Cumberland County names Lee Vasquez interim director of Human Services amid public praise for Melissa Niles

The Cumberland County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 14 approved Resolution 2025‑55 appointing Lee Vasquez as department head of the Cumberland County Department of Human Services with the interim title of director of Human Services.

The vote followed an extended public comment period in which multiple current and former county human services employees publicly praised Melissa Niles, the county’s current Human Services director, and urged the board to consider her record. Elizabeth Thomas, speaking for the Cumberland County Department of Health, said, “Melissa is and will remain a champion of our community.” Michael Williams, a counselor at Capital Recovery Center, told the board Niles “gave me an opportunity” that led him to become a certified peer recovery support specialist.

Why it matters: The appointment changes the department’s leadership and prompted public testimony focused on Niles’s role in county recovery and prevention programs, including the Capital…