Governor Stitt Appoints Dr. Deborah Shropshire to Serve as Executive Director of Oklahoma Human Services

OKLAHOMA CITY (January 10, 2022) – On the first day of his second term, Governor Kevin Stitt announced the appointment of Dr. Deborah Shropshire, M.D., to serve as the Executive Director of Oklahoma Human Services. Dr. Shropshire previously served as the Director of the Child Welfare Services at Oklahoma Human Services. She will be the first woman to serve as Director of DHS in Oklahoma history.

“Dr. Shropshire is a stand up Oklahoman with a heart for servant leadership and a proven track record of success at Oklahoma Human Services,” said Governor Stitt. “I am appreciative of Dr. Deb’s ongoing work with human services and look forward to seeing how she continues to lead the agency in this new role."

Since joining Oklahoma Human Services in 2014, Director Shropshire has served in child welfare as director, deputy director of community partnerships, and medical director (serving children and youth in foster care). From 2001 to 2015, she was medical director at the former Pauline E. Mayer Children’s Shelter and helped develop the Fostering Hope Clinic for children in foster care and served on the Special Review Committee on child abuse and neglect deaths. Shropshire is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

“Serving Oklahoma families and children has been a personal and professional priority my entire adult life,” said Dr. Shropshire. “At Oklahoma Human Services, our goal is to ensure the safety of children and families, and to provide needed resources in communities throughout the state so we can serve children and families from a place of excellence. I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead and support the amazing workforce at this agency who dedicate their lives to our mission of service.”

Shropshire is the recipient of multiple local and national awards including the 2014 National Ray Helfer Award for Child Abuse Prevention from the National Alliance on Children's Trust and Prevention Funds and the 2007 Commissioner's Award for Outstanding Service in the Field of Child Abuse and Neglect from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children, Youth and Families.

Gov. Stitt’s appointment of Dr. Shropshire can be found here.