Governor’s Office release (edited)09/23/25Governor Kim Reynolds announced that Kelly Garcia, Director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, has resigned and will leave the agency next month after nearly six years of service. Governor Reynolds has appointed Larry Johnson, currently Director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, to succeed Garcia at HHS. Garcia joined the state in November 2019 after the governor appointed her to lead what was then the Iowa Department of Human Services. Governor Reynolds. Aaron Baack, Deputy Director and Chief Operations Officer at the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, will serve as the agency’s interim director.