fill Jarrell’s shoes will be Cheryl Speight, MSN, RN, who currently serves as director of Patient Services for the Health Department and has worked for the department since 1994. Speight will be the interim Local Public Health Director effective May 28. Over the past 15 months, Speight has managed COVID testing, investigations, reporting and vaccination efforts for the Health Department.
“Richmond County is fortunate to have an experienced, qualified leader ready to take the reigns of the Health Department,” said County Manager Bryan Land in a press release.
Land has named Hollis “Holly” Haire, EHS, as the Deputy Local Public Health Director under Speight. Haire has worked for the Health Department for nearly 25 years, and is currently the director of Environmental Health & General Services. She also been active in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year, according to the press release.
The third change is in the title and responsibilities of DSS Director Robby Hall, who will now serve as the acting director of Consolidated Human Services while the county determines the future of the leadership roles for the Human Services Department, and completes a search and selection process for new staff.
Land congratulated Jarrell on his retirement, and Speight and Haire on their new titles.
