Two key department heads retire from Stanislaus County service. New directors are named
Stanislaus County leaders have approved changes at the top of two county government departments.
Ruben Imperial, assistant executive officer of Stanislaus County, will take over as director of county Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, starting Friday.
Tony Vartan, the BHRS director since 2022, is retiring effective Thursday. It’s the second time Imperial will oversee county BHRS, after directing the department from July 2019 to August 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He managed a restructuring that balanced the department’s budget.
The Board of Supervisors talked with Imperial behind closed doors March 11 about a second stint as BHRS director. The board approved the appointment Tuesday evening. He will continue earning his current salary of $259,000 a year.
County Supervisors also marked the retirement of Mary Ann Lilly, managing director of the Health Services Agency for 19 years.
Lilly guided the agency through the rigors of the COVID-19 outbreaks, as the department set up large vaccination clinics, testing sites, contact tracing and programs to educate the public.
“We all lived through that experience,” County Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes said Tuesday in recognizing Lilly’s accomplishments. “We all know how difficult that was. I have a lot of appreciation for your support and all of your influence.”
The Health Services Agency includes public health, outpatient clinics and numerous other programs. Lilly became the agency’s top director in 2006 and was formerly associate director of Health Coverage and Quality Services. She joined county health services in 1999.
Heather Duvall, county public health director, will become the new managing director of HSA. Hayes recently disclosed a pay rate of $97.87 an hour for Duvall, which works out to a salary of $203,600 annually.
County BHRS is taking on several initiatives, including drug treatment opportunities under Proposition 36 and Senate Bill 43, as well as efforts to increase CARE (Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment) Court participation.
Imperial has served for 13 years in management positions for the county. As an assistant executive officer, he’s had leadership responsibilities over health and public safety departments and strengthened partnerships with Medi-Cal managed care plans, a county staff report said.
Vartan began working as county behavioral health director in August 2022. He was behavioral health director for San Joaquin County for almost five years before accepting the job in Stanislaus County. He was previously the top administrator at Doctors Behavioral Health Center in Modesto.
