Former Yolo County public health official Nolan Sullivan has been selected to be the next director of the Sonoma County Department of Health Services.
Sullivan had been with the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency since 2007 and served as its director since 2022.
Sonoma County Executive Christina Rivera said his experience in that position played a key role in his selection from a field of 80 candidates who were considered during a nationwide search, according to a news release from Sonoma County.
The two counties’ health agencies have similar sized workforces, in the 700-plus employee range, but Sullivan will oversee a budget in Sonoma County that is nearly twice that of Yolo County’s health budget. Sonoma County’s budget for the department is about $500 million, whereas Yolo County has recently spent about $277 million annually.
“I’m honored to be offered this very important position working with Sonoma County’s dedicated team of public and behavioral health professionals,” Sullivan said in the county’s Wednesday news release.
“I look forward to helping the department continue providing vital services, working with community stakeholders and, most importantly, supporting the physical and behavioral health of all residents in the County of Sonoma. I am very excited to get started,” he said.
The Board of Supervisors must approve the selection, and Sullivan’s 3-year contract, which has an annual salary of $313,092. The board is scheduled to vote on the contract at its March 18 regular meeting. If approved, he will start on April 1.
The Sonoma County Department of Health Services includes the divisions of Public Health, Homeless Services, and Behavioral Health.
Sullivan has a master’s degree in public administration and health services from the University of San Francisco and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University, Chico.
Before his time in Yolo County, Sullivan served on the Vacaville City Council and the Vacaville Unified School District Governing Board.
Sullivan will take over the role from Jennifer Solito, who led the department as an interim director following the resignation of Tina Rivera last summer.