The Washington County Administrative Office announced the appointment of Mjere Simantel as the new director of Washington County Health and Human Services Thursday, January 19.
Simantel comes into the role with more than five years of experience serving as a department administrator after what the county called a “Nationwide recruitment and competitive selection process.”
Simantel earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Portland, before receiving her masters degree in social work from the University of Michigan.
She has worked for Washington County since 2017. In 2018 she took on the role of Assistant director for the department and most recently has served as the interim director of Health and Human Services.
Before joining Washington County Health and Human Services, Simantel worked in an administrative role at Willamette View, a retirement facility in Portland and worked with Clackamas Education Service District.
Health and Human Services is a department within Washington County that promotes and operates health services. Services range from programs and facilities addressing mental health, addiction & disabilities to programs that promote the health of animals and regulate recycling and waste management.
My name is Jake Moore. I was born and raised here in Banks, Oregon, and have recently returned home after completing my Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at the University of Oregon. During my time in Eugene I wrote for the student run paper the Daily Emerald as a senior news reporter and served as a reporting intern at Eugene Weekly. I look forward to working with community members and reporting on local news.
Contact me at [email protected].