OKLAHOMA CAPITOL --- Pat Bean, former director of Murray County, has been named the new director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services’ Grady County OKDHS.

Area II Director Debbie Williams said Bean replaces Marie Wiles. Wiles is now the new director of Cleveland County OKDHS. Williams said Bean brings a wealth of experience to the job, including a strong background in family support, child welfare and child support enforcement.

“With Pat’s strong background leading various programs and with her two years of managing Murray County, I believe she has a lot to offer,” Williams said.

After graduating from Weleetka High School, Bean earned a bachelor’s degree in both Psychology and Political Science from East Central University in Ada. She began her career with OKDHS as a Child Welfare worker in McCurtain County in October 1984.

In 1987, she became a social worker for the Family Support Services Division in McCurtain County. Approximately 10 years later, she was promoted to FSSD supervisor before being named director of Murray County OKDHS in 2001.

With her new position as director of Grady County OKDHS, Bean will have three times the size of her former staff to manage.

“I am very excited about it,” Bean said, “but it is going to be hard because the staff in Murray County are just like family. I will miss them, but it is a new challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”

Known for having a discerning eye when it comes to the bottom line, Bean was honored in 1997 with a “Director’s Award” for her outstanding work managing a pilot project as a pre-certification investigator with the Office of Inspector General and FSSD.

“I did a lot of investigations of food stamps and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families,” she said. “Most of the time, the investigations determined if clients were eligible for benefits, and I discovered many discrepancies.”

Today, Bean also serves on the Food Stamp Accuracy Task Force and on the Certified Public Manager Steering Committee. She has been a CPM since 1996 and credits the program with helping her to improve her leadership skills.

Bean is married to her husband, Rick, and their daughter, Stephanie, is a senior at the University of Central Oklahoma.

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