The director of the state Department of Human Services plans to resign, and is slated to be replaced by a former state lawmaker.
Gov. Josh Green announced Thursday that Cathy Betts plans to leave DHS in May, ending 17 years of working for the state to become executive director of the Hawai‘i State Bar
Association.
On Friday, Green named former state lawmaker Ryan Yamane to replace Betts as DHS director.
Yamane had served in the House of Representatives since 2004, and was appointed by Green in December 2022 to be deputy director of the state Department of Human Resources Development.
In a statement, Green praised Betts for her years of work at the state, which included being a deputy attorney general assigned to child abuse and neglect cases, paternity and involuntary commitment. Betts became DHS deputy director in 2017 and then director in 2020 shortly after the coronavirus pandemic emerged.
“Cathy has been a fearless warrior for our community and her staff throughout the pandemic and the Maui wildfires as DHS took on the lead role
in recovery for our residents,” Green said.
Betts said in a statement, “I leave this department with a grateful heart and much aloha for our hard-
working DHS team. I have learned the true meaning
of resilience and grit while leading this department.”
Yamane succeeding Betts is subject to advice and consent of the Senate.
Green, who also is a former state lawmaker, said in his statement that he has worked with Yamane for nearly two decades and is sure his nominee will do a good job leading DHS.
“He will immediately work to care for the people of
Hawaii through the many programs the Department
of Human Services offers,” Green said.
During his time in the
Legislature, Yamane chaired committees focused on health, human services and homelessness.
Yamane said in a statement that he is honored by the new appointment. “Serving the public that relies on DHS services is a role requiring empathy and compassion as well as knowledge of state systems we can leverage to improve lives,” he said.
According to the governor, DHS serves 1 in 3
Hawaii residents and employs about 2,400 people. The agency’s operations include providing federally funded aid for low-income households to buy food, financial assistance for needy families, child foster care and adult foster care. DHS also is developing temporary homes and providing rental assistance for Maui wildfire survivors.
