Barry Zimmerman, the chief deputy director of the Ventura County Health Care Agency, has been selected as the next director of the agency.

Ventura County Executive Officer Mike Powers selected Zimmerman after a nationwide recruitment, the county said in a March 11 news release. Zimmerman, a longtime county manager, has been with the Health Care Agency since February 2020, and is replacing Bill Foley, who retired as director on March 6.

Zimmerman will be working on issues like strategy, policy, government and community relations, operational, performance and financial improvement and once-in-a-generation projects like the planning and development of an integrated healthcare campus. He will also continue to guide the agency through COVID-19 and recovery, and is in charge of a health care system that includes Ventura County Medical Center hospital, 24 primary care clinics, 11 specialty care clinics, the Public Health Department, Emergency Medical Services, the Behavioral Health Department and the Ventura County Health Care Plan.

“Barry is an excellent leader and the right person at the right time for this vital role. He will guide the Health Care Agency’s outstanding leadership team as they usher in a new era of health care,” Powers said in a news release. “The speed and scope of the pandemic has posed extraordinary challenges and Barry has been a proven leader during this complex and unprecedented time taking the lead on the COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Taskforce. His service to our community and to our county, especially during this time, has been crucial.”