ATLANTA – Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Robyn A. Crittenden announced changes to the Department’s senior leadership team today. In addition to shifts in leadership, Crittenden announced that the duties and responsibilities of the Office of Legislative Affairs and Communications will be divided between two new offices: the Office of Communications and the Office of Legislative Affairs and Outreach.

Cameron Tankersley will serve as the new director of the Office of Communications. In this role he will oversee the Department’s internal and external communications, marketing and media relations. Tankersley has extensive experience in communications as an editor and writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and CNN, and an editor for WebMD. Tankersley's work helped CNN and the AJC earn top honors in journalism, including a Peabody award and a Pulitzer Prize nomination. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Education from Converse College.

Jackie Tate, who previously served as the Department’s deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs and Communications, will now serve as the interim director of Legislative Affairs and Outreach. In this role, she will oversee legislative affairs, constituent services and outreach initiatives. Tate has worked in state government for 22 years, including 11 with DHS, and has become a trusted source for staff at the Capitol seeking to assist legislators and their constituents. Over the course of her career, she has held several positions in state government, including constituent services manager, associate director and deputy director of legislative affairs.