Shelia Stubbs to become Dane County human services director

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi has selected State Representative and former longtime County Board Supervisor Shelia Stubbs to be the county’s next human services director, as stated in an April 13 press release.

Stubbs represented the south side of Madison on the County Board from 2006 to 2022. In that time, she authored key legislation, including a resolution creating what is now known as the Dane County Behavioral Health Resource Center, a central point to help individuals and families navigate barriers to accessing mental health and addiction treatment services. She also initiated Dane County’s Community Restorative Court, which provides alternatives for those who commit non-violent crimes. Stubbs served for five years as chair of the county board’s Health and Human Needs Committee, the oversight body for the Department of Human Services. She also served on the county’s budget writing committee as a member of Personnel and Finance.

Stubbs was elected to represent the 77th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2018. Since that time, she’s served as chair of the Legislature’s Black Caucus, co-chair of the Speaker’s Task Force on Racial Disparities, and she is currently ranking member on the Assembly Corrections Committee.

A resolution authorizing Stubbs’ employment contract will be introduced to the county board next week. Her exact start date with Dane County is contingent on review and adoption by the county board, which could be as soon as late May.