Washington State Health Officer Kathy Lofy, who has been instrumental in leading the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, will resign later this year.
Lofy, who has served as health officer for six and a half years, announced her decision Wednesday.
“This decision is my own, and it’s a personal one,” Lofy said in a statement. “My only definitive plan after I leave the agency is to take a brief hiatus from my career to focus on being a mom, improving my health and reconnecting with friends and family.”
The search for Lofy’s replacement is expected to begin next month. Lofy expects to leave her post “sometime around the end of the year,” but a specific date hasn’t been set.
Lofy’s departure will arrive as Secretary of Health John Wiesman leaves his position as well.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Wiesman accepted a faculty position at the University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Global Public Health. He will leave his job at the end of Inslee’s second term on Jan. 10, 2021.