Daniel Nielson

Daniel is the Director of the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services, the entity responsible for determining Medi-Cal eligibility for Santa Barbara County residents.

At the time of his appointment to the CenCal Board he had 29 years of non-profit and public sector experience in many aspects of the health and human service field. Daniel's career includes a position with the Community Health Centers, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah where he was the Project Director of the Health Access Project, providing free specialty and primary health care to the low income uninsured residents of Salt Lake County through a network of over 600 volunteer doctors and 9 hospitals.

Prior to coming to Santa Barbara County in May of 2013 he was the Director of the Health and Human Services Agency in El Dorado County, California. The Agency is comprised of Public Health, Mental Health, Social Services and Community Services. 

He received two B.S. degrees in the Behavioral Sciences in 1984 and a Master of Public Administration degree in 2004, all from the University of Utah.