Governor’s Office release (edited)
09/23/25
Governor Kim Reynolds announced that Kelly Garcia, Director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, has resigned and will leave the agency next month after nearly six years of service. Governor Reynolds has appointed Larry Johnson, currently Director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, to succeed Garcia at HHS.
Garcia joined the state in November 2019 after the governor appointed her to lead what was then the Iowa Department of Human Services. The following June, she was additionally appointed interim director of the Iowa Department of Public Health before assuming leadership of both agencies and, eventually, aligning them into one at the governor’s direction.
Johnson’s 14-year career in state government also includes serving as State Public Defender, and Legal Counsel to Governor Terry Branstad and then Lt. Governor Reynolds. He practiced law in the private sector before joining the state. Johnson’s tenure as Director of HHS will begin in mid-October. Aaron Baack, Deputy Director and Chief Operations Officer at the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, will serve as the agency’s interim director.
Directors Garcia and Johnson will immediately begin a weeks-long transition plan, which will include engaging with HHS division leaders, staff, and key stakeholders across the state.