Democratic lawmakers blast newly created special adviser position for ex-DCS director

By KARA KENNEY
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

Indiana lawmakers are raising questions about a newly created state position in state government.

“Our priorities are wrong,” Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis said. “It’s very alarming to me.”

Republican Gov. Mike Braun announced Wednesday that former Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) director Adam Krupp will serve as “special advisor to the Governor on child welfare issues.”

Krupp’s salary will remain at $210,000 in his newly appointed role. That’s the same salary as new DCS Director Jennifer Dorfmeyer.

Dorfmeyer, appointed Tuesday, will lead the state’s third-largest agency with more than 4,000 employees.

Dorfmeyer served as the interim director from mid-January to mid-April while Krupp was on a leave of absence.

I-Team 8 has asked the Governor’s Office and State Personnel Department several questions including:

• Is there a job description for the special adviser to the governor?
• Was the job posted?
• Are there set hours for the position? Is it salaried?
• Will this position be funded out of the Child Services’ 2026 budget?
• What is the time range for this position?

State Senator Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said the governor owes the taxpayers an explanation.

“I am concerned because this is out of the normal of how government works,” Qaddoura said. “State government is not a private company, it’s a public institution funded by taxpayers. So taxpayers are they deserve to know the answers to these questions.”

Qaddoura has served on the Family and Children Services Committee and he serves on the Appropriations Committee.

“This position as a governor’s adviser never existed before for that specific role,” Qaddoura said. “It seems that this was a personal privilege that was afforded to a government employee that was not extended to others. That special treatment and favoritism is not something that I support.”

The senator said the special adviser position will likely be absorbed into the 2026 budget.

“The budget for the $210,000 has to come from the Governor’s office, given that the appointed advisory position will report to the governor,” Qaddoura said. “They could potentially structure it in a way that the director Krupp is actually paid by DCS while still working for the governor’s office. We have not seen the details, but I will assume they will absorb the cost within the 2026 appropriations.”

The Child Services’ budget for fiscal year 2026 is $1.54 billion.

Under Krupp and the agency’s Project Awaken, dozens of Child Services employees were terminated or reassigned citing “operational efficiencies” and “restructuring of certain administrative functions and roles.”

Both Qaddoura and Porter say it sends mixed messages.

Qaddoura said, “I find it extremely difficult to understand the logic behind creating additional layers of bureaucracy in state government, who are letting the frontline workers be either terminated or under invested in and underpaid and overworked. I would have been more in favor of using a quarter million dollars to hire three additional case managers that actually can oversee cases and reduce the workload and improve the quality and oversight of investigations that DCS performs.”

Porter said, “Dollars that we have should be going toward keeping children safe. This is not good governance.”

I-Team 8 asked Braun’s office for an on-camera interview but did not hear back before this story aired Wednesday night.

On Wednesday, Braun released a statement on the appointments.

“I am grateful for Adam Krupp’s service and the changes he has made to improve DCS. I have every confidence in Jennifer and her ability to lead this important work at such a critical agency.”

State lawmakers also say they’re concerned the position could create confusion as to who is really in charge of Child Services, the new director or the special adviser.

In addition, Dr. Gloria Sachdev oversees Child Services, the Indiana Department of Health, and the Family and Social Services Administration as the state’s secretary of Health and Family Services.

Qaddoura said, “This creates a third layer of oversight and management of the same agency. My first concern is government efficiency. Who really makes the decisions for the agency?”

I-Team 8 reached out to multiple Republican lawmakers for their response.

The State Personnel Department (SPD) responded with this statement:

“Adam’s role is a regular full‑time, salaried state position, and no special employment code is being created. The position will be paid through DCS for administrative purposes, while functionally reporting to the Governor’s Office. He will have the option to enroll in the State Employee Health Plan, consistent with other full‑time state employees.”

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/i-team-8/lawmakers-blast-newly-created-special-advisor-position-for-ex-dcs-director.