Cindy Gillespie
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday announced Cindy Gillespie, a former health care advisor to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, as the new director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
Gillespie replaces longtime leader John Selig, who announced last year that he would leave the post. She begins March 1. The governor’s office said her salary will be $280,000.
“After a national search and after interviewing a number of top candidates, I am confident that Cindy Gillespie has the breadth of experience, management capabilities and the right ideas to lead Arkansas’ largest agency,” Hutchinson said in a news release.
“She has nationally recognized expertise in the reform of Medicaid and she has extensive experience in managing complex programs,” he said. “Most importantly she has the heart and passion that is needed for an agency which is on the frontline of critical services that make a difference in the lives of Arkansans every day.”
In a news release, Hutchinson’s office called Gillespie “a nationally recognized thought-leader in health policy” with experiencing working at state and federal levels.
As executive assistant to Gov. Romney, Gillespie led state interactions with the federal government and implementation of executive branch initiatives, “including playing a leading role in the development of Massachusetts health reforms,” the governor’s office said.
Romney, a Republican, was his party’s nominee for president in 2012.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to join the impressive team Governor Hutchinson has brought together to serve the people of Arkansas,” Gillespie said in a news release. “I am looking forward to working with the highly dedicated and capable employees at the Arkansas Department of Human Services, along with our partners throughout the state, to promote the health and well-being of all Arkansans, especially those most in need.”
The announcement comes as Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin continues an organizational review of the agency. The review, which the governor announced in December, aims to find ways to “achieve greater efficiencies” and areas that lack sufficient resources.
Challenges at DHS put the agency in the spotlight last year.
A report by the Arkansas Times on the “re-homing” of a legislator’s adopted children prompted new laws banning the practice in Arkansas and a review of the agency’s Division of Children & Family Services. The agency is also led an effort to verify the eligibility of Arkansans receiving health insurance coverage under the private option and Medicaid. At times, the agency struggled to handle the workload.
DHS also oversees the “private option,” the state’s plan to cover low-income Arkansans using federal money available under the Affordable Care Act. The governor has been negotiating with federal officials this week to impose new restrictions and other changes to the program, which he has rebranded as “Arkansas Works.”
Gillespie is a principal in the Washington, D.C. office of Dentons’ Public Policy and Regulation practice and a leader of the firm’s Health Policy and Health Insurance Exchange Teams.
Sign up for Daily E-news
