Aileen L. Smith, Director, Human Services
Aileen L. Smith became the Director of the Virginia Beach
Department of Human Services (VBDHS) on August 29, 2019 overseeing Social
Services, Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Prior to accepting this
position she was the Deputy Director for VBDHS Behavioral Health Developmental
Services. She has worked in the field of public service in intellectual
disabilities, mental health, substance use and prevention for the last 27
years. Mrs. Smith began her career by working for First Hospital Corporation, the
Barry Robinson Center, and the Norfolk Psychiatric Center in both Quality
Assurance and clinical roles. In 1995, she started her employment with the
Norfolk Community Services Board (NCSB) and worked for this agency for 17 years.
Mrs. Smith performed many different program leadership roles for the NCSB to
include the Mental Retardation (MR) Director position (1998-2002), the MR and
Family Development Director (2002-2006) and the Community Support Director
position (2006-2012) which primarily focused on mental health substance use
treatment and service expansion.
In February of 2012, Mrs. Smith became
employed with the City of Virginia Beach’s Department of Human Services. As the
Director of this agency, Mrs. Smith oversees a budget of $124,000,000. There
are over 1500 staff members in the agency who work in 29 locations within the
City of Virginia Beach. Mrs. Smith has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a
Master’s degree in Counseling from Old Dominion University. She is a graduate
from the LEAD Leadership program at the University of Virginia and became a
Fellow of Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform in 2016.
She served on Governor McAuliffe’s Behavioral Health and Justice Center
Advisory Committee (CAG) as well as the Hampton Roads Heroin Task Force,
Governor Northam’s Mental Health Policy Workgroup and the Virginia Jail Mental
Health Standards Workgroup. Mrs. Smith is currently the chair of the Region V
CSB Executive Director’s leadership team.
Contact Info: Department of Human Services, 3432 Virginia Beach Blvd, Suite 342, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Phone:
385-3266
Deidria W. Bolden, Deputy Director of Social Services
Ms. Bolden has been employed with our Department since 2016 and has more than 30 years of experience in the field of human services and financial assistance programs. Throughout her career, Ms. Bolden has held numerous leadership positions here in Virginia Beach, and in sister agencies in Georgia and Louisiana. As the Deputy Director of Social Services, Ms. Bolden oversees about 420 full-time employees spread across the Adult and Aging Division, Children’s Services Act (CSA), Child Welfare Division, Financial Assistance Division (FAD), our team at the Housing Resource Center, and the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC).
Prior to becoming the Deputy Director for Social Services, Ms. Bolden served as the division’s FAD Administrator, overseeing several benefits programs, most of which are funded by the federal and state governments. These programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, Energy Assistance, Child Care, Virginia Initiative for Education and Work (VIEW) and local programs, including General Relief and the Water Assistance Program.
Contact Info: Social Services, 3432 Virginia Beach Blvd, Suite 342, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Phone: (757) 385-3313
Bryan Clark, Media and Communications Coordinator
Mr. Clark joined the Department on March 26, 2020, having previously worked with the City’s Communications Office since 2017. He is responsible for managing, developing and implementing communication policies and creating media connections. Mr. Clark works closely with all of the DHS leaders and staff members to promote the mission and vision of the Department throughout our community by developing engagement initiatives and coordinating with city and state officials to advocate on behalf of our Department, the Community Services Board, and the Social Services Advisory Board. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.
Contact Info: Human Services Administration, 3432 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Phone: (757) 385-2347
Angela Hicks, Deputy Director of Behavioral Health
Ms. Angela Hicks accpted the postion of Deputy Director of Behavioral Health effective November 21, 2019.
Ms. Hicks has 23 years of experience in the field of behavioral
health. She began her career working in psychiatric hospitals in Boston and
Virginia Beach where she gained experience working with children, adolescents
and adults. Ms. Hicks moved into community-based services and has worked in the
CSB service system for 18 years. For the
last six years, she has served on the DHS Senior Leadership Team as the
Virginia Beach Behavioral Health Division Administrator. She has partnered with
Human Services staff and external stakeholders to usher in multiple service
enhancements such as a new PACT Team, integrated forensic services, mobile
co-responder team, enhanced care coordination, REVIVE training and other opioid
treatment and recovery initiatives. She
serves on the Behavioral Health/Substance Use Council and chaired a regional
Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Workgroup related to crisis response
for the ID/DD population. Ms. Hicks has also served on the Virginia Jail Mental
Health Standards Workgroup, Virginia Beach Drug Court Steering Committee,
Mayor’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, Virginia Beach Mental Health
Coalition, Virginia Beach Public Health Workgroup and more. She has a
Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Business Management.
