News

Search for DSS director ends at home

By Bill Moss, Published: August 1, 2016

Jerrie McFalls, who has twice stepped up on a temporary basis to lead the Henderson County Department of Social Services, has been named the director of the agency.

A DSS employee since 1980, McFalls stepped in as interim director when Liston Smith retired in 2013. The DSS governing board again promoted her to the director’s chair last December when DSS director Eric Bush died in a kayaking accident on the Nolichucky River in Mitchell County.
County commissioners congratulated and thanked McFalls on Monday for her willingness to take on the job fulltime.
“I had the privilege and honor of serving as the chair of the DSS board,” said Commissioner Bill Lapsley. “I can certainly vouch for her expertise. I also appreciate her willingness to carry on a little bit longer. It’s been a difficult time the last year.”
McFalls had planned to retire in February, a decision she had made before her boss's death. She agreed to stay on and lead the agency after the sudden loss of the director and now will stay on without "interim" in front of her title.
“I appreciate the support and your confidence and I’ll do my best to do the best job I can,” she told the commissioners.