On August 3, 2017, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s nomination of  Lance A. Robertson of Oklahoma to be the next chief of the Administration for Community Living, an office in the Department of Health and Human Services that is responsible for home and community-based services and programs related to aging. Since 2007, Robertson has been director of Aging Services at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. He succeeds Kathy Greenlee in the new post, who had served since 2009. 

Born March 16, 1971, Lance Allen Robertson was raised by his grandparents in Wellston, Oklahoma. After serving in the Army, Robertson earned a B.S. in Business at Oklahoma State University in 1993, where he was president of the Off Campus Student Association. He later earned a Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2015.

Just a year after graduating, Robertson co-founded the Gerontology Institute at Oklahoma State University, of which he was director from February 1994 to June 2005. He also served as executive director of PartnerShips for Aging, the largest regional gerontology association in the U.S. In addition, he was a self-employed aging services consultant and an unpaid “Vintage Visions” columnist for The Oklahoman during these years.

Robertson was hired by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services in February 2006, but did not become director of Aging Services until June 2007. As director, he is responsible for an annual budget of $325 million and a statewide workforce of 255, although Oklahoma’s programs for aging have seen recent budget and workforce cuts.

Robertson has served as the president of the National Association of States United for Aging & Disability (NASUAD), a leading authority on aging and disability. In 2008, Robertson drew on his own life experiences to write “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren,” which was included as a chapter of the book, Godly Grandparenting: A Christian Guide for Today’s Families.

Lance Robertson resides with his wife, Lori, and two daughters, Brooke and Kaitlyn, in Edmond, Oklahoma.

-Matt Bewig

To Learn More:

Edmond Man Nominated by Trump for National Position (by Eriech Tapia, The Oklahoman)

Adult Care in Oklahoma - The Social Service Workers (by Ron Jackson, The Oklahoman)