P&P April Issue 2018

our do’ers profile

In Our Do’ers Profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Kelly Harder, Community Services Director in Dakota County, MN.

Name: Kelly Harder Title: Director of Community Services, Dakota County, MN Years of Service: In Dakota County since 2010 and in the business since 1994. Rewards of the Job: Having the honor and ability to serve those in need and align with nontraditional business sectors to improve service. I tell my kids all the time, “life is a bit like when we go camping; our responsibility is to leave life better off than when we arrived.” Our ability to have a job and career that can have a positive impact on others is both humbling and energizing.

Accomplishments Most Proud Of: Amazing kids, family, and friends, as well as being able to see that so many lives are now better because of our collective work. Finally, an ability to have participated in creating an enhanced structure for impact with APHSA Locals to have a national influence on improving our system of care toward authentic integra- tion. It’s about “people,” not programs! Future Challenges for the Delivery of Public Human Services: Continuing to operate in a fragmented, programmatic, and service-centric way instead of a fully integrated, person/family-centric service delivery system of care. It

is essential that we focus on our “systems” effectiveness rather than on program-centric success. We can be operating all programs at the highest level of success, and yet our systems continue to fail those in need. Little Known Facts About Me: I collect Elvis vinyl records, I’ve run a couple of marathons, and I’ve won aWWF wrestling match against Paul Fleissner (Olmsted County) at an APHSA Local Council retreat in Colorado. Outside Interests: Spending time with family—girls aged 14, 15, and a son 18—with friends, riding my motorcycle, traveling with my amazing wife, and exercising in the early morning.

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