Prairie Lakes director Holly Booth resigns; board to plan replacement

KANDIYOHl COUNTY, Minn. — Commissioner reports at the Feb. 4 meeting included notice that Prairie Lakes director Dr. Holly Booth submitted her resignation and will remain with the agency through the end of the month while leaders coordinate a transition plan.

Commissioner Murn told the board she received Booth’s resignation late Friday and said Booth provided roughly a month to allow the agency and board to plan a replacement. Murn praised Booth’s leadership through several major events during her tenure, including pandemic‑era funding and program challenges and a facility fire, and said Prairie Lakes has a strong management team in place to manage operations during the transition.

Murn said the board will consider internal and external candidates and will meet to determine search and selection steps; in past transitions the county has used internal interim arrangements before completing a full recruitment.

Why it matters: Prairie Lakes is a regional facility with multiple programs and group homes; leadership change affects operations and oversight. Commissioners said the agency has experienced staff and directors under Booth who can manage the operation while a replacement process proceeds.

What’s next: The board will meet to decide whether to run an internal promotion process or conduct an external search, and staff indicated they will provide a transition plan and candidate options to the board.