William P. Brooks, for the last seven years special assistant to the superintendent at Winfield State Hospital & Training Center, has been named Acting Superintendent of the hospital by Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Donna Whiteman.

Whiteman said Brooks, who has 37 years of experience at the hospital, would be acting superintendent while a nationwide search continues to find a replacement for Dr. Tony Lybarger, who resigned last week after seven years as superintendent.

Whiteman said Brooks will give the hospital good leadership while the search for a permanent replacement for Lybarger continues. She said Brooks is well respected both by hospital staff and people in the community of Winfield.

Mr. Brooks has shown a strong, lifelong commitment both to Winfield State Hospital & Training Center and to the community of Winfield," she said.

Brooks, 59, has been at Winfield State Hospital for 37 years. Besides holding down the position as special assistant to the superintendent, he has been Risk Management Director since 1987. This position includes responsibility to make sure an appropriate response is made to all allegations of abuse or neglect at the hospital. Prior to those positions, Brooks was a unit manager at the hospital for 17 years and a vocational training supervisor from 1966 to 1970.

George Vega, Commissioner of Mental Health and Retardation Services at SRS, said it is important to appoint someone with Brooks's knowledge of hospital operations to the leadership post. He too mentioned the respect Brooks has gained in the community.

Bill is well-known and well-respected in Winfield, both at the hospital and within the community," Vega said.

Brooks attended both Friends University and Wichita University, both in Wichita.

He also has been involved with volunteer civic duties. He presently serves on both the Winfield Planning Commission and the Winfield Board of Zoning. Previously, he served on the Cowley County Vocational Technical School Advisory Board and the Cowley County Planning Commission.

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001