Anne King

Anne King has been chosen as the new executive director of Human Support Services.

She will take over upon the September retirement of current executive director Robert J. Cole. In doing so, King will become the first female executive director in the agency’s 44-year history.

King, a licensed clinical social worker, is currently the nonprofit’s chief program officer. She will officially take over as HSS executive director on Aug. 1 to succeed Cole, who has served in the position for the past 11 years.

“Since joining our organization in 2014, Anne has expressed a tremendous commitment to making Human Support Services Monroe County’s primary resource for excellent, accessible and affordable services for those affected by mental and behavioral health concerns and developmental disabilities,” said Janice Crawford, president of the HSS Board of Directors.

Robert Cole

“Her familiarity with our agency, her leadership role in the greater community, and the accomplishments she has already achieved at our organization made her the frontrunner in a field of strong applicants.”

King serves on the executive board of the Monroe County Coalition for Drug-Free Communities and is a consultant to House of Neighborly Services.

Over the past year, King has trained dozens of first responders, clergy and community members in mental health first aid, a program dedicated to educating the public on how to respond in an emergency and offer support to someone who appears to be in emotional distress.

“HSS plays a pivotal role in Monroe County – we are one of the top 10 employers, and we provide services that are invaluable to our clients and the community at large,” King said. “It is an honor to be given the opportunity to build on that foundation, and to strengthen our community partnerships and relationships.”

Before joining HSS, King served as vice president and chief program officer of Hoyleton Youth and Family Services. She also worked in leadership positions at several other human services agencies in the region.

She earned a master’s degree in social work from Saint Louis University in 2002.

Cole joined HSS after 20 years of leadership roles in community mental health centers in Wisconsin and Minnesota. During his tenure at HSS, Cole led an expansion of the agency’s residential programs and provided strong financial leadership during a prolonged period of financial stress due to state of Illinois funding cutbacks.

Cole is only the second person to fill the leadership role for the organization. Jim Poschel served as executive director of HSS for the agency’s first 33 years.

The mission of HSS is to provide comprehensive services to Monroe County residents with mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse needs.

For more information on HSS, call 939-4444 or visit online at www.hss1.org.