Department of Health and Human Services

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

Randy Pate is a CMS Deputy Administrator and the Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. In his role, Randy leads CMS’ work on the individual and small group markets, including the Health Insurance Exchanges. Prior to joining CMS, Randy was Vice President of Public Policy at Health Care Service Corporation. Randy spent nearly a decade working on Capitol Hill, at public policy think tanks, and in the executive branch, including a stint at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the George W. Bush Administration. Randy holds bachelor and law degrees from The University of Alabama and received his Master’s in Public Health from The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Bio, via University of Pennsylvania:

Kristina Pelekoudas C'15 graduated from Penn with a major in Communication and Public Service and a minor in Hispanic Studies. She is from Irvine, CA. As a Fox Fellow, she worked in Tanzania for Courage Worldwide to complete a program evaluation of its safe house for rescued girls.

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

Anna Pilato is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs. In this role she will oversee the Office of Regional Operations and the Office of Communications. Ms. Pilato joined President Trump’s Administration as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Immediately prior to the HHS appointment, Anna served on the Transition Personnel team on the Presidential Transition. Prior to this appointment, she served in Governor Sam Brownback’s Administration, as Deputy Secretary for the Kansas Department for Children and Families. There she established new statewide initiatives to address needs of vulnerable children and families, spearheaded an anti-human trafficking initiative and oversaw training and professional development for staff. She advised the Agency’s Secretary on child welfare policy reform, change management and intergovernmental communications. She was previously appointed by the George W. Bush Administration to serve as the Director at the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. Prior to joining HHS, she served more than three years in Presidential Correspondence, as Director of Administration at The White House. Additionally, Ms. Pilato has several years’ experience in the non-profit sector and as a social worker. Anna earned her B.A in Political Science from Nazareth College and a M.A. in Counseling from Regent University.

Bio, via Catholic Information Center:

Mary Powers is the Deputy Director of Development at the American Media Institute, based in Alexandria, Virginia and has worked in communications and development within the pro-life movement for the past six years before joining American Media Institute. She is also a member of the National Alumni Board at the University of Dallas and a board member of the Thomas More Society in Washington, DC. Mary is a regular contributor to The Pulse 2016, American Principles Project’s blog on the 2016 election, and has also published articles on Catholic Vote, Townhall, The Washington Times, The Christian Review and Catholic Online.

Bio, via LinkedIn:

After 25 years in the Investment Management industry in a variety of capacities (fund manager, derivatives, fixed income portfolio manager, capabilities manager, client service), I left in 2008. In 2009 I took over as CEO of Pratt Marketing Group after the passing of the founder, Christine Pratt. We rebranded PMG as 88 Brand Partners, reflecting our fully integrated offering of branding and advertising services, helping brands create deep and lasting connections with their audiences. In fall of 2014, after five years at the helm, I decided the time had come to turn things over to a new generation of management who could take the agency to new heights. I appointed Michael McGuire as President/CEO in October. In December 2014, Michael purchased the agency from me, so the transition is complete.

Bio, via LinkedIn:

Young professional with a demonstrated history of working in government and politics. Skilled in Public Policy, Health Administration, Research, and Fundraising.

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

Lance Robertson was appointed to serve as Assistant Secretary for Aging and ACL's Administrator on August 11, 2017. His vision for ACL focuses on five pillars: supporting families and caregivers, protecting rights and preventing abuse, connecting people to resources, expanding employment opportunities and strengthening the aging and disability networks. His leadership in the fields of aging and disability began in Oklahoma, where he served for 10 years as the Director of Aging Services within the state’s Department of Human Services. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Oklahoma State University, where he co-founded the Gerontology Institute and served as the executive director of the nation's largest regional gerontology association. Lance earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and a master of public administration degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, and he is a veteran of the United States Army.

