YOUNGSTOWN — The search for Mahoning County’s next Children Services executive director has been narrowed to three finalists.

They are:

Richard Tvaroch, quality-assurance administrator for Trumbull County Children Services since 2004;

Bradley S. Smith, program administrator at Mahoning County Children Services since 2016;

Julie Rudolph, assistant director at Mahoning County Children Services since February.

All three are expected to be interviewed by the Mahoning County Children Services board at a 2 p.m. Tuesday special meeting, followed by a possible vote to allow the board chairman to begin negotiations with one of the finalists.

Most of the meeting will take place in closed session, but if the board votes to authorize negotiations with one of the candidates, that will be done in a public vote, said Randy Muth, executive director for the last 10 years, whose last day with Mahoning County will be Thursday.

JULIE RUDOLPH

Rudolph’s resume states that she was program administrator for the Family Services Department at Mahoning County Children Services from Jan. 1, 2017, to this February, when she became assistant director.

In her new role, she has been “shadowing Director Muth to ensure a seamless transition for the next director” and implementing a new placement and funding process for the Qualified Residential Treatment Program and other tasks, she stated.

Her job since 2017 has been to direct the Family Services Department, whose primary role is “to assist at-risk families to keep their children safe from abuse and neglect in their own homes,” according to a page on the agency’s website.

Rudolph has a master’s degree in public administration from Cleveland State University and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Youngstown State University.

She has worked for Mahoning Children Services 19 years and also worked from 2005 to 2007 for the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities and was a youth care worker for the company Daybreak from 2000 to 2003, according to her resume.

Her cover letter lists a variety of initiatives she has led or participated in, such as chairperson of the Public Children Services Association’s Northeast District and trainer for the Crisis Intervention Team program for law enforcement officers.

She stated that she has a “strong working relationship with” community partners such as Akron Children’s Hospital’s social work department and the hospital’s Child Advocacy Center in Boardman, as well as the Mahoning County Juvenile Court and Youngstown Police Department’s Family Services Unit.

She is seeking an annual salary of $125,000 to $135,000.

BRADLEY S. SMITH

Smith’s resume states that he has held the position as Mahoning Children Services Intake Services program administrator since September 2016. In that role, he “directs and coordinates the department, formulates and / or implements policies, procedures and administrative rules of the department,” according to his resume.

According to the agency’s website, the intake services program is required under Oho law to “make an investigation concerning any child alleged to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child.”

It adds that “The Intake Services Department provides assessment and investigative services for families whose children are at risk of abuse, neglect or dependency. The assessment / investigative process begins with a report to this agency which is screened per screening guidelines established by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.”

Smith’s resume states that he was Children Services (Child Welfare Case Worker) Intake unit superviser for seven months in 2016 and supervised the (Child Welfare Case Worker) Ongoing Unit from April 2011 to February 2016. He also worked three years as a caseworker starting in 2001 for the Columbiana County Department of Job and Family Services.

He holds a master of social work degree and bachelor of science degree in applied science, both from Youngstown State University. He has been a member of the National Association of Social Workers since 2006.

Smith’s cover letter states that he has “over 20 years in child welfare casework, supervisory and administrative experience and is a licensed independent social worker with supervisory designation.

“Throughout my career, I have committed myself to improving the lives of children and families in our community and am seeking this opportunity to continue MCCS’s mission,” Smith stated. He seeks a salary of $125,000 per year.

RICHARD TVAROCH

Tvaroch has been quality-assurance coordinator at Trumbull County Children Services since 2004, and in that role he “assures that the agency provides family-centric, cost effective and timely services to the children and families of Trumbull County,” he stated.

He has managed “all aspects of the agency’s quality assurance program,” “assures compliance with state and federal laws and regulations,” “monitors agency efficiency, effectiveness and productivity,” and “develops policies, procedures and agency/ departmental manuals.”

He also produces monthly, quarterly and annual statistical and performance reports and trains staff regarding new and existing laws and rules. He also “facilitates the agency’s strategic planning processes.”

He also performs supervisory responsibilities, including interviewing, training, evaluations, disciplining, responding to concerns and coaching and “promotes an office environment that maximizes growth and development.” He also “functions as mentor for new employees.”

He represents the agency on various statewide groups, such as the Public Children Services Association of Ohio and its legislative review committee. He also partners with state and federal partners in managing the Trumbull County Substance Use Disorder Engagement Initiative and other programs, he stated.

From 1992 to 2002, he was a child-welfare case worker at Trumbull Children Services. He holds a master of public administration degree from the University of Akron and a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Youngstown State University.

“Given my over 30 years of Ohio public child-welfare experience and familiarity with the local community’s service delivery and political expectations, I am uniquely qualified to assume this leadership position,” Tvaroch told the Mahoning Children Services board in his cover letter.

He seeks to be paid $105,000 to $150,000 per year.

INTERIM DIRECTOR

A couple of weeks ago, the Mahoning Children Services board hired Joseph L. Mosca to serve as its interim executive director effective June 1. He is replacing Muth for up to 90 days, until a permanent director is selected and finalized.

The board started with 11 applicants to replace Muth, who was named executive director of the Lucas County Children Services in Toledo in March. He officially takes over in Toledo June 20.

Muth has said Mahoning County Children Services “has experienced many significant changes and achievements over the last 10 years of my leadership tenure — from an opioid epidemic that hit the Mahoning Valley in 2016 to the global pandemic in 2020. This agency never skipped a beat.”

He said agency leadership has continually assessed the agency’s organizational structure, programs and services and implemented new technology “to enhance communication and maximize our impact, efficiency and resources.”

Before arriving at Mahoning County Children Services in 2013, Muth served as executive director at Wayne County Children Services in Wooster from 2006 to 2013. He began his career in child welfare serving as an attorney supervisor for Stark County Children Services in Canton, where he prosecuted child-abuse and neglect complaints.