Executive Director: Charles (Chip) M. Spinning

Chip Spinning, Executive Director of Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) since 2011, is a nationally recognized child welfare advocate and one of the leading champions in Ohio on protecting children through stronger family connections.

Under Mr. Spinning’s leadership, FCCS has been at the forefront of child protection by implementing several initiatives designed to sustain the agency’s stable and diverse workforce of child welfare professionals, prioritize the need for children in the agency’s care to remain in family-like settings, and provide mentoring and prevention services to connect both youth and families with community-based resources and supports to keep more children healthy and safe.

Recognizing that the goals of child safety and family preservation are truly community-wide responsibilities, Mr. Spinning has developed and strengthened lasting partnerships between FCCS and several essential organizations such as Franklin County Juvenile Court, the Community Shelter Board, Columbus City Schools, Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services and the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

Over the past decade, Mr. Spinning has been a prominent voice and thought leader, serving on numerous local and national boards and committees, including Co-Chair of the National Partnership on Child Safety, the Casey Family Program’s Metro Race Equity Group, the American Public Human Services Association’s Executive Peer Exchange Committee, the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators’ Executive Committee the Board of Trustees for the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, the Partners for Ohio’s Families Advisory Board, and the Franklin County Family and Children First Council.

Inspired by his grandmother who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, Mr. Spinning began his career in community service as an administrator for nursing homes and assisted living facilities. His experience and commitment to meeting the needs of our most vulnerable populations led him to serve as the Director of the Madison County Department of Job and Family Services (in London, Ohio) where he worked for 11 years before he was recruited to Franklin County. A graduate of Ohio University, Mr. Spinning has a bachelor’s in health care and a master’s degree in health care administration.