LANSING, Mich. – Dwayne Haywood, a veteran of more than 30 years with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, will be the new leader of the administration that oversees food assistance and other public assistance benefits.
MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel announced the selection of Haywood as senior deputy director of the Economic Stability Administration, effective Monday, Aug. 22. Haywood is currently director of the department’s Wayne County offices. In his new role, he also will oversee adult protective services and the Disability Determination Service.
“Dwayne Haywood’s long-time commitment to helping low-income residents get the support they need to provide for their families while working toward self-sufficiency makes him a perfect fit for the job,” Hertel said. “He has been a key player in our efforts to make it easier for people to access public assistance benefits, which became even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Haywood began with MDHHS in 1990 as a youth specialist and then as a Children’s Protective Services worker. He later filled other roles – including as director of the department’s Detroit office, where he helped develop education and empowerment tools to address poverty in the city. Since 2007, he has served as director in Wayne County, where he oversees 11 district offices and 1,200 employees who administer the county’s assistance programs. He served as acting director for what is now the Economic Stability Administration for a year beginning in 2010.
Haywood lives in Macomb Township. He and his wife Regina Haywood have three children, Dwayne II, Aaron and Brooklyn. A U.S. Army veteran, Haywood earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and master’s degree in public administration, both from Eastern Michigan University. He is an instructor at Baker College and previously taught at the University of Phoenix
Haywood will replace Terry Beurer, who is retiring after 40 years of service to the department. In recent years, Beurer led the department’s efforts to simplify assistance application forms, streamline the application process and make the agency more customer friendly. Lean more about MDHHS assistance programs at Michigan.gov/MDHHS.
