Mayor Slay Appoints Eddie Roth Director of Human Services

Mayor Francis Slay has appointed Eddie Roth, his deputy chief of staff, as the new director of the Department of Human Services. Roth replaces Bill Siedhoff, who retired in November after more than 13 years in the position.

The Department of Human Services has five divisions:  Homeless Services, the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, Veterans Affairs, Youth and Family Services, and the Office on the Disabled. Roth will oversee the department's annual budget of $23.3 million, including $21.6 million in grant funds.

"Eddie Roth is a compassionate person and an energetic and effective administrator," Mayor Slay said. "St. Louis is the primary provider of homeless services in the region. I've asked Eddie to quicken the metabolism of the system, to build on the work of Bill Siedhoff and his staff, to help homeless service providers and their clients succeed as good neighbors, and through rapid re-housing to help provide lasting alternatives to the street."

In addition to serving as Mayor Slay's deputy chief of staff, Roth has been the Mayor's Director of Operations and Director of the Department of Public Safety.

Roth, 56, came to City government in August 2011 after nearly 10 years as a newspaper editorial writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Dayton Daily News, in Dayton, Ohio. Before that he practiced law for nearly 20 years, and served as president of the Board of Police Commissioners for the City of St. Louis. Roth and his family live in St. Louis's Shaw Neighborhood.  

The appointment is effective Monday, December 15, 2014.