Autumn Bower

LOCK HAVEN — Autumn Bower is the new director for Clinton County’s Children and Youth Services.

Her promotion comes with the retirement of longtime director Gerald Rosamilia, beginning May 1.

“He has 40-plus years of service to the county,” said Commissioner Paul Conklin. “It’s just going to be awkward to not have his presence around here.”

Commissioner Pete Smeltz praised Rosamilia for his hard work and humility.

“He’s seen a lot over the years, Gerry has,” he said.

Rosamilia worked through the high-profile Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case, in which the former Penn State assistant football coach was eventually convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys over 14 years. Sandusky is currently serving the sixth year of his 30- to 60-year prison sentence at Somerset State Prison in Somerset.

Clinton County’s social services, under Rosamilia’s direction, were the first to identify, in 2008, Sandusky’s abuse of Aaron Fisher (“Victim No. 1,” who was from this area) and to pursue action against Sandusky and help secure his prison sentence.

During the trial, Clinton County’s Children and Youth Services went about half a million dollars over budget providing trial services to Fisher and a second, unnamed victim, according to The Patriot News. Rosamilia said, at the time, that he did not want to turn anyone away from receiving agency services.

Rosamilia also oversaw an expansion in Children and Youth several years ago due to increased federal and state funding aimed at catching and preventing child abuse.

Rosamilia’s record as director shows he prioritized child safety over everything.

Children and Youth’s general mission is to keep families together, when possible.

When a landlord failed to provide heating oil to a Beech Creek rental unit in 2014, causing adverse conditions for the families within, Children and Youth provided the oil and referred the renters to a legal services organization. Rosamilia said Children and Youth had helped with a similar situation in Renovo the year before, where a family with three children who could not pay their bills was about to have their water and sewer cut off. Children and Youth paid the bills and set up a repayment plan for the family.

Rosamilia’s retirement has triggered a series of promotions within the department, with Bower taking over his role, former special programs supervisor Tristan Rock taking over the assistant director position, and former caseworker Katie Angelelli becoming special programs supervisor.

Bower will enter the director’s position Monday, with an annual salary of $66,000. She said she is excited to take on the new leadership role and is looking forward to the future.

“I’m hoping to continue to serve children and families in Clinton County in much of the same way that our agency has been,” she said in an email. “I’m very proud of this agency and all that we have accomplished and look forward to what we will continue to accomplish. We are very fortunate to have a wonderful group of employees here who are truly dedicated to what they do and to serving children and families in the community.”

“Gerry’s done a wonderful job getting Autumn and Tristan (Rock) ready for the new role they have in the department,” Commissioner Jeff Snyder said.

“What has been established already within the agency, through Gerald Rosamilia’s leadership, is something remarkable, and I hope to carry that on far into the future,” Bower said.