Michael Leach, director of South Carolina's child-welfare agency who took over the department in 2019 amid high turnover and heavy caseloads, will step down next year.
Gov. Henry McMaster announced Leach's departure Tuesday.
He said Leach, who was earning $250,000, will step down effective Jan. 2, capping a more than five-year tenure running the state's Department of Social Services, which works with children and vulnerable adults.
"This decision was not made lightly, as I hold deep respect for the mission of our department, our amazing professionals, and the people we serve," Leach wrote in his Oct. 21 resignation letter to McMaster.
Leach's letter nor McMaster's announcement said Leach is leaving for another job.
Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters Tuesday that he "tried everything" to get Leach to stay. McMaster said his office offered solutions to keep Leach, including the option of taking a break, but that issues impacting DSS operations have come to "a breaking point."
"He has done a magnificent job by all accounts, but things have escalated over the years, even the last few months," he said, adding it's clear "we have a problem" that will require more resources, like funding.
But McMaster said it'll also require the help of other state agencies, like the state's Department of Juvenile Justice, another embattled agency that has dealt with its fair share of director turnover.
The 45-year-old director was appointed by McMaster in March 2019 after an exhaustive seven-month search to find someone to oversee the embattled agency at often the center of lawmakers' frustration. He succeeded Director Susan Alford, who retired after taking over the department in 2015 following the resignation of her predecessor Lillian Koller.
Leach was hired out of Tennessee, where he spent more than a decade working at Tennessee's Department of Children's Services.
In South Carolina, Leach walked into a state agency that had for years dealt with especially extremely heavy caseloads and low worker morale and turnover.
The department faced a 2015 federal class-action lawsuit that said DSS' lack of health care and other services endangered already vulnerable children. The suit was settled by the agency and then-Gov. Nikki Haley. State lawmakers kept the agency under heavy watch, and the agency still undergoes routine monitoring.
"It's a daunting task, but with the support of folks behind me, ... we can accomplish something really big here in South Carolina," Leach said in 2019 at his nomination.
In the governor's announcement, he said under Leach's direction the department was able to increase the percentage of licensed kinship caregivers from 6% to 27%. Last year, the state also set a record, the governor said, with 645 public adoptions.
"I believe I was destined to be here in SC at DSS during a chaotic time when people needed help more than ever," Leach said in his resignation letter. "I am proud of the work we have done and the positive impact we've made on our South Carolina community."
McMaster in a Tuesday statement said Leach has been an "exemplary leader" for South Carolina in what is a "challenging role at a crucial time."
"Thanks to his leadership, the agency is stronger and more effective than when he started," he said. "He has improved all aspects of the agency and has positively impacted thousands of lives through his foster care reforms. I deeply appreciate his commitment and service to South Carolina, and I wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors.”
Leach's successor will have to be nominated by McMaster and confirmed by the state Senate. McMaster said announcements about Leach's successor will be made in the future.
McMaster told reporters it will be difficult to replace Leach.
"It is a demanding job," he said.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect Gov. Henry McMaster's Oct. 22, 2024, comments about Director Michael Leach's departure.
