INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric Holcomb announced today Terry Stigdon is stepping down as the director of the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) to become the chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Indiana region.
Gov. Holcomb has appointed Eric Miller, currently the agency’s chief of staff, as the new director.
“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,” said Gov. Holcomb. “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. While I will miss her, I’m equally excited for her next chapter of service to others.”
Stigdon was appointed director of DCS in early 2018. Under her leadership, DCS has:
- Decreased the number children in foster care by more than half since 2017
- Reduced the number of children placed in residential facilities by more than 50% allowing more children to be in home- and community-based settings
- Developed evidence-based processes and criteria to consistently screen reports of child abuse and neglect and ensure appropriate DCS involvement
- Exceeded the federal benchmark for absence of repeat maltreatment
- Launched Indiana Family Preservation Services, which has kept 18,444 children safely at home with their families since its inception in June 2020
- Extended foster care services for older youth from age 18 to 21
“It’s been an absolute honor and joy working alongside this team the last five years to serve Hoosier families and children, and I am so thankful the governor entrusted me with this opportunity,” Stigdon said. “We’ve made incredible strides in the child welfare system, and I am confident I am leaving the agency in capable hands that will continue this excellent progress.”
Stigdon’s last day as the director is Friday, May 5.
Eric Miller serves as chief of staff for DCS, overseeing daily operations and acting as senior advisor to the current director. Prior to his role at DCS, Miller was the chief of staff at the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) where he steered IDOH through unprecedented issues impacting Hoosiers including Ebola, Zika, and the Scott County HIV outbreak.
“Eric has a demonstrated history of public service and is clearly committed to acting in the best interest of all Hoosiers,” Gov. Holcomb said. “I have no doubt DCS is poised to make continued progress under his leadership and benefit from a seamless transition.”
Miller earned a bachelor of science in financial planning from Purdue University, a master of public administration from the University of Kentucky, and a master of business administration from the University of Indianapolis.
“I am honored to lead DCS at this exciting time and confident my experience in government has prepared me to support DCS’ mission and programs,” Miller said. “I appreciate Gov. Holcomb’s confidence in me, and I’m delighted to build on the important work started under Director Stigdon and continue to improve how we protect and serve our most vulnerable children and families.”
He will begin his role on May 8.
