RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT:
After 32 years of invaluable service to the State, Kimberly Jones-Oparah (aka KJ or KJo) will be retiring from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) effective December 17, 2025.
KJ has been an integral part of the IDHS/DDD team, serving in a number of leadership capacities, including Assistant Deputy Director of State-Operated Developmental Centers (SODC), Northern Region, and for the past two years as the Deputy Director for SODCs.
Throughout her tenure, KJ has exhibited unwavering dedication and contributed significantly to our mission. Notably, she spearheaded the successful implementation of recommendations of the transformational plan for Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center. KJ has helped to implement new policies, improve the ADA/Olmstead education across all the centers, and install new safety positions at each center.
We wish her the very best in a well-earned retirement.
Tonya Piephoff
Director, Division of Developmental Disabilities
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