麻豆传媒色情片

June 12, 2020
In the World

Alumnus Named Interim Director of Ohio Department of Health

Lance Himes Follows Dr. Amy Acton in Coordinating State鈥檚 COVID-19 Response

Springfield, Ohio 鈥 Lance Himes, Wittenberg class of 1994, has been asked to step into the role of the interim director of the (ODH) once more after the resignation yesterday of Dr. Amy Acton.

Himes is no stranger to the role as this will be the third time in six years he鈥檚 been asked to take over the position. A member of the department鈥檚 general counsel for more than 15 years, he received his bachelor鈥檚 degree in business and geography from Wittenberg and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1997. He served as the interim health director twice before under Governor John Kasich in 2014 and 2017. He will be charged with coordinating the state鈥檚 coronavirus response efforts and issuing state health orders.

Himes鈥 appointment was announced on June 11 by Gov. Mike DeWine during his daily coronavirus press conference in which he shared that Acton will take on a new role as his chief health advisor in which she will continue to focus on the COVID-19 health crisis.

Prior to joining ODH, Himes was an attorney for seven years in Cincinnati, Ohio, specializing on environmental issues. According to the department鈥檚 website, he was instrumental in the legal implementation of Ohio鈥檚 smoke-free workplace law and rules, had a leading role in the overhaul of Ohio鈥檚 sewage treatment regulations, and helped coordinate response to the Ebola virus. His specialties include administrative law, legislative relations, environmental health, emergency and outbreak response, quality assurance, and building stakeholder trust.

Himes, who took over as Chief of Staff at ODH in August of 2019, does not have a medical degree like Acton, however by law, the director of the department does not need to be a physician but must have extensive experience in the public health field.

Cindy Holbrook
Cindy Holbrook
Senior Communications Assistant

About Wittenberg

Wittenberg's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, Wittenberg has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, Wittenberg offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

Back to top