New DHS Director Finishes First Week

The Department of Human Services has a $2.3 billion budget and employs 7,000 people. The department is responsible for helping the state’s most vulnerable. But its new director has no experience managing a public welfare agency. 

Justin Brown, 40, left a high-paying job as an investment capitalist for what, he says, is a higher calling.

“The opportunity to truly serve the people that I grew up with, was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” said Brown.

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Brown specialized in financing assisted living projects for seniors in three states. But he says he’s passionate about helping kids.

“Involved in a lot of non-profits all of them seem to serve kids. So, everywhere I go from Big Brothers Big Sisters to the Oklahoma City Zoo, to the Childrens Hospital Foundation, it’s always serving kids,” said Brown.

Brown said he wants to break down walls, metaphorically and literally. He plans to take down cubicles, so DHS employees can communicate better about ways to serve customers. He refers to those who use DHS services as customers, because it conveys the importance of serving them. He also wants to break down communication barriers with other agencies. 

As for big changes, Brown said, “I’m five days in, so I can’t really tell you like that we are going to cut here or do anything like that, because really the intent is to build a more robust service platform for our customers.”

Brown said he’s open to the idea of oversight committees and said he doesn’t worry about his lack of experience in government service.

“To the extent that there are gaps in my experience, these are people who really have decades of experience in serving kids, in serving seniors, in building programs that are intended to bring families out of poverty. So, the opportunity is fantastic,” said Brown.

Brown will make the same salary as the previous director, $185,000 a year.