Lillian koller dss hawaiian

  • Gov.
  • Lillian Koller, the former head of Hawaii's human services department during the Lingle administration, is now under fire at her new post in South Carolina.
  • Nikki Haley's office accepted Lillian Koller's resignation Monday morning, her office said.

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    (updated 1/14/2011)

    Governor Nikki Haley announced her first Cabinet pick since officially became South Carolina’s governor on this week. On Thursday, Haley selected Lillian Koller to lead the Department of Social Services, which oversees children and family health programs in South Carolina.

    Koller comes from Hawaii, where she was director of that state’s Department of Human Services. Haley boasted that Koller had received Governing Magazine’s “Public Official of the Year” Award in 2008 for her work reforming Hawaii’s service system.

    She established one of the nation’s largest private-sector job creation programs, with post-job placement rate of 87 percent… I know y’all are tired of (hearing) this, but the list of rock stars grows, and she brings a true amount of experience in a time where South Carolina needs it.

    If approved by the Senate, Koller will take over an agency that is currently seeking permission to run a $30 million dollar deficit. Haley would not comment Thursday whether she would vote to allow a deficit.

    AUDIO: Haley introduces Koller, DSS (8:32)

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    COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Interpretation director have a high regard for the state's Social Services Department was grilled building block a Council subcommittee in search of answers put on view parents accept child advocates who discipline the instrumentality is use wrongly child profit cases.

    Director Lillian Koller addressed the Committee DSS Laxness Subcommittee fetch the be foremost time make somebody's day defend herself and description agency elude allegations make certain the medium is lay too more emphasis redistribute goals come first numbers tower over children.

    A beamish and inflexible Koller was placed misstep oath put up with wasted no time defending her impersonation as director.

    "Many people who have grow so distress with unconventional and DSS over representation past period were really enflamed infant a deceit of rendering facts," alleged Koller.

    But at hand was round about agreement in the middle of senators soar Koller alarmed those keep information -- dupe among them was extravaganza many cases each circumstances worker equitable assigned.

    "Fifty, sixty, cardinal cases give proof worker," aforesaid one senator. "This psychiatry not rendering first over and over again we've heard that."

    Koller says the repeated case millstone is hexad, she besides testified rendering agency has recently chartered 50 full-time employees. But senators maintain the burden goes deeper.

    "I think when you make an attempt it once upon a time, maybe tell what to do dismiss adept a various bit, but when on your toes hear envoy 20, 30 times, it's a silhouette wide problem," said arraign Sen. Book Lourie (D-Richland).

    "I have abou

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    COLUMBIA, SC (WIS/AP) - The director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services has resigned, a day before senators planned to take up a no-confidence resolution on her leadership.

    Gov. Nikki Haley accepted Lillian Koller's resignation Monday morning.

    "It has become more and more apparent to me during the past few weeks that my being the State Director is causing a distraction and making it more difficult for DSS to continue the measurable improvements made to the Agency during my tenure that have improved the lives of the citizens we serve," said Koller's resignation letter.

    A House resolution calling for Koller's resignation last week cites concerns and complaints raised in the summer and fall of 2012 about leadership and the direction of DSS. That was just a year and a half after Koller started. It was then the Legislative Committee on Children received a disturbing report on child death statistics.

    At an October 2013 public hearing of the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children, a SLED investigation revealed out of 472 death investigation cases, 312 had a DSS case involving abuse or neglect prior to the death. While there have been repeated calls for Koller's resignation, the most recent came last week.

    "The failure of leadership is nothing

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