Hayden named Austin Public Health director

City Manager Spencer Cronk announced Wednesday that he has selected Stephanie Hayden as director of Austin Public Health. Hayden has served as interim director since April 2017, and prior to that she was the assistant director with responsibility for oversight of “multiple human service units, as well as the management of social services contract development and compliance.” He announced the appointment in a memo to the mayor and City Council and also told people gathered at an open government symposium sponsored by the city on Wednesday. Cronk said the process used to hire him as city manager “was not necessarily the best example of open government in action.” He reiterated his plan to be “open and transparent as I select my senior team.” Cronk explained that the city had conducted an extensive process for choosing Hayden, including three different interview panels. One of the panels was with community leaders, one with directors and assistant directors, and one with the leadership of the department. The city also held a community town hall meeting about the appointment that attracted more than 225 attendees. The other finalist in the process was Dr. Philip Huang, a medical doctor who serves as medical director and assistant director for the department.