DHS chief resignation follows custody case protest that Gov. Stitt's father participated in

Just days after the father of Gov. Kevin Stitt and supporters of a boy in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services held a news conference in Tulsa to criticize the agency, the governor called its executive director into a meeting.

The next day, which was Tuesday, DHS Executive Director Dr. Deborah Shropshire abruptly resigned her post.

The Tulsa protest included the family and friends of 12-year-old Clayton Woolley, the Rev. John Stitt — the governor's father — and two state lawmakers. The gathering was highlighted by calls by the elder Stitt to reform DHS and remove Woolley from the foster family he is currently living with.

Shropshire's announcement caught many state and DHS officials off guard. In a brief resignation letter, she gave no indication of why she was leaving but, instead, praised the agency. Stitt's office has, so far, declined to say whether the Woolley case and his father's concern with it had anything to do with Shropshire's resignation.

Previously Stitt had said Shropshire was "a stand up Oklahoman with a heart for servant leadership and a proven track record of success at Oklahoma Human Services."

After the meeting with Stitt on Monday, Shropshire announced her resignation in a short, two-paragraph letter to the governor. Shropshire is also stepping aside as Stitt's chief adviser, according to the governor's spokesperson, Abegail Cave.

"I'm writing this letter to let you know that I'm resigning from my position as Agency Director Oklahoma Human Services effective 9/12/2024," Shropshire wrote. "It has been an incredible honor to serve in this capacity. I fell in love with the team at Oklahoma Human Services more than two decades ago, and having the opportunity to lead them over the last couple of years has been a great pleasure."

More: Deborah Shropshire out as state Human Services chief; resignation follows meeting with governor

Stitt's office has remained quiet about the departure. Emails from The Oklahoman to the governor's communications staff were not answered, nor were telephone calls to the governor's father. Others involved in the protest against DHS have not returned telephone calls seeking comment.

Shropshire previously had served as the agency's director of Child Welfare Services. She was the first woman in state history to serve as DHS director when appointed to the post on Jan. 10, 2023. Shropshire will leave her post on Sept. 13.

What Gov. Kevin Stitt's father said at protest in support of Woolley family

Stitt's father told the Tulsa World he became interested in the Woolley case about four years ago. He told the crowd at the protest that after meeting and visiting with the Woolleys, he believed them to be in the “top 10% of those that call themselves Christians.”

Woolley's older brother, Gabriel, is running for office. He is currently locked in a primary runoff battle for House District 98. Ethics commission reports show that John Stitt is listed as a financial contributor to Woolley.

The case involving Clayton Woolley, has been ongoing since 2018, after his 1-year-old brother, Elijah, died. Not long after his brother's death, Clayton was removed from the home of his maternal grandparents, Lisa Wooley and William 'Bill' Woolley.

Prosecutors in Wagoner County charged the couple with murder and sex-abuse. Two years later, those charges were dropped, the Tulsa World reported, after defense attorneys cited the statute of limitations and an external review of evidence that concluded the boy died from sudden infant death syndrome.

Since then, the family has protested DHS' actions in the case and asked that Clayton be placed in an approved therapeutic foster home with the goal of reuniting him with his grandparents or an aunt.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: DHS chief resignation follows custody case protest that Gov. Stitt's father participated in