Ms. Hicks is also a Registered Nurse and a champion for the integration of
behavioral and medical care. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses
Association.
Contact Info: Community Services Board Administration, 297 Independence Blvd, Suite 302, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Phone:(757) 385-0504
Donald R. Kirtland, PhD., Deputy Director of Continuous Quality Improvement
Dr. Donald R. Kirtland, PhD, LMFT, LPCC, joined the department on April 1, 2014, as Deputy Director of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). Dr. Kirtland received his Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, from the California Southern University and his Masters in Counseling Psychology from the American Behavioral Studies Institute in Santa Ana, Ca. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Computer Methods, from California State University. He has more than 25 years experience in IT and healthcare quality and brings unique knowledge of complex, multifaceted healthcare systems and multiservice settings, along with extensive experience in facilitating relationships to provide quality service delivery in a multidisciplinary environment.
Contact Info: Continuous Quality Improvement, 256 N. Witchduck Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Phone: (757) 385-0642
Dr. Louis Leone, Psychiatric Medical Director
Dr. Leone has served as the Acting Medical Director for the Virginia Beach Human Services Department since 2016 and has expanded his role as the Psychiatrist of the Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) program to overseeing all outpatient psychiatry for the agency. Dr. Leone
received his undergraduate degree in Biology from State University of New York
at Stony Brook and his M.D. from Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela,
Philippines. He then went on to complete
his residency training in Psychiatry at Eastern Virginia Medical School
(EVMS). Dr. Leone started with the City
of Virginia Beach in 2009 as a resident from EVMS and continued his career with
the city at Magic Hollow, the Recovery Center (now Pathways Center) Lynnhaven
Center, and eventually with PACT. He is
a member of the American Association of Community Psychiatrist and is certified
with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Contact Info: 256 N. Witchduck Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Phone: (757) 385-0511
DL Mears, Human Resources Administrator
Ms. DL Mears joined the department and the Executive Leadership Team on December 5, 2019, As the Human Services Administrator, Ms. Mears will provide human resources leadership for an average of 1,100 full time employees, 300 contract and 128 part-time staff positions. She will have oversight for recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, employee relations and specialized leave and compensation for the department.
Ms. Mears brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in Human Resources. She has over 29 years of leadership and supervisory experience, including the management of departmental operating budgets. Having served with Cities of Hampton and Chesapeake and Loudoun County, Ms. Mears provided strategic leadership in the planning and implementation of quality-based, integrated human resources programs.
Ms. Mears holds a Master of Science degree in Human Resources Management from Troy State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration as a Deans’ List Honoree from Mary Washington College. Her professional affiliations are with the Society for Human Resources Management, International Personnel Management Association, American Compensation Association, Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing; and a former board member of the American Society for Training and Development.
Contact Info: Human Services Administration, 3432 Virginia Beach Blvd, Suite 342, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 / (757) 385-3343 / Fax (757) 385-3466
Dawn Rykheart, Business Administrator
Mrs. Dawn Rykheart manages the Business Administration Division of the Human Services Department. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Kean University in Union, New Jersey and has over 30 years of experience across public and private organizations. Mrs. Rykheart devoted the first decade of her career to various social services related organizations, including Hyacinth Aids Foundation, Prevent Child Abuse- NJ, and Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS) a non-profit housing developer. From there she spent several years in banking before transitioning to government. Prior to joining the Virginia Beach Human Services team, she worked for the City of Norfolk, Virginia for ten years, serving in the Finance and Budget offices and as the Operations Controller for Norfolk Community Services Board.
Contact Info: Human Services Administration, 3432 Virginia Beach Blvd, Suite 349, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Phone: (757) 385-3204