Director of Oregon Human Services Department to retire this fall

Published 7:01 am Friday, July 25, 2025

Gov. Tina Kotek plans to appoint Deputy Director Liesl Wendt to succeed Fariborz Pakseresht

The longtime director of the Oregon agency tasked with caring for the state’s most vulnerable residents will retire this fall.

Gov. Tina Kotek announced Thursday that she’ll appoint Liesl Wendt, deputy director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, to succeed Fariborz Pakseresht when he retires Oct. 1. Pakseresht has worked for the state for 35 years, the last eight as the department’s director.

His recent tenure has been rocky, including at least two public requests from employees for Kotek to fire him in July 2023 and in February of this year. In both instances, union-represented workers who care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities alleged that they were overworked, underpaid and routinely put in dangerous situations.

Kotek strongly denied that those letters had anything to do with Pakseresht’s impending departure during a press conference on Thursday.

“He has served the state for many, many years and has done an admirable job,” she said. “And I’m also excited about the transition, because he’s developed a strong leader and has developed some strong protocols, and Deputy Director Wendt will do a great job. He’s retiring. He’s done a great job.”

In her statement announcing Pakseresht’s retirement, Kotek said that the department under his leadership implemented a system praised nationally that allows people to apply for medical, food, cash or child care benefits with a single application that can be completed online, over the phone or in person. The department also expanded its work with Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes.

“Fariborz has led the largest and one of the most complex state agencies through a variety of challenges over the past eight years, including a global pandemic and significant natural disasters,” Kotek’s statement said. “I am grateful for his commitment to service, innovative vision, and collaborative approach that has resulted in positive outcomes for Oregonians throughout the state.”

The Department of Human Services employs about 10,000 people and provides services to about 1.5 million Oregonians, including people with disabilities and children in the foster system. In late 2023, the agency agreed to pay $40 million to settle a lawsuit from former foster children abused while in care. A few months later, it settled another long-running lawsuit that sought to improve standards within the foster care system that includes more than 4,000 children and teens.

Wendt, who will need to be confirmed by the Oregon Senate in September, has been the agency’s deputy director since 2018. She was previously the director of Multnomah County Human Services and has worked for more than 30 years in government and nonprofit social services.

Kotek called her a “proven leader” and said she was confident Wendt would provide steady leadership and build on progress.

“I am honored to step into this role at an agency that has such a profound impact on the lives of Oregonians,” Wendt said in a statement. “I look forward to engaging with our partners, staff and the community in the days ahead to ensure we can continue to improve outcomes for the people we serve while navigating an uncertain environment.”