Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Juliet Charron is leaving her post after serving just over a year leading the state’s largest agency.
Emily Callihan, Gov. Brad Little’s communications director, confirmed Charron’s departure Wednesday afternoon, saying she would leave her post before the end of this year to “focus more fully on supporting her family as her father faces significant health challenges.”
In a letter to IDHW employees, Charron wrote that serving as the agency’s director “has been one of the greatest honors of my professional career.”
“This has not been an easy decision. The past year has brought significant challenges for my family, and I realize that they need more of my time, attention, and support.”
Callihan didn’t offer an exact date for when Charron would step down, nor who might replace her on an interim basis.
“Under her leadership, the department made meaningful progress in strengthening child welfare prevention, preparing to distribute nearly $200 million in Rural Health Transformation funding in the coming months as part of nearly $1 billion over five years, and improving compliance, accountability, and program outcomes,” Little said in a statement.
Charron has been with IDHW since Nov. 2021 when she took over as the Division of Medicaid administrator. She was later promoted to be the division’s deputy director in 2024.
Before moving to Idaho, Charron worked on Medicaid policy and the children’s health insurance program in Texas, as well as the University of Arizona’s health insurance program.
The next IDHW director will be the fourth person to hold that position under Little’s tenure in office.
Dave Jeppesen, a former marketing executive at Blue Cross of Idaho, served five years in the position as Little’s first pick. Jeppesen helped steer the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually retiring in 2023.
Alex Adams, Little’s former budget chief, lasted about a year in the position before being tapped by the Trump administration to serve as the Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families.
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