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Polk County health director announces retirement; county names interim health officer
Summary
Polk County Health Director Dr. Joy Jackson announced her upcoming retirement and introduced Aaron Kessler as interim health officer; the board recognized Jackson’s service and staff said they are coordinating with the state Department of Health on a permanent replacement.
Polk County Health Director Dr. Joy Jackson told the board she will retire next Thursday after more than 13 years in public health and about nine-and-a-half years as director, and introduced Aaron Kessler as the county’s interim health officer.
“...in my 13 years of public health and my 9 and a half years as director, this has been a very fitting end to my medical career,” Dr. Jackson said, adding she has “enjoyed, for the most part, our journeys together” and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve. She described coordination with the Florida Department of Health on the transition and explained county health-department leadership terminology to the board: a health officer who is a physician is called a director; a non-physician leader is an administrator.
Aaron Kessler introduced himself as the county’s interim health officer and said he has been in public health for 25 years and served in several county health offices in Florida. “I’ll be working closely with your folks and Mister Beasley, trying to find a, a good, a replacement for, Doctor Jackson, although she is irreplaceable,” he said.
Board members thanked Dr. Jackson for her leadership during the COVID‑19 pandemic and other public-health responses and wished her well in retirement. No board action was required; the announcement and interim appointment were presented during the presentations and recognitions portion of the agenda.
