County appoints James “Jay” Gardner director of Health and Environment

Barnstable County commissioners on Feb. 12, 2025 authorized the appointment of James J. Gardner (known as Jay) to the full‑time post of director of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. The motion passed with one commissioner recorded as abstaining; no commissioners voted against the appointment.

The approval follows a recommendation from the county administrator and a short public exchange in which Gardner outlined his background and transition plans. "So it's scheduled right now for the early for early March," Gardner said, describing an early‑March start and plans to coordinate staffing and continuity with his current position in Yarmouth. "I'm looking to ... make sure that we have stability there."

Nut graf: The appointment gives the county a new full‑time public‑health director at a time commissioners and staff are pressing to expand regional public‑health capacity and better communicate county services to towns. Gardner described experience in local public‑health leadership and nonprofit administration, and said he wants to raise awareness of county services and pursue cross‑jurisdictional partnerships.

Gardner told the board he has served previously as a public‑health director and as a commissioner of health and human services, and noted nonprofit leadership experience. He highlighted hands‑on experience with local public‑health responses, including migrant response coordination and avian‑flu outreach, saying that visibility and community engagement are central to county public health work. "We need that interaction with the community," Gardner said, adding that public‑health work must be clearly communicated so residents understand county value.

Commissioners and staff discussed operational matters: Gardner said he has overseen laboratory and environmental programs and suggested exploring partnerships with towns pursuing local wastewater lab work. He noted the county’s existing programs and grants – and the potential to build on them to increase utilization and funding for public‑health services.

Ending: Commissioners congratulated Gardner and said they expect a short onboarding timeline; the board did not set a later formal confirmation step beyond the appointment vote. Details commissioners requested — such as final start date and transitional staffing steps in Yarmouth — were discussed and described by Gardner as contingent on completing the current transition and coordinating with his current employer.