Delaware County Council Names Chris Welsh Deputy Executive Director, Human Services & Community Programs
Welsh, who spent the last five months in an interim role, brings decades of professional experience serving his community
Media, PA — At Tuesday’s Delaware County Personnel Board meeting, Chris Welsh was named Deputy Executive Director, Human Services & Community Programs after serving in an interim role for the last five months.
Over the last five months, Welsh has worked to restore critical mental health services, address homelessness and eviction, and use Opioid Settlement funding for prevention, treatment, and supportive services. Throughout the past five months, he has also worked to make the operations of Human Services more cost-effective, ensuring that limited resources are used to meet community needs.
“It’s an honor to be permanently named to the Deputy Executive Director position overseeing the Department of Human Services and other county agencies that support our community,” said Welsh. “We’ve made a great deal of progress in my first few months in the role, but I look forward to continuing to deliver for Delco residents while making it a better place to live and raise a family.”
Welsh brings a wealth of experience, highlighted by five and a half years as the Chief Public Defender for Delaware County. In this position, he worked with other system stakeholders to reduce the daily prison population at George W. Hill Correctional Facility by nearly 40%, or roughly 700 people per day. He also uncovered evidence of abuse in the county Juvenile Detention Center, leading to the closure of the facility in 2021. Additionally, Welsh transformed the Public Defender’s Office, improving the quality of legal representation for indigent clients, creating social work and investigation divisions, and expanding access to social services through the Partners for Justice Program.
“Council has been very impressed with the progress Mr. Welsh has made in just a few months in an Interim role, so we are thrilled to appoint him to a permanent position as Deputy Executive Director,” said Delaware County Council Chair Richard Womack. “We look forward to working alongside him as we continue to deliver for the residents of Delaware County.”
Before starting at the County, Welsh was the Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In a role that set him up to make a difference in Delaware County, he spent nearly 13 years at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where he worked his way up to Deputy Defender of Operations and System Development. Throughout his career, he has built up a wealth of experience working on major trials, juvenile defense, mental health, domestic violence, in municipal court, and more.
He has a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University in Political Science and Government, and graduated magna cum laude from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. Welsh has deep Delco ties, with his mother growing up in Sharon Hill and attending Archbishop Prendergast High School and his father growing up in Springfield and attending Cardinal O’Hara High School. He currently lives in Havertown with his wife and two daughters.
Welsh will look to optimize the operations of the Delaware County Department of Human Services, which oversees Adult and Family Services, Children and Youth Services, Drug and Alcohol programs, Early Intervention, Mental Health services, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. He will also oversee the Office of Housing & Community Development, Libraries, The County Office for Support of the Aging (COSA), Veterans Affairs, and other county agencies.
To learn more about Human Services, visit delcopa.gov/human-services.
To contact Human Services, please email humanservices@co.delaware.pa.us or call 610-713-2115.