WARREN - SCOPE of Trumbull County has a temporary director in waiting, board members announced Friday.
Ralph J. Smith, a former executive with Trumbull Memorial Hospital, will take over the agency when Executive Director Janet Schweitzer leaves Tuesday.
''He will review the operation with a view toward compliance and keeping as much of SCOPE operating as possible,'' board member Garland Bradshaw said.
Smith will hold the title of project manager. Bradshaw said Smith will be retained on a month-to-month contract and the board will open a search to find a permanent director.
Smith worked as vice president of Trumbull Memorial Hospital from 1983 to 2000 and is president of St. Loree Inc., a niche hospital supply company he founded in 1988.
Schweitzer cited ''family commitments'' as her reason for leaving in an April 14 letter to the board. She leaves at a time when the agency is facing tough scrutiny from the Ohio Department of Aging and others. ODA claims the agency failed to comply with regulations regarding criminal background checks and employee credentials.