Department of Child Services director stepping down; successor named

Terry Stigdon (left) will step down as DCS director on May 5. Eric Miller will become the agency’s new director. (photos provided)

Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Monday that Indiana Department of Child Services Director Terry Stigdon plans to step down at the end of the week to become CEO of the Indiana Region chapter of the American Red Cross.

Stigdon was appointed DCS director in 2018 after serving as clinical director of operations at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. She succeeded Mary Beth Bonaventura, who resigned in a letter criticizing the Holcomb administration for cutting funding to the DCS, which led to a third-party evaluation of the agency’s operations.

The governor’s office said under Stigdon’s leadership, the number of children in foster care has decreased by more than half since 2017, and the number of children placed in residential facilities has also been reduced by more than half, allowing more children to be in home- and community-based settings.

During her tenure, the department also extended foster care services for older youths from ages 18 to 21.

“Under her leadership, Terry has focused on serving children in need with the right services at the right time, which resulted in more children receiving the right care,” Holcomb said in a written statement. “Terry leads with compassion, kindness and grace and has embraced all of Indiana’s children as if they were her own, and we are all better because of it.”

Holcomb has appointed Eric Miller, who currently serves as chief of staff for the DCS, as its next director. Before joining the DCS, Miller was chief of staff at the Indiana Department of Health.

“Eric has a demonstrated history of public service and is clearly committed to acting in the best interest of all Hoosiers,” Holcomb said. “I have no doubt DCS is poised to make continued progress under his leadership and benefit from a seamless transition.”

Miller has a bachelor’s degree in financial planning from Purdue University, a master’s of public administration from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from the University of Indianapolis.

Miller will begin his new role on May 8.