The Montgomery County Council confirmed Raymond Crowel to be the next director of the county’s Department of Health and Human Services Tuesday by a unanimous vote.
Crowel has been chief of behavioral health and crisis services at the department for 10 years, and previously held a number of positions in the mental health and child and family services fields, dating to the mid-1980s. During the 1990s, served in public capacities as the director of child and youth services for the District of Columbia and Baltimore City.
The Department of Health and Human Services provides services for the county’s most vulnerable children, youth and adults. It provides services to the aging and disabled, behavioral and health crisis services and special needs housing among other services. The department is the largest in county government, with an annual budget of $323.6 million, and a full-time staff of more than 1,300.
Crowel replaces Victoria Buckland, who took over following the departure of Uma Ahluwalia at the conclusion of former County Executive Isiah Leggett’s administration in November. Crowel will earn a base salary of $210,000, which is less than Ahluwalia’s $237,500, which made her the highest paid female employee in Montgomery County in 2017.
With Crowel’s appointment, County Executive Marc Elrich must fill nine top-level county positions, which includes appointing a permanent police chief.
The county executive came under fire last week from the council for the slow pace in appointments since he took office in December.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
