Former DCF commissioner named deputy at labor

By Guy Page

Starting next week, the current Vermont Commissioner of the Department of Children & Families (DCF) will no longer hold that post, but will instead begin work as a deputy commissioner in another department.

Chris Winters, DCF Commissioner, will be the new deputy commissioner of the Department of Labor beginning September 22. 

Governor Phil Scott on Friday morning announced a slate of new leadership appointments. Besides the Winters switch, he named Kendal Smith as commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor and Dr. Rick Hildebrant as commissioner of the Department of Health.

Smith has served as deputy commissioner of the Labor Department since January and previously spent eight years as Scott’s director of policy and legislative affairs. Scott praised her as a “valued member” of his executive team.

“As deputy commissioner at the Department of Labor she’s proven herself to be a strong leader and I’m confident she’ll continue to serve Vermonters and the Department well in this new role,” Scott said.

Smith said she looks forward to continuing the department’s work of connecting Vermonters with employment, training, and worker protection services. “It is a true privilege to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Labor, and I am grateful to Governor Scott for this opportunity,” she said.

Winters previously worked for nearly a decade as deputy secretary of state, following earlier roles as staff attorney and director of the Office of Professional Regulation.

“Chris’ experiences at DCF, as well as the Secretary of State’s office, working with Vermonters and businesses, makes him a great addition to the Department of Labor,” Scott said, while thanking him for “steady leadership” at DCF.

Winters said his experience at DCF helping Vermonters navigate “complicated lives and economic challenges” would guide his work on labor and workforce issues.

Winters’ new position is not a demotion, Press Secretary Amanda Wheeler stressed in response to a VDC question today.

He’s moving from a commissioner role within an agency to a deputy commissioner within a cabinet level department – so it’s not a demotion, but rather a lateral transfer where he will remain a member of the Governor’s extended cabinet. Chris remains a highly valued member of the Governor’s team,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler noted Vermonters’ frustration with the unemployment insurance system.

“The Governor doesn’t have any concerns about the Department or its current operations but rather an opportunity to build a new leadership team following Mike Harrington’s departure earlier this summer. It’s no secret that many Vermonters have had frustrating experiences with the unemployment system, which is currently in the process of being replaced now and will go live this spring.”

With Winters’ departure, Sandi Hoffman, deputy commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access, will serve as interim commissioner of DCF.

At the Department of Health, Dr. Hildebrant will take over leadership next month. A physician of internal medicine from Clarendon, he currently serves as chief medical information officer and medical director of hospital medicine at Rutland Regional Medical Center.

Scott described Hildebrant as having “a proven track record of leading healthcare innovation and transformation,” and said his clinical and medical experience will be “valuable assets as we continue to navigate the public health challenges facing Vermont.”

Hildebrant, who also teaches at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said he was honored by the appointment. “Even as public health leadership faces challenges nationally, Vermont has consistently demonstrated that collaboration, science, and community can chart a different course,” he said.

Smith and Winters will step into their new roles September 22, while Hildebrant’s appointment takes effect October 13.