Kenneth William Ritchey, Assistant Commissioner

Ken Ritchey was appointed by Acting DHS Commissioner Jennifer Velez as the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) on March 7, 2007. Mr. Ritchey previously served as the Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Mr. Ritchey began working with the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MR/DD) in March 1999 and guided the department through a number of significant changes and accomplishments. Major initiatives under Mr. Ritchey’s leadership included a restructuring of the department and the expansion of Ohio’s Self-Determination project, where consumers choose the types of services that they want and need. Mr. Ritchey also developed critical Interagency Agreements and navigated the settlement of three class action lawsuits.

As Ohio’s Director, Mr. Ritchey was responsible for the oversight of Ohio’s 88 County Boards of MR/DD and the operation of ten residential developmental centers. The Ohio department includes nine divisions, 3,700 employees and a budget of $1.1 billion. More than 74,000 Ohioans receive services and supports through the Ohio MR/DD system.

DHS Assistant Commissioner Ritchey received his Bachelor’s degree from Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania and his Master’s degree from the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. He has a second Master’s in Education Administration from the University of Dayton and participated in the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government sponsored by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.