OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire today named Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Chief Financial Officer Stan Marshburn to serve as the agency's interim secretary until a permanent replacement for the departing Robin Arnold-Williams is named. Marshburn's appointment is effective Monday, Jan. 5, when Arnold-Williams begins her new role as director of the Governor's Policy Office.

"I am pleased that Stan will serve as DSHS' Interim Secretary," Gregoire said. "His 30 years of state service including the Office of Financial Management, the state House of Representatives and 11 years at DSHS will serve him well. I look forward to working with him until a permanent replacement is identified."

"Stan is an excellent choice," said outgoing DSHS Secretary Robin Arnold-Williams. "His appointment as Interim Secretary will provide the continuity necessary for the Department's employees to move ahead with the good work they're doing for our clients and the state of Washington. He will have a solid leadership team in place, poised to move confidently into the New Year and the new legislative session."

"I'm happy to help provide that continuity and I'm honored that the Governor entrusted me with this responsibility," Marshburn said. "It will be hard to fill Robin's shoes – even temporarily. I'm going to need the help and support of everyone in the agency."

Before joining Gregoire's Cabinet as DSHS Secretary in 2005, Arnold-Williams spent eight years as executive director of the Utah State Department of Human Services, where she worked for 24 years. She served three years as chairwoman of the National Council of State Human Services Administrators and in that capacity, provided congressional testimony on human service policy issues.

# # #

DSHS does not discriminate, and provides equal access to its programs and services for all persons without regard to race, color, gender, religion, creed, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, age, veteran's status or the presence of any physical, sensory or mental disability.