Bio, via HHS.Gov:

Scott W. Rowell was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary for Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services on August 20, 2018. Rowell is responsible for human resources policy, equal employment opportunity, diversity, facilities management, information technology and the Department’s service operations. Rowell is a 25 year Army veteran. His Army career included assignments as a long range planner in the Office of Net Assessment at the Pentagon and as an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences, United States Military Academy, at West Point. In 1998, he retired from active military service with the rank of colonel. As a civilian, he was selected as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategy, Plans and Resources in the Office of Homeland Defense at the Pentagon. He was responsible for the development of homeland defense policy and strategic guidance and policy integration; and the oversight of the Department of Defense (DoD) homeland defense policies, programs, and budgets within DoD components. In 2008, Rowell returned to government service at the request of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Army as a senior advisor to the U.S. Army’s Manpower and Reserve Affairs Office at the Pentagon. There, he was charged with developing programs focused on educating and training the Army Civilian Corps. Rowell’s military honors include the Army Superior Civilian Service Award, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the Defense Superior Service Medal. Rowell is a distinguished graduate from Arkansas State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history; he also has a Master of Arts in International Affairs from American University and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University. Rowell and his wife reside in Potomac Falls, Virginia and are the proud parents of three grown children and six grandchildren.

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

Shannon Royce brings a wealth of experience to her role as Director of the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS Center). The HHS Center was formed in 2001, under the George W. Bush administration, to ensure that faith partners and non-profits faced no barriers and were engaged as full partners in serving the poor and helping the vulnerable. This mission continues today. Shannon’s professional background includes both government and private sector experience. In government, she worked for over seven years on Capitol Hill, including serving as Counsel to Senator Chuck Grassley (now Chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee). In the private sector, Shannon worked in several faith-based non-profits. Early on, she led the D.C. office of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), a group focused on issues such as sex trafficking, global hunger, and protecting religious liberty. Most recently, Shannon served as Chief of Staff and C.O.O. at the Family Research Council (FRC), managing day to day operations for a team of 80 in fulfilling the FRC mission of promoting “a culture in which all human life is valued, families flourish, and religious liberty thrives.” Shannon brings personal experiences that have shaped her perspective to the job as well. As a cancer survivor, Shannon knows what it is like to be a patient coping with an often confusing healthcare system. In addition, Shannon’s family has been challenged and strengthened through their experiences as a family with special needs. As a result of her experiences, Shannon has been an advocate in her community to ensure that families with special needs have the supports they need to thrive. In leading the Center, Shannon sees her role as one of service and stewardship, carrying out the vision of the Administration. She received her Juris Doctor from the George Washington University School of Law. Shannon is married with two grown sons and enjoys running half-marathons for fun.

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

Dr. Don Rucker, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, comes to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) from the Ohio State University where he was Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical Informatics and Premise Health, a worksite clinic provider, where he served as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Rucker started his informatics career at Datamedic Corporation, where he co-developed the world's first Microsoft Windows based electronic medical record. He then served as Chief Medical Officer at Siemens Healthcare USA. Dr. Rucker led the team that designed the computerized provider order entry workflow that, as installed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, won the 2003 HIMSS Nicholas Davies Award for the best hospital computer system in the US. Dr. Rucker has served terms on the Board of Commissioners of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology and Medicare's Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) and has extensive policy experience representing healthcare innovations before Congress, MedPAC and HHS. He has practiced emergency medicine at Kaiser in California, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he was the first full-time Emergency Department attending, the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Presbyterian and Pennsylvania Hospitals and at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. Dr. Rucker is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine with board certifications in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Clinical Informatics. He holds an MS in Medical Computer Science and an MBA, both from Stanford.

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

Roger Severino is the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to joining the Department, Mr. Severino served as Director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society in the Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity at The Heritage Foundation. Before joining Heritage in 2015, Mr. Severino was a trial attorney for seven years in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division where he enforced the Fair Housing Act, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and Title II and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He has litigated cases under sex, race, national origin, religion, disability, and familial status discrimination and served as the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section's E-discovery officer as well as attorney advisor to the fair housing testing program. Mr. Severino was previously chief operations officer and legal counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Mr. Severino holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, received a master’s degree in public policy, with highest distinction, from Carnegie Mellon University, and has a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Southern California, where he was a National Merit Scholar.

Bio, via HHS:

Jennifer Sherman is the senior adviser for communications to Dr. Giroir. She was previously the press secretary for the House Energy and Commerce committee and the director of communications for Rep. Brett Guthrie (R - Ky.).