The head of Pennsylvania’s Drug and Alcohol office was ousted Tuesday amid questions about his close ties to an advocate for treatment centers around the state.

Gov. Wolf announced by email that the department's director, Gary Tennis, a onetime chief of the legislation unit in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, was being replaced as secretary of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

He did not give a reason for Tennis' departure from the $139,178-a-year job. Tennis could not be reached for comment.

The announcement followed a report by the Reading Eagle in which a former employee in the department said that in order to land a job in 2015, Tennis told her to meet with Deb Beck, a well-known and longtime advocate for drug- and alcohol-abuse treatment and funding as well as a lobbyist for treatment centers.

Beck heads the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania. The group describes itself as a statewide coalition of drug- and alcohol-abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and education programs and providers.

The woman, Angela Episale of Camp Hill, told the newspaper she met with Beck in the legislative office of Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, a Bucks County Republican. DiGirolamo did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday. He is quoted by the Reading Eagle as saying he does not recall the meeting but could not say that it never happened.

After that meeting with Beck, Episale received an email from Tennis in which he told her that Beck "thinks you're a good fit," the newspaper reported, citing a copy of the message. Episale then landed a job as a bureau director in Tennis' department.

Last year, she was disciplined for "improper conduct," according to the report, which did not specify what had occurred. She has since left the department.

In an email exchange Tuesday night, Episale said she believed Beck's recommendation was "instrumental" in her getting the job. She also said Beck "plays an influential role within the department and is considered a most trusted resource."

Beck did not respond to a telephone message or emailed requests for comment.

The alleged incident raises questions about the ethics of allowing a lobbyist with a direct interest in the department's policies and agenda to play any role in deciding who should receive a state job.

The department, among other functions, provides funding for drug and alcohol prevention programs and licenses treatment centers.

It was not immediately clear which providers Beck represents and how much money they receive in state funding. Beck's lobbyist registration form does not provide a list.

But beyond her lobbying role, Beck is among the most visible and well-known advocates for drug and alcohol prevention in the state. She has testified at legislative hearings, and is known in the Capitol as someone with a deep well of knowledge and experience in the field.

Tennis' job was created during Gov. Tom Corbett's administration. He was retained when Wolf, a Democrat, was elected and became one of his most recognizable cabinet members, appearing with him at public events as opioid-abuse prevention became a key platform in Wolf's agenda.

In his news release, Wolf said that the department's deputy secretary, Jennifer Smith, will serve as acting secretary.

First Published: January 24, 2017, 11:51 p.m.