Lill leading agency

SANDUSKY — A career-long public servant, AJ Lill's new job still allows him to pursue his life's calling — such as safeguarding children, helping lesser-fortunate locals and fighting for what's right — but just on a grander level than ever before. Lill recently stepped into the role of executive director at Erie County Job and Family Services where he's worked for 17 years running. He's gradually moved his way up through the agency, starting in 2007 as an investigator in the children services department. He rose the ranks: to a supervisor in 2011, to a director in 2018 and, most recently, to the agency's assistant director in 2023. "I have such a deep passion for the mission of job and family services, and I am committed to improving the well-being of families and individuals, ensuring they have access to the resources that they need to thrive," said Lill, a 2003 Sandusky Central Catholic School graduate. Thanking those around him Erie County commissioners, by a 3-0 vote, unanimously approved Lill's promotion at a recent public meeting. It comes with an annual salary of about $100,000. Two commissioners, meanwhile, heaped heavy praise onto Lill: • Matt Old: AJ will do a tremendous job as the director of job and family services. His experience running the children's services department will serve him well. He is a kind, emphatic and a patient leader who is not afraid to make difficult decisions. Having him serve in this position will be a true asset to all of the citizens of Erie County. I look forward to working with him. • Pat Shenigo: He has proved his leadership abilities. I'm sure AJ and his dedicated team will continue to be a shining example for job and family services throughout the state for many years to come. Officials groomed Lill for this role. A yearslong succession plan occurred between county officials, Lill and his predecessor, Karen Balconi Ghezzi. This best prepared him for this promotion, he said. Balconi Ghezzi, the agency's former executive director who retired earlier this summer, handpicked Lill as her second-in-command in 2018. The two worked in lockstep with one another on numerous initiatives to turn the agency around, achieving many successes for locals. Several people, including Balconi Ghezzi, know there's something special about Lill. "AJ is committed to Erie County and its residents," Balconi Ghezzi said. "His integrity intelligence and compassion are evident in the projects he has undertaken in the community. As a result, he has the respect of community leaders and a good working relationship with them. He also has the respect of the staff." Lill appreciated the confidence commissioners, county administrator Hank Solowiej and especially Balconi Ghezzi expressed in him. "I could never thank Karen enough for her leadership and mentorship of me during the last several years," he said. "Quite honestly, she is irreplaceable. But everything she taught us, the team that she has built, will move forward as we carry on her legacy. Her vision will continue to carry us." Lill also thanked his family — namely his wife, Rachel; their young children, Addie and Eliza; and his parents, Donna and Rick — for their unwavering support. "It will be an honor to continue my service with job and family services in this new capacity," Lill said. Goals outlined The executive director's position represents Erie County Job and Family Services' top position. Lill now oversees all agency facets, which include children services, child support and income maintenance, relating to benefits. The agency often deals with vulnerable and lesser-fortunate population segments. Workers, then, assist community members in overcoming the greatest challenges often encountered in life. Going forward, Lill outlined many goals devised by himself and his team to best benefit the public. This would include: • Child support — "The standardized program that our child support unit utilizes is undergoing a major upgrade in the next couple of weeks. The upgrade still has a lot of kinks to work out, therefore, as a team, we want to make it as smooth a transition as possible. Also, in our child support unit, we want to increase and expand our early intervention activities to include more direct contact with both parties. Lastly, we are exploring making some of our forms fillable (digitally via) e-signatures, which we believe can improve services to our clients with this quick and easy method." • Jobs and fraud control — "We want to continue our strong community outreach and collaboration to market our comprehensive programming. We also want to continue to expand our youth program by working with high school seniors prior to graduation and to recruit for those youth with uncertain futures after graduation." • Children services — "Much like around the state and country, fewer individuals are entering the child welfare workforce. We want to creatively work to recruit and retain our workforce. We have approximately 12 children placed outside our community in congregate care, such as group homes and residential centers. We want to work to safely reduce this number and bring them back into the community. Lastly, we want to increase our local Erie County foster care network." • Income maintenance/benefits — "Our income maintenance unit has worked tirelessly on the unwinding project from the public health emergency that ended in April. This process posed many challenges and last-minute policy changes from the state that continue to come. I want to continue to support the unit in any way possible as the policy changes come. Through it all, the unit has been an 'example county' in their timeliness goals. We have a collective goal to continue to exceed our timeliness goals and finish near the top in the state. Lastly, we want to continue to expand our fraud task force and community awareness." Working with the team Lill retained the entire leadership team assembled under Balconi Ghezzi's watch. This would include various administrators working in many different capacities at job and family services: Brian Bixler, Amber Bruno, Rebecca Diekman, Ashley Gilbert, Amber Jenkins, Trudy Riddle and Neil Yingling. He views each official as a hard worker with a people-first mindset. "We have such a dedicated staff that works selflessly to deliver services to the citizens of Erie County," Lill said. About 90 people in total work at job and family services. It's a "godsend to have such talented people across the entire agency," Lill said. "I'm excited about the opportunity to work with such a dedicated team to achieve our goals and continue to make a meaningful impact in our community." Lill then made a promise on behalf of these employees along with himself. "We will strive, every day, to maintain the highest standards and provide these invaluable services to our community," he said. Why this job? Many consider the agency's executive director's job as a thankless one. It's often the subject of ridicule and criticism due to its overall nature in dealing with negative situations. This would include child support disputes, custody battles and foster care placements. So how does he maintain a sunny disposition in such a challenging environment? "I have a great support system, great colleagues across the agency, a loving wife and a great family. But when you are in a situation like I am, where you are truly making a significant difference in our community — knowing when you leave at the end of the day that if you did things to the best of your ability, you can be proud of that — that is how I get through it." In his new role, Lill eagerly awaits the opportunities awaiting him. The end goal? To make a positive change for those requiring his agency's service. "This is my dream job," he said. "What better job is there than to be a director at job and family services? This is my home community, and the fact that I can serve my home community never ceases to amaze me." Lill, 39, of Huron, envisions himself serving many years in this new role. "I'll never leave this job," Lill said. "I don't care what opportunity is out there. This is, honest to goodness, my dream job. I love Erie County. I absolutely love job and family services. And I love to serve people."