La Crosse County Human Services Director Jason Witt Named 2019 WCA Friend in County Government

La Crosse County Human Services Director Jason Witt has been named the Wisconsin Counties Association’s (WCA) 2019 Friend in County Government. He was presented with the award on September 23 at the WCA Annual Conference in Sauk County, in front of almost 1,000 county officials.

“The WCA Friend in County Government Award recognizes county officials who have performed outstanding service for the entire state,” said WCA Executive Director Mark D. O’Connell. “Jason’s dedication to the children and families in our state touched by the opioid and meth epidemic is unparalleled. He has had a profound impact on efforts to secure more funding for county human services and help some of our state’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Jason has served as the La Crosse County Human Services Director since 2010.  Prior to that, he served for eight years in the Rock County Human Services Department.

“Jason is so dedicated to his employees and he has stepped up on numerous occasions, be it running numbers with regard to state funding for county income maintenance consortia or leading a Wisconsin County Human Services Association (WCHSA) committee on the child welfare crisis,” said O’Connell.  “It was the work of that committee led by Jason that provided the data WCA needed to run a successful child welfare campaign during recent state budget deliberations.”

Jason was a common face during the child welfare campaign and appeared on an episode of WisconsinEye’s “Newsmakers” and Wisconsin Public Television’s “Here and Now.”  He was also a critical part of the Wisconsin Child Welfare Crisis video that featured county human services employees, law enforcement and social workers.

“Jason is an influencer.  Through his work over the years in many areas, the tone of the discussion has changed amongst his colleagues.  No longer do the discussions reflect what is good for ‘my’ county, but now the discussion oftentimes reflects what is good for counties and the human service delivery system as a whole,” said O’Connell.  “It has not always been easy to serve in that capacity but Jason’s calm manner and logical approach to issues has made him a leader and the true definition of a ‘Friend in County Government.’  We are incredibly proud to present him with this award.”