Kara B. Wente was appointed as the Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in August of 2023. Previously, Wente has served as the Director of the Governor’s Children’s Initiative since January 2023. Wente has been leading the transition efforts for the Department of Children and Youth. Prior to her appointment, Wente served as the Chief Operating Officer for Future Ready Columbus.
With more than 20 years of dedicated state service, Wente has extensive experience in serving the most vulnerable children and families in Ohio. Wente used data as an accountability tool for systemic change during her time as the Assistant Director of Health and Human Services at the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services and led several large-scale system and policy changes as Deputy Director at the Office of Family Assistance.
Wente holds a Master’s in Education and Allied Professions from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The Ohio State University.
Originally from Northwest Ohio, Kara now resides in Central Ohio with her husband and two children.