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The University of Texas at Austin

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs

DeAnn Friedholm
The LBJ School Alumni Association Speaker Series presents:

From Austin to Pretoria: Lessons from a Public Service Career in Health and Human Services

A Discussion with DeAnn Friedholm
Partner, Health Management Associates

Monday, October 15, 2007
12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

LBJ Student Lounge
Sid Richardson Hall, Unit 3
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
The University of Texas at Austin
2315 Red River Street
Austin, TX

DeAnn Friedholm, Partner, Health Management Associates, and a graduate of the LBJ School, will be the School’s second guest in the new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. This event will be held on Monday, October 15, 2007, 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the LBJ Student Lounge. Ms. Friedholm will share insights and perspectives based on successes and failures from her experiences and what they may suggest to individuals considering a career in public service.

DeAnn Friedholm has spent her 28 years since graduating from the LBJ School working to improve health and social services for disadvantaged people. Her desire to help realize President Johnson’s vision has led her to Washington, back to Austin, to South Africa and back again to Austin. She has worked for the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Senate Budget Committee, the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations, Governors Mark White and Ann Richards, and Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock. Ms. Friedholm was Texas Medicaid Director for three years under Governor Richards and Governor Bush. Governor Richards also appointed DeAnn as her representative on the 1993-94 Clinton Health Reform Task Force and as Commissioner of Health and Human Services in August 1994.

When not in government, she has worked on political campaigns, built non-profit research and advocacy organizations, developed statewide coalitions supporting Medicaid and CHIP and consulted with public and private entities working with all levels of government. Ms. Friedholm has leadership experience in creating strategies for successfully accomplishing program improvements as well as implementing reforms. Examples include the Texas Indigent Health Care system, numerous Medicaid expansions and financing improvements, the creation of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and reforms of the Texas CHIP program.

For those people who would like to see the presentation but are unable to attend, the event will be webcast in real-time as well as available for later viewing online. Visit the LBJ School's screening room Web site, www.utexas.edu/lbj/webcasts, on the day of the event to access the webcast. You will need to have QuickTime installed to watch the streaming video.

For more information about this event, contact Brendan Lavy at 512-232-4004 or blavy@austin.utexas.edu.