Chautauqua County will soon be getting a new public health director.

Michael Faulk, interim public health director, will be stepping down next month from that role and the county’s deputy public health director taking over.

Faulk will continue to work for the county, serving as county physician and chief medical officer. He personally made the announcement Monday night at the county Legislature’s Administrative Services Committee meeting.

“It’s time to move in a new direction,” he said. “Upon my recommendation and full support, the county executive has made a decision to appoint Lacy Wilson to the position of Public Health Director in January.”

The state Department of Health has approved the appointment.

Faulk has been serving as interim public health director since last year, when County Executive PJ Wendel decided against reappointing Christine Schuyler, who had been the public health director and Social Services commissioner for 14 years.

Faulk noted that Wilson, a county native, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and a master’s degree in public health. She has more than a decade of experience in community health, social behavior and aging services.

“She is particularly skilled at analyzing systems within programs and redeveloping processes to improve efficiencies in innovative ways,” he said.

Faulk noted that she has provided sports nutrition and wellness consulting to more than 50 athletes as an American Council of Exercise certified personal trainer.

In 2012, she oversaw the nutrition and food services for the New York Giants summer training camp.

“Don’t let that turn you off; Lacy is a proclaimed member of the Bills Mafia,” he said with a laugh.

In 2017 and 2019, Wilson was nutrition director for the Seneca Nation of Indians. “She redeveloped nutrition programming infrastructure to reduce overspending and improve service delivery adherence to compliance standards and food safety,” Faulk said.

In 2019, she was appointed the coordinator of nutrition and wellness for the county’s Aging Services and monitored countywide food services, as well as provided nutrition counseling, education and wellness programming for more than 1,000 clients.

Once Wilson is officially the public health director, Faulk said her current deputy position will remain vacant.

As public health director, Wilson will take over the day-to-day oversight of the department and report directly to Faulk, because he will remain the chief medical officer.

“She will have the full authority of the public health director, which we are mandated to have,” Faulk said.

Faulk noted that his duties will shift toward jail medical services, the coroner program, and emergency medical services.

“I will continue to provide daily and continued leadership support for our Health Department,” he said.

Faulk was asked about the decision to not fill the deputy role, once Wilson takes over as public health director.

“I think right now, our current leadership framework, between Lacy and I, I think it really is a great combination,” he said. “With Lacy’s public health experience in planning and programming and my clinical experience, I think it’s a good combination as far as leadership within the health department.”

Faulk also noted that when they proposed the department’s 2024 budget, the deputy position was not scheduled for funding. The department had reduced its staffing by four full-time people.