Colorado’s top human services official resigned Tuesday after years of tumult in the state’s social services system, including an outside investigation of workplace conditions, millions of dollars in settlements with departing staff, and recent revelations that leaders of a youth detention center sent racist, demeaning text messages about young people at the facility.
Gov. Jared Polis announced Michelle Barnes’ resignation in a news release Tuesday afternoon. Neither Polis nor Barnes gave a reason for her departure in statements accompanying the announcement, and a spokesperson for Polis could not immediately be reached for comment.
Polis thanked Barnes for her years of service and work to support Coloradans “in all stages of life,” including those dealing with substance use disorders, young people needing safe homes and people with disabilities.
“I am grateful for Michelle’s compassion and service to our state and her commitment to some of our most vulnerable Coloradans,” Polis said.
Barnes was hired as executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services in 2019 and has faced considerable scrutiny in recent years, including through an outside investigation launched after employee complaints about toxic work culture and abusive leadership.
DHS officials fired the head of the state-run Lookout Mountain youth detention center in Golden in September after records obtained by The Denver Post showed Superintendent Lindsey Miller was in a romantic relationship with a subordinate, facility program manager Justin Tomsick, and that the pair made racist and derogatory comments about the young people in their care.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
