The Washington County Public Health Department is under temporary new leadership following the resignation of Danielle Pettit-Majewski.

Jefferson County Public Health Administrator Chris Estle has been hired as an interim administrator for Washington as Pettit-Majewski accepted the administrator position at Johnson County. Estle has been in the Jefferson County position for about 14 years and prior to that she had an approximate 30-year nursing career at the Jefferson County Health Center. Estle says she worked very closely in the last eight years with Pettit-Majewski, and in her second week as the interim administrator, Estle says Washington County has a great team of public health staff, especially being faced with other recent staffing changes, “It’s unsettled times for people and employees that are tenured you know they work there a long time, we don’t like change and the older we get the less we like change. And if we’ve learned anything in the past year with public health, change happens frequently, and so we just have to navigate it and communication is very important.”

Through a 28E agreement Estle is contracted to work in Washington County between 4-12 hours a week, though she emphasizes that she is available to be reached at either office. The county is accepting applications for a new administrator through August 27th.